BRIDGEWATER, Va.- On Monday, Sept. 8, student members of BC United hosted the Bridgewater football team in the president’s suite for an “Alcohol Awareness” meeting, drawing in around 30 football players.
“I think the impact has been tremendous, I see people who tell me I have helped them get their drinking under control,” session leader Collin Nicholson said.
Nicholson said BC United runs alcohol awareness meetings every year for all sports teams on campus. The club consists of students and is overseen by staff member Katie Seymour.
According to the Bridgewater College website, BC United aims to “provide programs and training to student organizations and athletic teams about bystander intervention, healthy relationships, and substance abuse.”
The event, which spread across three days due to the size of the football team, sparked conversations about responsible drinking habits and highlighted both the benefits of smart decision-making and the risks of misuse.
Senior football player Aaron Nice attended the meeting for the third year in a row. He said every time he has gone he has picked up something new.
The session started with the BC United leaders asking the team to fill out a pre-survey, which included questions about whether the players felt their team understood the rules about drinking as well as if they are reminded about the rules by the coaches. Then the leaders led a discussion about the survey and team members’ motivation to drink.
After the discussion, Nicholson led an activity called, “bartender school.” This consisted of getting a volunteer to pour a 1.5-oz shot of water, pretending to pour a shot of alcohol.
“Many volunteers tend to pour too much,” said Nicholson.
After bartender school, the players filled out a post-survey in which they were asked the same questions as the pre-survey.
Nice said it was great that teams were attending these meetings together. He said he has witnessed bad drinking habits from students and hopes to see more people using the information from the alcohol awareness meetings.
“Everyone can understand the importance of speaking up and helping their teammates out if they needed it,” Nice said.
A 2019 research study published in the Journal of American College Health found that athletes participate in heavy episodic drinking more than non-athletes. The study described that education around alcohol use can foster a stronger culture of accountability within sports teams.
Knowing how and when student athletes consume alcohol gives colleges the tools to evaluate risks and create prevention strategies.
Nicholson became involved in BC United when he got an email freshman year. He said that students who want to get involved in BC United should contact someone currently in the club or look for emails regarding BC United.
