Tour of Excellence Travels to Nebraska City

The 2005-06 Tour of Excellence continued with a stop in Nebraska City on Tuesday morning, drawing a crowd of nearly 600 students from Nebraska City Lourdes, Johnson-Brock Middle School, and Syracuse Middle School joined the students from Nebraska City Middle School in a 75-minute presentation by several University of Nebraska student-athletes.

The Tour of Excellence, which bring Husker student-athletes and staff members to schools around the state, features student athletes from the Husker football, volleyball and soccer programs, all of whom took time out of their fall break schedules. Tuesday’s group featured Husker football players Cortney Grixby and Zach Potter, volleyball players Dani Busboom and Amanda Gates and soccer’s Jessica Goodell. In addition, Nebraska City native Jason Rathe, who handles marketing and promotions for several Husker programs, and Lil’ Red joined the caravan for Tuesday’s event.

The event consisted of the student-athletes talking about their experiences and talking about skills that students could use to be more successful in the classroom, along with demonstrations in their respective sports. Busboom encouraged students to use their teachers and support systems as resources and Gates talked about determination as a key to success.  The duo also demonstrated the importance of focus while passing a volleyball back and forth twenty times. Members of the student audience, as well as Cortney Grixby and Zach Potter, also joined in the drill.

Following the demonstration, Potter talked about making the transition from middle school and high school, while Goodell discussed the importance of having confidence in both school and athletic activities. Following a skit by Lil’ Red, Grixby closed the presentation by talking about his three keys to success: hard work, a positive attitude, and focus. 

The event closed with performances by the Nebraska City High School swing choir and the Violets dance team. The second half of the Tour of Excellence takes place during Spring Break, as the group will visit schools in the western part of the state.