An incredibly important part of campus life at Elizabethtown College is sports. With 24 different varsity intercollegiate sport programs, students have many choices for how to become involved in Blue Jay Athletics. Students can also participate in any of the 10 different intramural sports, which are more casual and recreational and are managed by the Office of Student Activities (OSA).
An alumnus who took advantage of these opportunities is Darrel Justh, ‘89. He was recruited to play baseball for the College, and he was able to play as a first-year student. He played baseball in both the fall and spring.
However, Justh did not spend all of his time on the diamond.
“I was a biology major, so I spent a lot of time in the labs. I had a child as well, so I lived in assistance for a couple of years.” Justh said.
“I moved off campus my senior year. I had a job off campus; I worked on delivering pizzas for Domino’s. A lot of my free time was spent playing baseball, studying or working.”
Justh also discussed how his experiences at the College influenced him.
“I was offered a job my freshman year to work in the cafeteria, so I learned good work ethic,” he said.
“I learned to apply myself academically as well. I learned about spending money. I didn’t come from much; I had to work for every dollar that I wanted to spend on myself. It taught me to work hard at a very young age.”
As an alumnus, Justh wanted to stay involved with Etown’s athletics, so he became a member of the Blue Jay Athletic Association Council of Leaders.
The purpose of the Blue Jay Athletic Association is to help the College support the Blue Jay Athletics program through organizing and sponsoring fundraising events.
In addition, the association sponsors events together with athletic events, such as tailgate parties and pre- and post-game receptions. The association keeps its members updated through newsletters and emails in order to keep them informed and to improve their involvement with the Blue Jay Athletics program.
Two years ago, Justh received a recruiting email to join the association. The members of the Council of Leaders voted for him to join. He is relatively new to the program, and at this point he attends three meetings a year. He is also on the special events committee of the Association with a couple of other alumni.
“I’m learning more about what goes into the program,” Justh said.
“It’s a great program, we’re trying to get more notoriety and information out there about what the program’s all about.”
Justh’s current responsibilities as a member are sitting in on meetings and voting on various items. For example, the council recently revised the rules for admission to the College’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
He also plays a role in planning fundraising events and banquets. He said that if an athletic team becomes regional or national champions, the Association will get something special to honor them, such as a jacket, “to show Blue Jay pride.”
Outside of his role as a member of the Blue Jay Athletic Association Council of Leaders, Justh enjoys running and endurance sports.
He is quite dedicated to running, as he has completed several marathons. As recently as 2016, he completed an Ironman Triathlon, which consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and marathon run (in order and without breaks).
“As I get older, I really want to stay active. I ran a marathon in time to qualify to run the Boston Marathon in 2020. I’m pretty happy about that,” he said.
Justh had great experiences as a student and student-athlete at the College and he wants to ensure that other students have the same. Hopefully, more alumni will follow in his footsteps.
