From Golf to God, Hole in One Every Time

By: Katie Akins

It is a Sunday afternoon and Alli Burton has just lay down on the comfortable Holliday Inn hotel bed fresh off the golf course with a noticeable red face from the suns harmful rays. Burton is the number four seed golfer on the University of the Cumberlands Women’s Golf team, but golf is not what makes this blonde haired blue-eyed girl tick. “I don’t think I could get out of bed, if it was not for my walk with Christ” says Burton.

Burton entered college with low expectation about golf, but once she established a good relationship with the Lord her golf game came around. “Once I realized that I could do all things through him and quite relying on myself he would carry me through it” Burton is an active member of a local church in Corbin called Immanuel Baptist. Burton also is the head of a small group bible study on campus, the small group meets on Thursday nights at 8 p.m.

“I didn’t become a Christian until I was a Junior in High School and I played golf since I was in 5^th grade but I didn’t know that the two could go together.” She described how her golf game would suffer from anxiety of her rebellious life. "I would not be focused when I was playing golf my mind was always somewhere else." She found out through a spiritual search that success found her, but only through her with her relationship with God. She spends each day praying for herself and her team and does her part for her teammates on and off the course.

As Burton was sitting on that old hotel bed, I could hear the excitement in her voice as she described to me her life as a college Christian athlete. She seems to have found true joy and wishes nothing but to share it with others. “At every tournament, I make a point to share the love of Jesus with the girls I’m playing with. I don’t do it because it’s an obligation or anything like that. I do it because I want everyone I come into contact with to have the same feeling I have! I want them all to know they are loved!”

With her expectations not so high Burton finished out the season playing in every tournament qualifying above many of her teammates. Her season average is at an all time low of an 89. Burton says that she has enjoyed her first season as a Lady Patriot golfer, but she has enjoyed sharing Christ with other golfers more. She is fully devoted to both golf and the Lord, and she says “I’ve never felt more content in my life”.

Luke Fitzgerald, More than a Yellow Flash

By: Katie Akins

It is a warm March afternoon and you can hear the roar of the yellow scooter Fitzgerald is riding. It looks like a giant, on a baby toy. With Fitzgerald standing six foot seven inches weighing in at 250 pounds, it is hard for him to be inconspicuous. “I ride because I enjoy it and it gives me piece of mind.” Fitzgerald says.

You may recognize Fitzgerald as the guy on the yellow scooter, but he has a very different side on the basketball court. He has proved to be one of the best players to come through The University of the Cumberlands men’s basketball program.

Fitzgerald attended one of Cumberlands big men camps during the summer before his senior year of high school and got to know a little bit about the school. When he attended the big man camp he had only been playing basketball for one year, and was four inches shorter. Patriots coach Don Butcher said “ I had no idea who he was, but after the first session, I knew he was a very good player with a nice career ahead of him.”

When Fitzgerald returned home to Cleveland and began his senior year of basketball the unimaginable happened. “ I broke my tibia, and missed six weeks of school, and only got to play six games” according to Fitzgerald. After only playing one full season of basketball, and a broken tibia, Coach Butcher decided he wanted Fitzgerald. “ I signed to play here in January of my senior year, I was still on crutches.” Says Fitzgerald.

During his freshman year at Cumberland Fitzgerald did not play, he red-shirted, and his sophomore year he was limited in play because there were other post players ahead of him. “Luke lived in the weight room and went through many quick-feet drills.” Says Butcher. Fitzgerald worked hard his freshman and sophomore to make up for the years that he missed in high school.

Fitzgerald started to make a name for himself his junior year. He was named to the Mid-South Conference all tournament team along with several player of the week honors. Fitzgerald was also named third team All American his junior season. When Fitzgerald returned to Cleveland he played in several summer league basketball teams allowing him to stay in good shape and prepare for his final season as a Patriot.

His final season as a Patriot proved to be one of many accolades. The thing that Fitzgerald remembers first about his senior season was being number one. “ It was new, something that I had never experienced I could say we were number one.” The Patriots opened their season with a number one ranking in the nation. The Patriots stayed number one for about a month during Christmas break, but after the loss on the road to Mountain State they fell in the polls.

Throughout Fitzgerald’s senior season he received once again several player of the week honors. However that was not the most exciting award he got. While attending the Mid-South Conference tournament banquet, he received one of the most coveted honors a player in the NAIA could receive. Fitzgerald was named Mid-South Conference player of the year. There are 12 conferences in the NAIA, and each one have a player of the year. Fitzgerald is one of very few to receive this honor. “ It was an honor and privilege.” He says.

Now after his final season as a Cumberland Patriot is over he is busy talking with his contacts overseas many of them being former Patriots themselves. “Luke is a player that can continue his career after college.” Says his coach Mark Vernon. Fitzgerald hopes to find a team to play professionally for, somewhere overseas. “It is a good possibility that I will play in Germany or Australia, but we will have to see”. Says Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald admits that he has enjoyed playing here at the University of the Cumberlands. Who knows maybe one day our very one Fitzgerald will be playing in the NBA making millions of dollars. Fitzgerald says “It would be nice to not have to work a day in my life, and if I can play basketball I will.”

Opening Statements:

This is a new experience for me...I feel like a very important person with my own website.  Even though nobody has even viewed it, it is kind of cool... anyway...this is my first post on my new blog, give me credit for it teach!