Owls introduce international students to football
Students representing 39 countries attend inaugural clinic

BY RON MEARS
Special to the Rice News

Welcome. Bienvenidos. Willkommen. Huan yin. Welkom. Merhaba.

Many of the international students, scholars and faculty who attended Friday’s American football clinic presented by the Rice football team were greeted in their native language as they passed a video screen welcoming them to the inaugural event. Speaking with his native Texas drawl, Rice head coach David Bailiff began the looped video welcoming students and encouraging them to have a great time.

Administrators, staff and student-athletes who come from diverse backgrounds also welcomed the attendees in a variety of languages during the video. Still, it would have been a challenge to greet those attending in their native dialects. More than 250 students and international community members, representing 39 countries, took part.

The evening began with a "tailgate party" held inside Rice Stadium. There, students had an opportunity to meet the Rice team and coaches, eat foods common during tailgating and play games such as washers and lasso golf.

"This is the first time we have ever done an event like this with the athletic department," said Adria Baker, executive director of the Office of International Students and Scholars. "We are so excited Coach Bailiff and the team reached out to our international students. This is not only an opportunity to make them feel welcome but gives our international students an opportunity to learn about American culture in addition to football."

"This was great," said Xiao Li, a McMurtry College student from China. "I have enjoyed learning about American culture. Events like this really help international students. It makes you feel at home. In addition to learning the basic rules, you can feel the spirit of being a team player."

Football fundamentals

Following the tailgate party, the students were divided into two groups and learned about the basics of the game. Rice defensive coordinator Chuck Driesbach and offensive coordinator David Beaty took the lead in sharing the fundamentals before members of the team stepped in to break down the responsibilities of their various positions.

Attendees learned the Rice Fight Song and had the opportunity to interact with University Representative Y. Ping Sun, who participated in the clinic.
 
During the offensive "Xs and Os session," very little encouragement was needed for the team to get volunteers to take an active role in going through formations and plays.
 
Rice senior offensive lineman Scott Mitchell was one of the players called on to talk about his position. He is also one of a handful of international players on the team who could relate to the students attending the clinic.
 
"As an international student my freshman year, I was just ready to crawl into bed following my first week of classes at Rice," the Canadian native said. "These [international students] are ahead of me because they had the energy to come out tonight, learn about football and go through some drills.
 
"We are really excited about the season," Mitchell added. "We have been working big time to get out and meet students and let them put faces with names. We really want the students on campus to support us as we support them."
 
Earlier this month, the Owls were also involved in O-Week’s move-in day on the Rice campus, hauling everything from clothes to refrigerators for new and returning students to campus housing.
 
Friday’s clinic ended with drills on the field. Students had the opportunity to pass and catch a football, learn about blocking techniques from offensive linemen and go through some defensive drills.

School spirit
 
For the students attending the event, the consensus was that they will continue to support the Owls this fall.
 
Ramesh Rajasekeran, a student in the Jones Graduate School of Business and native of India said, "I had seen American football on television. I am flabbergasted by the facilities and I believe once I learn the game, it will be a lot of fun."
 
"It was fun," said Hang Du, a native of Shanghai. "You get a sense of the spirit and tradition. You can’t learn everything at once but we learned the basic rules. I’m planning on going to the Owls’ game against Texas."
 
Bailiff said the inaugural event exceeded expectations.
  
"It takes a lot of courage to travel a great distance to learn at a university such as Rice," he said. ”Each of the students that attended tonight’s clinic has done that. Tonight you could see the appreciation they had. I feel like we are stepping off the field having won."
 
The Owls’ season opener against the University of Texas is 2:30 p.m. Sept. 4 at Reliant Stadium. Following a road game at North Texas on Sept. 11, the Owls open at home against Northwestern on Sept. 18. For more information on Rice season tickets, contact the ticket office at (713) 522-OWLS.