Sports
Lynn University student to be honored with ESPY Award
Growing up, 20-year-old Lynn University student Ian Waite says that he expected to be at the ESPY awards as an athlete.It turns out his dream will come true, only with him as a community leader. Waite will be honored with the distinguished Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award for his work at Bigger Than Sports when the ESPY Awards air on WPBF-25 Wednesday night. Waite submitted his application for the award just days before the due date.”A couple of weeks later, I get an email saying I’m going to California, and even weeks after I ask my team to pinch me because it doesn’t seem real,” Waite said.Yes, Waite will get to rub shoulders at the ESPYs with the biggest names in sports, but when we caught up with him, he was running a day camp in Boynton Beach. Bigger Than Sports is a fully Gen Z-led nonprofit helping high school athletes from underserved communities plan for their future.”We empower underserved student athletes in their last year of high school, providing them with educational guidance to build a successful future beyond just that dream of going pro,” he said.The recognition from the ESPYs validates Waite’s belief that even at 20 years old, he can make a difference in his community.”Life is too short to be small; I’m not here to not make a difference. I’m not here to not do anything with my life. In fact, I did do something bigger — something bigger than sports,” he said.Waite plans to expand Bigger Than Sports to nearby communities in Florida and back home in his native Pittsburgh.”It’s not just a passion project. It’s not just a school based project that is gong to be on my resume when I apply for jobs in two years, it’s my life. I genuinely believe–and people think I’m crazy when I say this–it’s the next Boys and Girls club or the next YMCA. I truly believe we can transform communities and the world through the power of sports,” Waite said.
Growing up, 20-year-old Lynn University student Ian Waite says that he expected to be at the ESPY awards as an athlete.
It turns out his dream will come true, only with him as a community leader. Waite will be honored with the distinguished Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award for his work at Bigger Than Sports when the ESPY Awards air on WPBF-25 Wednesday night. Waite submitted his application for the award just days before the due date.
“A couple of weeks later, I get an email saying I’m going to California, and even weeks after I ask my team to pinch me because it doesn’t seem real,” Waite said.
Yes, Waite will get to rub shoulders at the ESPYs with the biggest names in sports, but when we caught up with him, he was running a day camp in Boynton Beach. Bigger Than Sports is a fully Gen Z-led nonprofit helping high school athletes from underserved communities plan for their future.
“We empower underserved student athletes in their last year of high school, providing them with educational guidance to build a successful future beyond just that dream of going pro,” he said.
The recognition from the ESPYs validates Waite’s belief that even at 20 years old, he can make a difference in his community.
“Life is too short to be small; I’m not here to not make a difference. I’m not here to not do anything with my life. In fact, I did do something bigger — something bigger than sports,” he said.
Waite plans to expand Bigger Than Sports to nearby communities in Florida and back home in his native Pittsburgh.
“It’s not just a passion project. It’s not just a school based project that is gong to be on my resume when I apply for jobs in two years, it’s my life. I genuinely believe–and people think I’m crazy when I say this–it’s the next Boys and Girls club or the next YMCA. I truly believe we can transform communities and the world through the power of sports,” Waite said.