Friday, July 22, 2011

From the Rough

Before we left for break, we had the opportunity to screen the independent film, "From the Rough". It’s the heart-warming, refreshing, and true story of a men’s golf team at Tennessee State University that is coached and led by Catana Starks (played by Taraji P. Henson). LeToya Luckett, Michael Clark Duncan, and Tom Felton (for your Harry Potter fans) join Henson on the screen to show the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of a golf team that is forced to come together or risk falling apart. Each character must face past demons and fears to emerge from the rough on the golf course and in life.

A few things came to mind after I screen this movie. I was reminded of several movies with sports backdrops like Seabisquit, The Blind Side, and Remember the Titans when I watched this film. It’s the classic underdog story with so many layers such that you get a good sense of every character and his or her story in the film. It was also refreshing to see another film centered around a historically black university. We’ve seen “Drumline” and “Stomp the Yard”, but this one provides another viewpoint of the HBCU experience.

Personally, I enjoyed the film, and the way that it brought pressing issues that it brought to the forefront. This movie finds a way to shed light on race, culture, gender, socio-economic status, love, defeat, and triumph and wrap it all into one movie about one team. I’m excited to see what happens with this movie once it is released to the public in the Fall.

Be sure to like “From the Rough” on Facebook and follow @gyremovies on Twitter and visit www.FromtheRoughMovie.com.




Andrew Lilly














Meet the Class- Jeremy

One of the unique attributes of the DeVos Sport Business Management Program is the network of students who make up our program. Our class will take every course together during our tenure here at UCF and we will work on countless group projects and collaborative efforts. As a result of our shared interests in the business of sport, a natural team camaraderie is formed. However, our team is composed of people from diverse backgrounds, experiences and ambitions. We offer profiles of class members to give you an idea as to the type of people who make up our program, individuals who collectively will be leaders in sport and society and will be teammates for life.

Name: Jeremy Miller

Hometown: Keller, TX

Undergraduate School & Major:
Louisiana State University
Economics

Current G.A. or Sports Industry Related Internship/Job:
Projects Manager Intern at the ANNIKA Foundation


Reasons for Choosing the DeVos Program:
I looked at the dual Masters program as an opportunity to expand my opportunities in the business world and gain an in-depth understanding of the sports industry. The community service aspect of the program also sparked my attention. Since I was younger, I focused on giving back to the community in order to provide inspiration to underprivileged individuals and help those in need.

Future Career Ambitions (1 to 2 sentences):
After graduation, I hope to land a job with a sports organization in the field of business development. In the next 5-10 years, I plan on opening a sports consulting firm after gaining valuable industry experience.

If you could have any superpower what would you choose and why?
If I could have any superpower, I would definitely choose teleportation. This way, I could travel around the world and experience multiple cultures without ever taking a step.

If you had the opportunity to interview anyone dead or alive, who would you choose and what would you most want to know?
Nelson Mandela. I would want to know how someone could go through so much adversity throughout the course of his lifetime and still manage to unite a nation through the power of sport.