The Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast

Inspired by Colossians 1:16, Jerry Root ’75 has loved to meet and get to know Hope College student-athletes and coaches over the past 17 years. A former college athlete and youth coach himself, Root enjoys talking sports with anyone, especially Hope College teams. Yet, he revels even more in digging deeper with individuals, learning who they are and walking alongside their faith journeys. Jerry Root ’75 Root’s calling to minister at Hope the past 17 years has garnered the appreciation of hundreds and, now, the college’s H-Club “Hope for Humanity” Award.  The volunteer associate chaplain of athletics will be honored during a reception at the college’s kinesiology office on Monday, April 14, and during the Hope Athletics HOPEYs awards ceremony that evening at DeVos Fieldhouse. Root is a special guest on the Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast series that is airing during NCAA Division III Week across the country. Sports and the Christian faith Root played basketball for the Flying Dutchmen, transferring to Hope from Grand Rapids Junior College long before the transfer portal became en vogue like it is today. He graduated from Hope with a degree in education and worked in the field for 33 years before retiring. In 2008, Root began volunteering as an athletics chaplain at his alma mater.  A curious and caring nature, modeled by his loving mother growing up, drew Root to teaching and coaching, then ministry. God’s words in Colossians make balancing sport and Christian faith possible, Root said. “One of my favorites Bible verses I share a lot is Colossians 1:16. It talks about us being made by God and for God,” Root said. “It so fits into the athletic life of training and eating properly. To translate this into ‘I have this body. I have this platform. I have this message.’ Athletics does mesh quite nicely with our Christian faith.” Three more Orange and Blue Podcast episodes will be available this week: Wednesday, April 9, junior Olivia Dieppa (women’s soccer) and senior Tyler King (cross country, and track and field) share their Hope stories, including a Sport Evangelism to Equip Disciples (SEED) mission trip to Kenya last summer; Friday, April 11, senior Dallas Fisher (swimming) talks about his experience on a Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) mission trip to Costa Rica last summer; Sunday, April 13, seniors Grace Wesley (swimming) and Nolan Holtrop (hockey) discuss their experiences on a SEED mission trip to Zambia last summer.

Samantha Smith Justice Mims On a recent Hope College Athletics SEED mission trip, juniors Justice Mims and Samantha Smith felt God’s spirit moving within them. The two student-athletes and kinesiology majors spoke about their time in The Dominican Republic on the Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast. Season 4’s fourth episode featured a conversation with Mims, a guard on the men’s basketball team, and Smith, a goalie on the women’s lacrosse team. Hope Athletics recognizes that sport provides an opportunity for athletes to have a significant platform from which to influence others. In traveling with the Sports Evangelism to Equip Disciples (SEED) program, Hope College students utilize their passion for sport to share the love of Christ with individuals around the world.  Through participating in the SEED program, students are intentionally challenged to use their experiences to sow the seed and water the harvest so that the Good News of Jesus Christ takes root in their own lives as it is shared around the world.  Mims, a native of Rochester Hills, Michigan, near Detroit, remembered how he felt after his group brought and instructed residents of villages to use Sawyer water filters that clean the water. Rich in spirit “Yes, they’re underprivileged, but they’re not poor, they’re rich in spirit, 100%,” Mims said on the Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast. “I always say this to people whenever I talk about the SEED trip. I really believe the biggest difference is that they have God in everything. “They welcome us in, even though we don’t even speak the same language as them. We’re just strangers, foreigners, and they’re still inviting us in. Having the hospitality to give us their grace, it was just awesome. I really do think that because they had God in everything, it didn’t matter what the situation was, they are much happier than what is perceived.” Smith, a native of Westfield, Indiana, near Indianapolis, was grateful for how those she met through the SEED mission trip, brought God into every conversation. “They see God in everything,” Smith said on the Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast. “One of the biggest things that I noticed was our leader, John, told us that when we were done having a conversation with someone, we’d say, dios te bendiga, which means God bless you. Everybody on the trip picked it up immediately. We would say it every two seconds after every conversation, even if we didn’t say ‘Hi’ to someone, we’d say that.  “I just realized that in our community here, if we told a group of 20 20-year-olds, ‘Hey, after every conversation say ‘God bless you’, we’d all be like, ‘No, that’s kind of random, kind of weird.’ But just because of the community they have created, that’s completely normal and it’s encouraged. That’s something that I’ve been trying to incorporate here in my life, and I’ll definitely try to incorporate it at Hope. There’s always room for God in a conversation.” Written transcript of the interview

Dylan Clem is poised to build a successful and fulfilling career as a structural engineer with a foundation set at Hope College and his hometown of Stevensville, Michigan. The All-American offensive guard has one more college football season to play, though. Clem is returning for a fifth season with the Flying Dutchmen this fall. Hope is coming off an 8-2 season despite one of the toughest schedules in NCAA Division III. The Flying Dutchmen’s home and season opener is Saturday, Sept. 7, at 1 p.m. against Loras College (Iowa) at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium. Clem appeared on the Hope College Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast and spoke about preparing for the upcoming season while also interning in the Washington, D.C., area. “I took that leap of faith to come down here and spend the money on rent, for knowledge and a little bit of money. The first four weeks have been great,” Clem said. “A lot of what Hope taught me in the engineering program has correlated, along with just the ability to work hard and that comes in the classroom and the football field and just honestly campus in general. That’s just why I love Hope. Everyone has that mission to want to succeed, to want to work hard, to want to do all those things. I’ve really felt the presence of Hope in my life around here in D.C.” In April, Clem was named the 2024 male recipient of the Be Strong. Be True. Award at the annual HOPEYs ceremony The honor is presented to a junior or senior who demonstrates the true essence of being a student-athlete and embodies the Division III motto of Discover, Develop, Dedicate.  This student-athlete is in high academic standing (minimum GPA of 3.5), plays a significant role on the team, and is involved in the Hope and Holland community. Career Builder The award was one of many for the Lakeshore High School alum. In May, Clem received one of two Senior Engineering Prizes from the Hope College Engineering Department. In January, he was chosen for the Academic All-America First Team by College Sports Communicators. In December, he was selected as an All-American by D3football.com. Dylan Clem Along his journey at Hope, Clem served as a team captain for two years, as a member of the Athletes Coming Together / Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (ACT/SAAC), and was part of the athletic mentoring program, Team 43. He also worked as a research student in Dr. Courtney Peckens’ lab. Clem expressed gratitude for Hope’s embrace of allowing student-athletes to follow their passions on and off the field. He said he did not always find that through his college recruiting process. “When I came to Hope, the first thing Coach [Peter] Stuursma said was ‘All right, let me get you to a football player who’s an engineer.’ He showed me Dan Romano who was probably the smartest person I know,” Clem said. “Ever since then, Hope’s been that place where I felt like I could do it all. Coach Stuursma and all of our coaches really gave us that chance to succeed and gave us that chance to feel like we can do whatever we want.” Hope’s Engineering Department also set him up for success as well, Clem said. “The coolest thing about the Hope engineering program was that their intro class takes you through all different types of engineering. You’ll do civil two weeks. You’ll do mechanical two weeks. You’ll build circuits and do electrical,” Clem said. “I really loved the bridge section of the civil and then we got to make concrete and crush it. I was like, that’s pretty cool. I stuck with civil and I’ve loved it ever since.” Written Transcript

On the season’s final episode of the Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast, four Hope College student-athletes joined Sports Information Director Alan Babbitt to discuss their service-filled and life-changing SEED trips this summer. Senior Libby Strotman, senior Madeline Tessin, junior David Brace and junior David Hesselbein each took part in a Sports Evangelism to Equip Disciples (SEED) mission trip. The program annually provides opportunities for Hope student-athletes to serve in countries such as the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Uganda, and Zambia. Hope students will utilize their passion for sport to share the love of Christ with individuals around the world. Through participating in the SEED program, students will be intentionally challenged to use their experiences to sow the seed and water the harvest so that the Good News of Jesus Christ takes root in their lives as it is shared worldwide. Central America Hesselbein (Barrington, Illinois / Barrington Community HS) is a goalie for the Flying Dutchmen. The physical and health education major traveled to Costa Rica. “We were partnered with an organization called Push the Rock,” Hesselbein said. “For the first half of the trip, we did mostly sports camps and a lot of ministry in schools and prisons. The second half of the trip, we went into more tribal areas, less populated and a little bit more off the grid. That’s when we started partnering with Sawyer (Products) to bring water filters to provide clean water for people who didn’t have a source of clean water. That was really cool, too.” Tessin (Waxhaw Ridge, N.C. / Marvin Ridge) is a swimmer for the Flying Dutch. The exercise science major went to the Dominican Republic. “We worked with a ministry called Go Ministries and they work specifically through sports and church planting,” Tessin said. “While we were there, we traveled around a lot to different communities. We did a basketball practice with one group, then we just played with kids with another. Daniel mentioned the water filters, and we did those near Haiti.” Africa Stratman (Park Ridge, Illinois / Maine Township) competes in throwing events on the track and field team. The physical and health education major traveled to Zambia. “We served the people in Choma, then the two surrounding communities. While we were there, we ran a three-day sports camp,” Strotman said. “We also had a day of service where we built a softball field, which was super cool, and then got to play on it with other people in the community. We partnered with a group called Poetice, which has a lot of Hope history, and was really cool to work with.” Brace (Plymouth, Michigan / Plymouth) is a midfielder for the Flying Dutchmen lacrosse team. The business major went to Uganda. “We went to southern Uganda and worked there with Sports Outreach, which brings in children from neighboring communities and teaches the ministry through sports,” Brace said. “We were holding sports camps, and then we’d go into communities in that area and deliver the Sawyer water filters as well. We also went to northern Uganda and it was a little more rural. We gave away a lot of those water filters. It was a great experience. We’re so thankful that Sawyer and Sports Outreach took us in with open arms.” Read a transcript of the interview.

During a recent jog, Hope College men’s soccer coach David Blahnik listened to the “Revisionist History” podcast episode that explored the vision, impact and potential of the college’s “Hope Forward” initiative. David Blahnik, Hope College men’s soccer head coach In the segment, titled “A Good Circle”, best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell spoke with Hope College President Matthew A. Scogin regarding the college’s revolutionary approach to removing tuition as a barrier for access to college while building generosity and community along the way. Scogin’s words during the episode resonated, Blahnik said, and provided inspiration for the Flying Dutchmen soccer program as well. “He talked about the idea of running towards challenges and that really resonated with me. I was laughing. I was actually running while I was listening,” Blahnik said earlier this month while recording the latest episode of the Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast.  “I like the idea of we wan our program to be something where you’re running towards the challenges: on the field, off the field, in the locker room, and all those other areas I thought about, so when somebody leaves here as a Hope grad, they really are able to go and, in a sense, conquer whatever they want to conquer in their life going forward.” Blahnik is heading into his second season leading the Flying Dutchmen. His team reports to campus on Friday, Aug. 19, to begin preparations for the 2023 season opener on Friday, September 1, against Ohio Wesleyan University at Van Andel Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is 6 p.m. Hope is aiming to challenge for an MIAA regular-season title after finishing runner-up last season in the standings and the league tournament. The Flying Dutchmen went 7-5-6 overall. Soccer: A Life’s Passion On the Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast, Blahnik talks about this season’s schedule, his coaching staff and what to expect from the Flying Dutchmen. Blahnik also chats about his journey to Hope College, including how he decided between two sports he loved playing — soccer and baseball, and his time as a student-athlete and head men’s soccer coach at his alma mater, Olivet Nazarene University, near Chicago.  Off the field, Blahnik balances coaching soccer at a high level with being a loving husband and father of two sons, ages 9 and 4. His wife, Karlynn, is a local kindergarten teacher, so the month of September is an extremely busy one for his family. “It’s difficult but awesome to be a college head coach and have a family,” Blahnik said. “You spend a lot of time with others, but at the same time, my 9-year-old thinks it’s the coolest thing in the world to be around the guys. My son’s over at Hope Tennis Academy right now during their summer season with my niece and my 4-year-old is watching. We love the community. “We want our kids to go to Hope, whether I am working here or not, so when the opportunity arose (to coach here) it was a no-brainer for us. We’ll figure it out. I don’t think any head coach who’s married has the perfect way of doing it, but we try to make the most of it for us.” Read a written transcript of the interview.

The Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast has returned this summer for a third season with a special series of interviews with Hope College student-athletes, administration and staff.  Kevin Wolma For the season’s third episode, sports information director Alan Babbitt sits down with Kevin Wolma, Hope College’s Assistant Athletic Director for Student Wellness and Compliance. In this new role, Wolma will be advocating for and leading programs which will benefit the comprehensive wellness of Hope College student-athletes, while also supporting coaches and staff in their efforts to have a transformational impact.  “The wellness piece is a little bit new as far as a titled position,” Wolma said. “We do a lot of great things for student-athletes here at Hope College. The role is about tying a lot of that into one space and having somebody that will be working with different partnerships on campus and with our coaching staff to ensure that student-athlete experience for them, to provide the resources that they need, whether it’s social, emotional, mental, spiritual, or physical wellness. “We’ve got a lot of pieces already on campus. It is just exciting to tie into that and create this mental health experience, an overall wellness experience, for them that will be transformational for the student-athletes when they leave Hope.” A Career in Education and Wellness Prior to joining Hope Athletics, Wolma worked for two years as Associate Director of Admissions at Hope and for 25 years in education as a teacher, a coach and an administrator. Wolma served as athletic director for Hudsonville Public Schools for 10 years from 2011 to 2021. He taught secondary health and physical education at Hudsonville from 1997 through 2011.  He also coached three varsity sports at Hudsonville: girls golf from 2009 to 2011, boys basketball from 2000 to 2006, and girls tennis from 1997 to 2002. He also coached varsity boys basketball at Caledonia from 1997 to 2000.  Wolma started his career in education at Roscommon, where he taught secondary science for one year. While new to athletics administration in college, Wolma is well-versed in what Hope has to offer. He and his wife, Gina, have three children who attend Hope. Jordan and Kayla, twin brother and sister, will be seniors at Hope this fall, while Kelsey will be a freshman. Read a written transcript of the interview.

The Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast is returning this summer for a third season with a special series of interviews with Hope College student-athletes, administration and staff.  Dan Romano For this summer’s first episode, sports information director Alan Babbitt sits down with recent graduate Dan Romano ‘23, this year’s male recipient of the Hope Athletics Be Strong. Be True. Athlete of the Year award, and Flying Dutchmen head football coach Peter Stuursma. The Be Strong. Be True. Athlete of the Year award is presented to a male and female junior or senior who demonstrates the true essence of being a student-athlete and embodies the Division III motto of Discover, Develop, Dedicate. This student-athlete is in high academic standing (minimum GPA of 3.5), plays a significant role on the team, and is involved in the Hope and Holland community.  Later this summer, we will chat with the 2023 female recipient, senior swimmer Delaney Wesolek, and head swimming and diving coach Jake Taber. Both Wesolek and Romano received their awards during the HOPEYs ceremony in April. “Taking advantage of every opportunity” Romano packed in a lot of activity as a student-athlete at Hope: Majored in biomedical and mechanical engineering, minored in mathematics;  Two-year starter on the football team while earning All-MIAA Second Team honors as a junior and recording a pair of 200-yard rushing games; Semifinalist for the National Football Foundation’s Campbell Trophy that recognizes a college football student-athlete for his academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership;  Served on Hope’s and MIAA’s ACT-SAAC (Athletes Coming Together-Student Athlete Advisory Council); Participated in a SEED (Sport Evangelism to Equip Disciples) trip in 202’ Co-lead Bible study for the football team. After graduating last month, Romano married Hannah Cross ‘23 and began working at Gentex Corporation as a product design engineer. On the Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast, Romano said he used his time as a student-athlete at Hope as an opportunity to grow, to meet people, to become just to become the better version of himself.  “I did find myself saying yes a lot and taking advantage of every opportunity that I could,” Romano said. “That just led me down a road to one being busy, but also just really growing in every aspect of my life. Whether it was football, academics my faith with the Bible study being a leader on ACT-SAAC, or repping the MIAA, they were all just like really cool opportunities I didn’t want to pass up on. “I saw it more as like I want to excel in it and be the best that I can be in it.” Read a written transcript of interview

Arinn King and Jack Radzville displayed similar excellence on the field and in the classroom during their Hope College careers. The 2022 Be Strong. Be True. Female and Male Athletes of the Year sat down together for an interview for the Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast. They talked about their athletics and academic experiences and offered advice for incoming freshmen student-athletes. From left, Arinn King and Jack Radzville King, a standout second baseman in softball, and Radzville, a decorated attacker in men’s lacrosse, graduated last month and concluded their playing careers. King, an exercise science major, is headed to physical therapy school. Radzville, an electrical engineering major, has accepted a job with Ford Motor Company. In April, King and Radzville received their Be Strong. Be True. honors during the annual HOPEYs awards ceremony. The Be Strong. Be True. Athlete of the Year distinction is presented to a junior or senior who demonstrates the true essence of being a student-athlete and embodies the NCAA Division III motto of Discover, Develop, Dedicate.  This student-athlete is in high academic standing (minimum GPA of 3.5), plays a significant role on the team, and is involved in the Hope and Holland community. Saying Thank You Both student-athletes expressed gratitude for their four years on campus and all the people who supported them along their journeys. King earned all-region honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association this spring. Hope posted a a 26-12 overall record. “I would definitely say thank you to all of my coaches and my teammates. They pushed me on the field in the classroom, in my faith just and life in general with their friendships,” King said. “They pushed me to be my best in all aspects, taught me to be more confident in who I was. I’m definitely a better version of myself since walking into Hope because of them.” Radzville received honorable-mention All-America honors from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association. The attacker was voted as the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s Most Valuable Offensive Player this season. Hope finished with 15-2 overall record and earned the MIAA’s regular-season title. “I want to say thank you to all my friends, teammates, coaches and my family because they have had my back and encouraged me to do the best I can,” Radzville said. “They’re always proud of what I’ve done, but they always pushed me to do better. I want to shout out Andrew Conlon, Cole Scheffler and my coaches, Mike Schanhals, Chris Scheldt, for always pushing me to do better academically and athletically.” Written transcript of the Orange and Blue Podcast interview