Catching Up with Ryan Black '12, Jeff Jenkins '12, and Jordan Floyd '12
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January is an exciting time here at Loyola. A New Year has just begun, the hope of a snow day is renewed and then there are mid-term exams (not always exciting for our Dons). However, one of the best parts of this time of year is the opportunity to see so many of our recent graduates back on campus. With a break from their studies, they’ll often come back to visit with their former teachers and classmates, work out in the gymnasium and fitness center or perhaps fulfill a craving for Baltimore’s best spicy buffalo chicken. Last week, we caught up with three members of the class of 2012: Jeff Jenkins (Hamilton College) Jordan Floyd (UConn) and Ryan Black (Bryant University).
Each of these young men distinguished themselves during their time at Blakefield both in and out of the classroom, demonstrating the type of discipline, dedication and work ethic that our Dons strive for in all they do. During their visit, they took time away from their workouts in the fitness center to share some updates on how their first year of college is going and discussed some of the lessons they learned as student athletes at Loyola.
“We are lucky to have young men like Jeff, Ryan and Jordan come back here and provide such a positive example for our current Dons,” said Greg Baker, Fitness Center Director at Loyola Blakefield. “These guys may have made a name for themselves on the field, but they worked just as hard in the classroom and have found success there as well.” In describing their hard work and commitment to being successful student athletes, Baker points to their achievement as members of Loyola’s 1,000 Pound Club as one small measure of their determination. Created in 2003, the 1,000 Pound Club includes 32 members and is achieved through the cumulative total of a bench press, squat and dead lift (view full list of club members). “It’s one accolade, but it speaks volumes about the type of men they are,” said Baker.
Jenkins recalls the first time he saw the list of club members hanging on the wall outside of the Fitness Center. “I looked at it and never thought I’d see my name on that list,” said Jenkins. “But that’s the thing that being here at Loyola does for you; you see a goal, however distant in your mind and you forge a path that takes you there.” Jenkins cites the long journey of a student athlete where your days are filled with multiple workouts, team activities and when it is all said and done, you’re left with less time for everything else. “You are more fatigued than you want to be, you have less time for homework than is ideal and just like other busy students who take part in activities such as Forensics or Drama, you give so much of yourself to one thing and then have to discipline yourself to ensure that you don’t let up on anything else, especially when it comes to academics.” Jenkins, who is a Right Tackle on Hamilton’s Football team and interested in studying Computer Science, notes that his experience at Blakefield helped him sharpen his time management skills so that he was fully prepared for college. “You learn to push yourself and of course, one of the benefits of being part of any team activity is that you have others around you to push you.”
Floyd, who spends up to seven hours a day in the fall preparing for football says that being a successful student athlete comes with sacrifice. “Every kid looks forward to summer and taking it easy, but for me summer was about getting up early, working out and trying to improve,” said Floyd. “And now, I see my friends going off to watch movies or hang out and it’s time for me to hunker down and focus on my studies. Sacrifice…it’s just the price you pay to reach your goals.” Floyd, a three-sport standout at Blakefield is pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice and was a redshirt freshman for the Huskies in the fall.
Black, who red-shirted at Bryant this year is pursuing a degree in Finance and Accounting and credits his parents for instilling in him the ideal that academics are the first priority and that any success in athletics can best be born from lessons learned while pursuing goals in the classroom. “I knew that success in academics, as in athletics, was about picturing yourself achieving your goal and having a plan to get there,” said Black. “Playing football in college was a goal for me since before I started high school, but I would not be where I am if I had not also succeeded in my studies.”
These young men are yet another example of the excellent leaders and learners that we are proud to call Loyola Dons.