Athletics inspired by bestselling author and keynote speaker Jon Gordon

By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech athletic community experienced a real treat in Derryberry Hall Monday evening, as the entire collection of student-athletes, coaches and staff listened to nationally renowned motivational speaker, Jon Gordon.

Gordon, a graduate and former lacrosse player at Cornell University, travels the country to spread his inspirational message on the power of positive thinking to a whole host of professional and college sports teams, as well as a variety of Fortune 500 companies. Gordon has spoken to the Atlanta Falcons, Clemson University football team, University of Georgia football team, Wells Fargo, State Farm, and countless other prominent organizations.

“Not every school gets the opportunity to have someone like this come in and speak to them,” senior volleyball player Elise Robertson said on Gordon coming to Tech. “It was very beneficial for us and we are going to build off his messages and use it towards our success for the year.”

Gordon captivated a packed auditorium inside Derryberry Hall, urging student-athletes to become champions within by always staying positive and keeping negative thoughts from creeping in. Throughout his speech, Gordon harped on the significance of having a vision and not letting “energy vampires” suck the life out of acheiving that vision.

“The biggest thing I learned is to surround yourself with positive energy, especially by surrounding yourself with positive people,” senior soccer player Ellie Iaciofano said on Gordon’s message. “He taught us that in order to be positive we really need to try to not complain as much, and I think that can be taken in sports and in life in general.”

Gordon also expressed how to become closer as a team by using the three “C’s” of connection, commitment, and care. He closed out the nearly 75-minute speech by empowering the Golden Eagle student-athletes to choose one word to guide them throughout the year.

“I am going to take a lot of the things he said and use it with our team,” junior baseball player Dylan Bosheers said moments after the speech. “His idea on choosing one word for the whole year was just awesome. I think my word is going to be 'mentality,' as in how you come to the field everyday and you can choose how you want to be.”

Aside from his impactful nation-wide speeches, Gordon has also authored numerous inspirational books that can be used as valuable tools in achieving success in sports, careers, and even life. He referenced The Energy Bus on more than one occasion, a Wall Street Journal and International Bestseller, on getting your team moving in the right direction with a shared vision, focus, and purpose.

“I think his message was really relatable to everything in life,” sophomore soccer player Jordan Brown said. “There is always going to be some rough patches, so it’s crucial to take his advice and be more positive on and off the field.”