Well, greetings, Samford, and welcome to Beck's Bench, a new video series in which I will share
important news and updates from our campus. I'm also looking forward to hosting inspiring
members of our community who will sit down with me to discuss their experiences, insights,
and faith. This video will be delivered directly to your inbox at the beginning of each month,
and my hope is that beck's bench will be an opportunity for us to stay connected
as a community through these stories of impact and inspiration we will together remain, For God,
For Learning, Forever. As a new academic year is upon us we have much to be grateful for.
We celebrate our 180th anniversary year and our 13th year of record enrollment. We welcome new
students, new colleagues, new programs, and new traditions, and we celebrate a return to campus
which brings the excitement and energy that we've been waiting for all summer. As we look ahead to
the return of in-person activities, I hope to see all of you soon at one of our many official
Samford events. Our football team opens its season at home on September 2nd against Tennessee Tech,
and our women's volleyball, women's soccer cross country, and golf teams have all kicked
off their seasons as well. We have a number of alumni events scheduled over the month ahead,
and we look forward to Family Weekend at the end of September. I'm also excited to share the return
of our weekly campus worship services and hope you'll join us on Tuesday mornings in the Wright
Center for weekly worship in an inspirational environment for spiritual growth. Well, now,
without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to the very first guest to Beck's Bench, who brings
us here to Samford's track and field complex. This is the home of Samford's track and field team,
who, under the leadership of 11 time Socon Coach of the Year Rod Tiffin, has won 10 Socon
championships in 13 years and produced 21 NCAA All-Americans and one national champion. It's
my honor and pleasure to introduce you to Justin Stuckey whose incredible 2021 All-American season
culminated with an appearance at the Olympic trials. Justin, welcome to Beck's Bench. Thank
you for having me. It's great to have you, Justin; you're a high jumper and an All-American, and talk
about an exciting summer just a little more than a month ago you were competing at the Olympic
trials; tell us about that? Olympic trials is a great experience; I would say it's a learning,
humbling and motivating experience getting to be there with professional athletes all
across the world and be able to learn how it is to prepare for that type of moment was great for me
a humbling experience you know because I didn't have the performance I'd like to have
and a motivating experience because I get to do this is what God has blessed
me to do, and I get to come back with another opportunity to get it done in three years, so
that's a great experience. Love the attitude. What's amazing is track and field high jumping
is relatively new to you. Am I right? It all started trying to impress somebody;
tell me that story? Yeah, so back in middle school, there was a girl that I thought I don't
know she was everything that moment I just wanted to go out there and try to show what I can do,
and I was pretty athletic, so I went out there and my coach at the time coach George just like hey I
want you to go try this so jumping over the bar and it's taking me this far now. That's awesome,
so I imagine that's where your Samford story begins, but tell us where you're from and how
you got to Samford? I'm from Helena, Alabama, originally, about 30 minutes away from campus.
Coach Tiffon's son was actually my teammate, so he'd seen me performing and competing,
and the things just lined up well and gave me an opportunity. I'm grateful for it. That's great.
How have you changed since you've been here at Samford? Athletically certainly, but uh maybe
more importantly personally? Well athletically, obviously, you can look at my freshman year to
now I've grown tremendously as far as depth and how my ceiling is on the All-Aamerican stage now
personally definitely a lot of growth more in the spiritual realm than anything else being here to
be able to go from a guy who just goes to church some days on just sundays and then being able to
lead a group in the ministry group on campus has been a big experience for me being able to grow
and be a face and motivating the people around campus around the community. I know athletics is
on your mind the Olympic trials in the rearview mirror, but what's your major what kind of
career are you planning to pursue? Yeah, so I'm a marketing major now, and, um obviously, away from
athletics, I want to work in the sports marketing world, whether it's a college team professional
team to stay around sports and do what I can do as far as like crafting and marketing.
Alright Justin, Samford is lucky to have you. You're a Samford ambassador, which, as you know,
is an honor; what about this place? What can you say that makes this place special to you? It's you
know more of a home feeling; you know you get to see the same people every day and be able to grow
relationships. I think that's the biggest key not on a crazy big community where you just see
somebody like once every two or three months you get to really establish relationships and grow,
and I think that's the biggest thing for me. away from athletics being at Samford,
what do you dream about at night? What is it that Justin Stuckey wants to do in this world
be a be an influence an impact on people, whether it's through athletics whether it's through
the community just being somebody who people can have some hope in because I know who I have
my hope is that's the lord, and he's given me a platform and the ability to inspire other people.
Well, Justin, we're so proud that you're a part of the Samford family. We love you; we're proud
of you. Thanks for representing the university so well through your leadership and your grace and
your talent uh it's been a pleasure to chat with you today, and we'll certainly be cheering you
on this season god bless you thank you. Yeah, you bet, and that'll do it for this edition of beck's
bench. Thank you for tuning in. I look forward to speaking with you again on Beck's Bench very soon.
In the meantime, have a great start to the fall semester, and of course, go Bulldogs. Go 'Dogs.