With the help of coordinators Johanna Mellis and Raja Rahim, the Fall 2016 interns produced podcasts about sport history at the University of Florida.
University of Florida Digital Collections Archive
To date, 90+ oral history podcasts are available on the University of Florida’s Digital Collections website, including final projects for internship classes, as well as the Summer 2013 seminar and original SPOHP podcast series, released in 2009. Browse the following highlights for more information, and visit the UFDC to download the many available series.
To access information about individual podcasts, scroll through the UFDC collection. Podcasts below are from the Fall 2015 internship class. All podcasts are 15 minutes or less to facilitate easy access to local history for students, teachers, and the general public.
If I Never Swam (created by Sheldon Seale) 15:43
Former UF swimmer Angelina Ballatore (SAUF-011) talks about her childhood and discusses her experiences swimming in high school and college. She also briefly discusses her mother and father’s coaching careers and their continued involvement in the sport of swimming. Angelina gives a detailed account of what it was like competing with her siblings and the friends she made from swimming. She goes on to talk about the rigors of being a collegiate athlete and explains some of what it is like having to balance academics and athletics. Additionally, she also discusses her own coaching career and provides advice for young swimmers.
More Than That: Stephen Alli (created by Sam Winemiller) 17:17
Former University of Florida wide receiver Stephen Alli (SAUF-009) reflects on his path towards becoming a scholarship athlete. He shares some memories from his time with the UF football program and how injuries derailed his potential. Alli describes his current career goals to provide mental healthcare to athletes and wxplains how athlete identities consist of more than just playing a sport. He exemplifies this by describing some roles he plays in his life that make him more than just a former athlete.
Baseball Is Not Like Football (created by Allison Mitchell) 09:12
Jonathon Crawford (SAUF-007) talks about his experience as a University of Florida baseball player. He discusses amateurism in the context of baseball and how he perceives it. Crawford also discusses how his experience on the baseball team and as a UF student helped him achieve his goal of being a professional baseball player.
Kytra Hunter: The Making of a National Champion (created by Shannon Cea) 16:11
Shannon Cea sat down with Kytra Hunter (SAUF-008) and discussed Hunter’s early childhood years as an aspiring Olympic gymnast, all the way up to present day. This podcast highlights Hunter’s adolescence as well as her recruitment process here at The University of Florida. Hunter also discusses the hardships she faced entering UF as well as what her daily life was like as a student-athlete. Shannon and Kytra also illustrated what the term “student-athlete” means in Hunter’s experience, as well as her treatment by the university and plans for the future.
SAUF-004 Aubree Munro 10-21-2016 (created by Wensley MacFarlane) 05:18
SAUF-006 JD Tomlinson 10-21-2016 (created by Carlos Pierre) 13:54
Student Athletes at the University of Florida (created by Jasmyn Sullivan) 12:14
Former University of Florida Swimmer Bradley DeBorde (SAUF 005) describes his experiences becoming a colligate swimmer and how he overcame personal obstacles to be the best person he could. He explains his family’s importance in life, importance of structure and discipline, and lastly shares heartwarming insights about how he and his teammates became life long brothers.
The Balancing Act (created by Ashley Kerr) 11:35
Former UF Women’s gymnast and current assistant to the head coach Ashley Kerr (SAUF-003) describes her experience as a student-athlete at UF. She delves into her experiences at UF, including her fondest memories. Ashley reflects on gymnastics as a sport, the elitism aspect of it, and diversity. She also speaks on the topic of amateurism in collegiate women’s gymnastics.
Tracking Grace VanDeGrift: Life and Sports at UF (created by Susan Atkinson) 37:56
Former University of Florida track and cross-country runnier, Grace VanDeGrift reflects upon her athletic career. The podcast begins with her journey to UF, then talks about her experiences at the school. Some topics of conversation include: the complexities of track and cross-country being team and individual sports, Grace’s triumph over innumerable injuries, her thoughts on the role of a student-athlete, community service, leadership, and the services or lack of services provided by UF. Grace’s story contradicts many misconceived notions about the lives of student-athletes.
From Walk-On to Wonder (created by Daniel Minter) 27:51
In this podcast, Michael McNeely (SAUF-001), former walk-on football player at the University of Florida, describes his path to joining the team. He talks about how his childhood and his parents equipped him to be successful in pursuit of walking-on at a Division-I football program, and then delves into some stories from his time on the team. He also discusses his opinions on some hot topics in college athletics today, including compensation, academic performance, and the inherent injury risk associated with football. The podcast concludes with a short byte about his future plans now that he is in medical school.
sity of Florida Digital Collections, and more, please contact the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program.