A student won the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) video contest for his video titled, “More Than Athletes.”
Jonas Gutzat, a 24-year-old former swim team member for UH Mānoa, is double majoring in communications and creative media. Being a former student-athlete himself, Gutzat was inspired to tell a story from the perspective of student-athletes.
“I had the idea when I was flying back to Germany over winter break,” said Gutzat. “I was inspired to try and humanize athletes more and, having been an athlete myself, I wrote it from the perspective of athletes.”
Division I NCAA institutions were invited to create a video showcasing a “day in the life” to display what it means to be a student-athlete and how each day looks different. UH Mānoa athletics won a $2,000 award for Gutzat¡¯s video that will be used to support campus SAAC operations and activities.
Gutzat hopes that people who watch the video will catch a glimpse of the hard work that is behind the scenes of every student-athlete.
“I think that for most athletes, people only see when they play and when they win,” said Gutzat. “But they don¡¯t see behind the scenes, working hard every day, suffering, pain, overcoming obstacles and everything. That¡¯s what the beginning of the video is, but it tells a story of athletes overcoming those obstacles, winning and becoming champions.”
