Goucher Women's Basketball Shelby Apostol Talks About Her NCAA SALT Experience

BALTIMORE, Md. – Shelby Apostol (Oxnard, Calif./Saint Bonaventure), a member of the Goucher College women's basketball team, participated in the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Training (SALT) in mid-June. It was a virtual seminar, but she learned a lot about herself and becoming a leader.

"Even though the SALT experience was virtual, it was still one of the best experiences of my life," said Apostol. "At first, I was hesitant on even applying, but Goucher encouraged me to apply, and I am so glad that I did. One of the main reasons I applied was to grow as a leader in preparation for all the recruits committed to our program. I'm a rising senior, and I'm ready to take on bigger leadership roles."

The student-athlete experience encompasses much more than simple on-field strategy and competition. Leadership, grit, core values, acceptance of vulnerability, and a growth mindset all emerge throughout hundreds of hours of practices, games, and team events. The 2021 SALT program was created to intentionally further the development of the vital skills for participants to implement within their teams, campuses, communities, and society throughout their lives.  

"The purpose of SALT was to discuss the importance of self-awareness," said Apostol. "Self-awareness impacts your mentality, attitude and is one of the starting points for a growth mindset. One of my most favorite things that SALT provided to me was an "Even If Statement." For example, "Even if I fail, I will still keep going." This statement can be used to utilize any sense of self-doubt and to help shift your mindset. I have already started to use this in everyday life and can't wait to share it with my team before games. At SALT, we also discussed the importance of authenticity. Authenticity goes hand in hand with all the things that I just mentioned before. Not being afraid to be my true self will help me build the close relationships I need for my leadership style. The biggest takeaway from SALT was that being captain is a title but being a leader is an attitude. Anyone can be a leader."

SALT took place in an interactive virtual environment June 17-18. The training provided 200 participants with opportunities to discover their leadership qualities and identity. The design of the curriculum was to develop a foundational understanding of self-awareness and the impact it has on the ability to influence others.

"The theme of "What is your Leadership DNA" begins with knowing what your core values are," said Apostol. "These are the non-negotiables in your life that fuels your desires. These are also the building blocks for your leadership philosophy. To better understand what your leadership philosophy is, you must also know your work style. SALT had us take a quick quiz, and we had to choose which resonated with us the most: close relationships, independently, or work as a team. I found that close relationships resonate with me the most. Knowing this will help me in building close relationships with my teammates and colleagues. Through SALT, we talked about the mental blocks that our teammates can have and why they got them. A person's core needs can be violated when someone runs into a mental block in an organization. These core needs are being seen, heard, valued, and understood. I hope to use this knowledge to help my teammates when they run into a mental block."

Much of the workshop took place in small group "color teams" of around 20 student-athletes. These teams allowed for enhanced engagement with a guided leadership-centric curriculum and transparent, open dialogue. Each color team was led by a college athletics administrator, who facilitated a wide variety of sessions to help participants explore their leadership identity and the qualities that make their leadership DNA unique.  

"This was truly an unforgettable experience, and I was able to expand my network," said Apostol. "Everyone at SALT completely bought in, and it was exciting to be a part of it. Even though it was virtual, I was able to build friendships that will last a lifetime."

* parts of the article were taken from an NCAA recap of the training.