Dear Friends and Family of Hope College Athletics,
At our opening athletics coach/staff meeting this fall, new President Matthew A. Scogin ’02 spoke these words from Isaiah over our entire department:
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” Isaiah 43:19
Those words, and President Scogin’s subsequent message to us, sparked an excitement for a number of new things. A new athletic year. A new academic year. A new presidency. A new era. And, now this new publication. With this first edition of Orange and Blue Illustrated, we hope you too appreciate the start of the latest way we get to tell the many new and exciting stories that happen every day in Hope College Athletics.
As an athletic department, we hold strong to our mission of academic success, competitive excellence and transformational experiences for every one of our 541 student-athletes. We expect them to excel in the classroom and graduate. We expect our teams to do their very best to win games, competitions and championships. We expect to transform the lives of our student-athletes and staff because of what we do here day in and day out. I am so honored to be a part of the team that values these expectations. This is an amazing place!
In the following pages, you will witness for yourself the transformation that goes on each and every day at Hope and in Hope Athletics. Two student-athletes who are able to compete on multiple teams because of our commitment to the NCAA Division III philosophy. An entire team that serves at the West Michigan Miracle League, where members strive to give to others but in reality, have their lives profoundly impacted instead. Student-athletes who discover, dedicate and develop excellence in their academic pursuit of nursing. New head coaches who seek to do more than win, they plan to make a difference in their student-athletes’ lives. You’ll read how student-athletes engage in life-altering international sport ministry trips through our SEED program and how internships resulted. And, we catch up with some outstanding athlete-alumni who have put their Hope diplomas to great use and are changing the world one life at a time.
We hope that you are inspired by the things that God is doing here at Hope. Enjoy our first issue of Orange and Blue. We are honored to do the work we do as we seek to transform lives for Jesus Christ through athletics. Thank you for being a part of our team!
Be Strong. Be True.
Go Hope!
Tim Schoonveld ’96
Athletic Director