A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 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.”
