Most students don't really think about their professors doing anything other than teaching. The truth is that most professors are involved with a number of activities outside of the classroom. Denise Shively is one of those professors.
Shively is not only a professor from Otterbein's communication department, but also the team manager for the United States Synchronized Swimming Team.
Shively will be traveling with the team to Beijing in August for the 2008 Summer Olympics, which are being held August 8-24.
Shively coaches a synchronized swimming team in Columbus but first became involved with the national team five years ago.
After attending a team management seminar in 2003, Shively received a phone call from the national team director who said they were looking for a team manager for the Junior National Team and National Team II.
She is currently responsible for administrative and logistical things such as scheduling flights and practice times, arranging schedules, representing the team at team manager meetings and generally supporting the team at competitions.
Shively's background in public relations and communications is helpful to this position. She is able to bring her real-world experiences from all around the world into the classroom to share with students.
While she has not been to any other Olympics, Shively has had the opportunity to do a lot of other traveling. In 2004, she traveled to the Junior World Championships in Russia, but has also been to Montreal, Australia, Japan and Brazil.
The junior team that she first began with had continued to progress to the Olympic level and she has been able to move with them. The youngest member of the team is 18. Shively met her when she was only 13 and has had the chance to watch her grow, not only as swimmer and a member of the team, but also as a person.
While the 2008 games are surrounded by controversy, Shively realizes that there is more to the games than that.
"I have really had to separate between the different politics related to China with what is trying to be done to promote international understanding," she said.
Shively said that the key to international understanding is sports. "With sports, people can truly understand each other," she said. "We have developed very strong relationships and friendships with people from all around the world and we are really looking forward to getting to see them this summer."
Shively also thinks it is important to remember the athletes in this situation. "You also have to realize that the athletes have given up so much of their lives to train for this. My role is to support them doing that," she said.
While Shively said that she loves the opportunity to travel all over the world with the team, her favorite part of her position is the team itself and growing with them.
"Just being with the young women and watching them grow over the last five years has been so rewarding," she said.
Shively sees the women as good representatives for the United States. "They are truly what ambassadors should be. They have so much dedication and commitment and pride. They are so proud to be representing the United States at this level."
Mandy Markiecki, a sophomore public relations major, said, "I think it is extremely exciting that someone I know is going to the Olympics and that it will help Otterbein's overall image by being represented there." t&c;
