This week was very special week in Recreational Sports planning. With Virginia Tech Homecoming fast approaching, we were in "crunch-time" with preparing for the annual Homecoming 5K race. This race has been a Viriginia Tech tradition for many years and a great way to get the Blacksburg and New River Valley community involved with campus. It also poses a unique opportunity to have community members get on campus and feel as if they are a part of the school. While many community members relate to Virginia Tech through Hokie Football, it's incredibly important to the school that community members feel involved year round.
A very special part about this event was that it was dedicated to officer Deriek Crouse who was killed in the line of duty back in 2011. There were a lot of service men and women, as well as the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, present at the event to honor Officer Crouse. When marketing this event we had to be very aware of the fact that this was a memorial event. We wanted to be respectful of Officer Crouse's family and his memory, while also encouraging the Virginia Tech and Blacksburg community to participate in this community-building event. Essentially, we had to figure out how to balance the sad with the happy. That may not make sense but that's the best way I can think to describe it. Before the race began, we had a fellow Officer give a short speech and dedicated the race. I really enjoyed behind apart of this new Virginia Tech tradition and hope I did it justice!