This fall, Georgetown University defensive lineman Roosevelt Donat will begin his senior year.
But before the Hoyas’ grueling Patriot League schedule begins, Donat is trying to keep busy. He’s taking classes at Georgetown this summer, working on campus and training with the team.
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Add to that list an unusual hobby: keeping an online journal.
Donat started keeping a log of his summer three weeks ago. His fourth journal entry will be published Monday on the school’s athletics Web site, guhoyas.com, along with logs from women’s soccer goaltender Jade Higgins and men’s soccer player Ricky Schramm. The players will continue to write the journals through August.
“I’ve enjoyed doing it,” Donat said. “I am enjoying having everyone know what we go through and what we do on a regular basis.”
The journals do not have the interactivity of a blog — though players are requesting feedback from the community via email or social networking site Facebook.com — though members of Georgetown’s athletics department hope these journals will give both current and prospective members of the Hoya family a look into the busy lives of the school’s student-athletes.
Donat, a rising senior defensive tackle, said he believes that his journal will inspire members of the football team to keep working hard before the season begins.
“I think it will have a major impact,” he said, “for the simple reason being that, if there was someone who cared enough to explain what was going on with team and put out positive messages or try to lift up a player who isn’t able to work out with rest of the team, I’d say, ‘This is somewhere I’d want to go.’ There’s an inclusive atmosphere here that I’d want to be a part of.”
While Donat hopes to motivate teammates through his journal, Higgins has focused much of her journal writing on her teammates’ summersoccer adventures. She believes the journals will give high school recruits the chance to hear about how current athletes interact.
“I’m sure it’s going to make it easier for recruits to see how close the team is,” said Higgins, a rising junior.
The three athletes decided to write the journals this summer after their respective coaches asked if any players would be interested in the task.
“I thought it would be fun and a little challenging,” said Higgins, who is taking one class at Georgetown and playing on two soccer teams this summer. “It’s challenging, but I’ve enjoyed doing it a lot.”
