Your Periodical Reminder That Athletes Are People, Too

by Jeff Nusser on Jul 12, 2011 4:09 PM PDT in WSU News And Notes

Summertime is slow for us around here, and it's slow for the players, too. While that's not always a good thing (hey there, Oregon!), it can also give them the opportunity to do some things they wouldn't normally have time to do during the school year.

Take, for example, last Saturday: Nearly 30 student athletes from the Washington State University football, basketball and volleyball teams got together to help with Palouse Habitat for Humanity just outside Uniontown. They spent eight hours working alongside a community member to help build her future residence.

"It's good for us to get out in the community," basketball player Marcus Capers told WSU Sports Information. "People really appreciate stuff like this, us taking from the little free time we have, to go out and help. Anytime we're given the opportunity to do something like this, I'm willing to help out and so are my teammates. It was a good experience."

The highlight, apparently, was when a bunch of the football players got together to do some heavy lifting of an 18-foot beam.

"Normally that would be done by a powerlift, which we don't have here," said Brent Bradberry, president of the board for the Palouse Habitat for Humanity. "So instead we had a Cougar football power lift. It worked great."

Participating were volleyball players Chelsey Bettinson, Meagan Ganzer, Marcelina Glab, Zoe Gogan, Stephanie Hagins, Jaicee Harris, Jordan Levenseller, Stephanie Logan, Anuhea Keanini, Megan McManus, Morgan Murrey, Krystal Robinson, Maile Scarpino and Rachel Todorovich; football players Zach Brevick, Ererico Forbes, Steve Hoffart, C.J. Laufasa, Mike Ledgerwood and Marshall Lobbestael; and men's basketball players Capers, Faisal Aden, Chuks Iroegbu, DaVonté Lacy, Mike Ladd, D.J. Shelton and Royce Woolridge.

In addition to the video above that Capers put together, you can check out a photo gallery here.

It's always great to see anyone out in the community serving with nothing to gain for themselves; that it's the athletes that represent all of us on the field doing it makes me proud. Next time an player does something dumb off the field, remember that the vast majority of them are like these guys and gals.

Go Cougs.