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11/3/2009 -
Stetson crew coach set to meet with pope - News-Journal Online
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College coaches and speaking engagements go together like peanut butter and jelly.
Urban Meyer and Bobby Bowden are two of the most popular speakers on the chicken-dinner circuit.
But neither Meyer nor Bowden has ever had a speaking engagement like the one Susan Saint Sing has this week.
The Stetson crew coach will be speaking at the Vatican and get a rare chance to meet with the pope today.
This is no joke, although Saint Sing thought someone might have been trying to have a little fun at her expense when she received her invitation by e-mail several months ago.
"I thought it was some kind of a joke," Saint Sing said. "When I saw it was from Vatican City, I called a friend of mine who is a priest and said, 'Did you send me this?' He said he didn't. My second response was, 'Oh no, did I do something wrong?' Because I know the Vatican reads what Catholic authors write. And then when I opened it, I was just humbled that they wanted me to speak."
Last week, just days before leaving for her weeklong trip sponsored by the Vatican, Saint Sing had another word to describe her feelings as her speaking engagement loomed.
"Terrified," she said with a laugh.
Saint Sing will give a presentation based on her book "The Spirituality of Sport: Balancing Body and Soul" when she addresses an invitation-only audience of cardinals, bishops, priests and sports officials from around the world.
But today is even a bigger moment for Saint Sing. She has been told to be prepared to meet Pope Benedict XVI soon after her arrival today in Vatican City.
"I've been told I'm being picked up at the airport and I'm being taken to a private Papal Mass where I'll meet the pope," Saint Sing said. "The Vatican isn't like the White House. I guess they're pretty secretive (about the pope's schedule). I've been asked to bring copies of the books to give to Pope Benedict. I know I'll meet with him and they want me to give this talk on Friday about glorifying the body for God -- an inspirational talk."
Saint Sing plans on presenting "The Spirituality of Sport" and "The Wonder Crew" -- two of the nine books she has written -- to the pontiff. The latter book is an account of how coach Richard Glendon turned the U.S. Naval Academy crew team into 1920 Olympic champions and established a rowing style that led to the United States winning gold over a 40-year span -- the longest winning streak in one sport in Olympic history.
