December 14, 2011

Diary Series: Jay Walton, Asst. Coach - Lipscomb

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”        

Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad

One thing I love about coaching is that it has allowed me to pursue one of my other passions in life-travel. I have had the opportunity to visit 35 of the 50 states and eight foreign countries either to play or coach basketball. Our schedule this season has provided our players the chance to see different parts of the world as well.

This summer we took our team on a foreign tour to the Dominican Republic. The ten days of practice and the four games we played against Dominican teams were invaluable for our young team. With so many new players on our roster we really needed to get that head start. However, the cultural experience and the chance to spend time with each other were even more important.

We wanted the trip to be an impactful experience for our team, not just a basketball tour. David Conrady with SCORE International helped us organize the perfect trip. We mixed in some sightseeing and beach time with some very meaningful mission work. We were able to visit a sugarcane village where we handed out food to about 40 families. We also visited an orphanage and spent time with some very special children there as well as attended a local church service.

Our young team learned some very valuable lessons during this trip. They learned that at the end of the day, we really don’t have much to complain about. We have referenced these experiences several times already this season. I know the memories our players made on this trip will be some of the best of their careers.

We were also fortunate to participate in this year’s Cancun Challenge during the week of Thanksgiving. After playing road games at Illinois and Illinois State, we headed South of the border to Mexico. Triple Crown Sports put on a first-class event, which was held at the Moon Palace Resort on the beautiful Gulf of Mexico.

Our guys enjoyed the sun and sand for a few days, not to mention all the other luxuries of an all-inclusive resort. The best part was that we got two quality wins over SIU-Edwardsville and Sacred Heart. We celebrated the Mayan Division championship and even made it back to Nashville in time for Thanksgiving dinner. A few of us still had sand between our toes.

Coaching basketball for a living is truly a blessing. It is also a privilege to be able to travel this beautiful planet and experience other cultures. Nothing is better than combining these two passions of mine.  I am happy we are able to provide these opportunities for our players as well.

View some photos of our trip to the Dominican Republic

Watch a video on the spiritual impact of our trip to the Dominican Republic

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