Champions Beyond the Game

By Jim Joanos

Florida State softball shortstop-outfielder Tatiana George summed it up well when she said, "It has been one awesome morning". Her comments came at the end of the program at this year's "Champions Beyond the Game Brunch" held on October 3rd at FSU's University Center Club. The purpose of the brunch was to "honor the past, celebrate the present and promote the future" of women's athletics at FSU. At the annual event, held for the sixth consecutive year, two Florida State graduates were honored for the lifetime successes that they have attained following their experiences as Florida State athletes. Similar to prior brunches, one former graduate was selected from the pre-scholarship era and one from the post-scholarship period of Florida State's history to be honored as "Champions Beyond the Game". Annually, the brunch serves as one of the biggest athletics highlights of the school year. In addition to the Champions' awards, a number of FSU's current coaches and athletes were recognized for their accomplishments.

Dr. Jo Ann Whitaker

Dr. Jo Ann "Bopie" Whitaker, a graduate of the class of 1948, was the first of two to receive the 2004 Champions awards. She was introduced by current FSU golfer, Tyler Johnson. Dr. Whitaker is internationally known as a research and teaching physician. After receiving her FSU degree in microbiology, Whitaker went on to Wake Forest for her medical degree, then did residency work in the field of pediatrics. She has experienced extensive fellowship learning programs that have qualified her in pediatrics, hematology, nutrition, oncology, pathology and psychiatry.

Since 1966, Dr. Whitaker has served as the Director of Research and President of the Board of Directors of the Bowen Research & Training Institute, Inc., in Tarpon Springs, Florida. At the institute, she has been very much involved in the establishment of a laboratory to study the effects of certain bacteria causing rheumatoid arthritis and related diseases as well as director of the "Bowen Technique", an approach designed to balance the autonomic nervous system. Two areas of special interest to Dr. Whitaker have been the effects of Lyme Disease and the use of alternative medicines. During her professional career, she has also served in numerous directorships and teaching positions for various institutions in the United States and elsewhere in the world, including Australia and Vietnam. Under most difficult circumstances, she helped start a medical school in Vietnam. She is also credited with starting the first hospice in Florida. She has taught pediatrics at seven different medical schools including the University of Texas, St. Louis University, and the University of Illinois. She is the author of numerous medical journal articles. Among the many major honors that she has received are the Distinguished Service Award by the American Medical Society, the Distinguished Service Award by the Government of Vietnam, and the Health Medal. In 1999, the Florida State University Emeritus Alumni Society awarded Dr. Whitaker its Commitment to Excellence Award.

At FSU, Whitaker was the president of the F Club, a member of Delta Delta Delta, and active in student affairs. An outstanding golfer, she won the State of Florida's amateur championship on two occasions. The first was won while she was a senior at Florida State in 1948. She became the state champion again in 1952 just after completing work toward her medical degree from Wake Forest. She has continued her golfing interest throughout her life. As a player, through the years, she has shot seven holes in one. Among her many medical pursuits, she serves, as she describes it, as a "golf psychiatrist".

Speaking from her wheelchair, Dr. Whitaker related that her life has been dedicated to helping "people learn how to help themselves". In a humorous presentation, relying upon sports metaphors, she stated that "we have a lot to learn about team playing" and that "the team is the dream". She concluded with the admonition to "go out and have some fun and get rid of your stress".

Celia Slater

Ms. Celia Slater, the other "2004 Champion", was introduced by current FSU basketball player, Linnea Liljestrand. Ms. Slater was a scholarship player and four year letter winner as a basketball star at Florida State. She graduated in 1985 with a degree in Leisure Services and Studies. She was captain and most valuable player of the 1984-85 FSU women's basketball team. Slater was also named to the Metro Conference Commissioner's List for academic accomplishment. Her athletic achievements following graduation included winning a gold medal as a member of the USA Women's Handball Team at the 1987 Olympic Festival. Ms. Slater was the first coach of women's basketball at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, where in three years she built a strong program which finished second in the school's conference. She later served as women's basketball coach at Lynn University.

Currently, Slater is the Executive Director of the WinStar Foundation. The foundation operates two main programs: the "Coaches Academy" and "Play with a Purpose". The academy which is sponsored by the NCAA provides training for women coaches at all levels among its activities. "Play with a Purpose" provides programs to enhance and strengthen the personal values and characteristics of athletes and coaches. Slater is also the Special Projects Coordinator for the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA).

Slater's professional career has included experiences as an officer of a sports management company and the representation of professional women athletes in the United States and Europe. She was a part of the professional staff at the first and second ever pre-draft camps for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) in 1997 and 1998.

Educational endeavors by Slater have also included the obtainment of a Master's Degree in Sports Administration from the University of Northern Colorado and the completion of advanced programs provided by the NACWAA/HERS Institute and the NACDA Management and Leadership Training Institute.

Ms. Slater, humorously, began her remarks by taking pictures of the approximately three hundred people gathered, to emphasize the importance of the event to her. She went on, more seriously, to stress that "there is a much bigger picture to becoming a champion than wins and losses". She also pointed out that "you do not have to be the best to give your best". She said one of her favorite quotations was that "experience is not what happens to you but what you do with what happens to you". She concluded by urging the listeners to participate in "paying it forward", in other words, to "make sure that those in the future will have the opportunities that you did".

Special guests

Among the numerous sports celebrities and dignitaries present were two very important sports figures from FSU's past. Sue Galkantas, who played basketball in 1980-84 for the Seminoles and is the only FSU women's basketball player to have her jersey (#43) retired attended as a former teammate of Ms. Slater. Also in attendance, was a more recent superstar, Jessica Van der Linden Boulware, the 2004 National Player of the Year in softball.

The master of ceremonies for the event was FSU Vice President for University Relations, Lee Hinkle. Hinkle stressed that success both on and off the field of play requires "thinking big", preparation, the setting of goals, the seeking out of mentors, "having confidence in your self", and "keeping things in perspective. The program also included the introduction of coaches and players from all FSU women's sports teams.

The Committee of Thirty

The brunch is sponsored each year by FSU's "Committee of Thirty" with support from Seminole Boosters and the FSU Department of Athletics. The committee, in existence since 1998, is a group of volunteers, men and women, organized with the goal of developing philanthropy and other support for women's athletics at FSU.