Student-Athlete Spotlight

In an age when a forgotten video clip can lead to the withdrawal of a scholarship offer, it's more important than ever for student-athletes to think twice before taking their thoughts to TikTok, Snapchat, or Instagram. That's the message of Niwot junior Sydney Rothstein, whose comments during a recent leadership training course are now being highlighted by the Positive Coaching Alliance, a national organization that is dedicated to cultivating a positive youth sports culture.

"Sometimes it's better to take a step back and realize that it's a cyber world, and you do not have to be a part of it," Rothstein says in the video, posted here. "There's a whole real world, with real people, who mean way more than anything that could ever be said on social media."

Rothstein is a member of Niwot's varsity volleyball and girls golf squads, as well as a student in the school's IB program. She originally made her comments while participating in the PCA's Character and Leadership Development Program, a series of virtual workshops for student-athletes. In November, Rothstein and more than 50 of her Niwot classmates were invited to attend the program, based on recommendations from their coaches. The junior was moved to share her thoughts during the session focused on the impact of social media use and personal branding, and her insights made an immediate impact on the PCA trainers in the audience.

"For all of us, including the trainers, our jaws just dropped," Niwot assistant principal and athletic director Joe Brown said of PCA's reaction to Rothstein's comments. "Afterwards, they said 'That was perfect. It epitomizes everything that we want to say about social media'."

Rothstein then recorded her comments for posterity, and they are now posted at the PCA's Development Zone Resource Center,

For Rothstein, resisting social media's darker temptations isn't just the right thing to do, it's also the path of least resistance, even if it doesn't feel like it in the moment. In a follow-up interview about the PCA training, the junior said she said that it's important for student-athletes to know that an intemperate moment online can have lingering consequences.

"I constantly preach to my friends and teammates that it's more important to have a visceral experience in real life with a person than to post something online. What do you really gain, besides 'peace of mind'? I feel like that's an excuse for a lot of people to post things, but it's important to be able to self-reflect and ask 'what is the higher purpose of this,' and if you can't think of it, then maybe you shouldn't post."

For Brown, Rothstein's perceptive comments were just one of the notable outcomes of the PCA training sessions, which were attended by 52 athletes. Brown has worked with the organization for years, and has seen first-hand its positive influence on athletic programs, athletes, parents, and coaches.

"There's a common misperception that these organizations are just about everybody getting a ribbon, or they don't care about winning," Brown said. "No, it's just about being a good person and how to support your teammates... It leads to a more positive environment at practices and games and more camaraderie within our coaching staff... For players, it offers them tools to lead because they don't always know how."

Brown is hoping to formally partner with the PCA in the 2021-22 school year, when school and athletics have (hopefully) resumed a more predictable schedule. His goal is to have all coaches PCA certified, provide training for parents, and create more leadership opportunities for student-athletes.

In the meantime, Rothstein is due back on the volleyball court for Niwot for Season C in March, then will hit the links for Season D in May. She is eager to bring insights from her training to her teammates and is hopeful the message of self-reflection and quiet leadership will spread.

Rothstein said, "I think for a lot of people, especially people who are shy and aren't super loud and don't have a typical Type A personality, it's hard to realize that they can still be leaders in their own sense... You don't have to be a boisterous person to lead a team. You can lead through example and sometimes that's even stronger."