TicketsAug. 31, 2012
By Katie Baran
When University of Cincinnati Senior Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator Robin Martin was growing up, she had no idea the impact she would one day make on hundreds of female student-athletes. However, as a former women's basketball player at the University of New Orleans, Martin's experience as a student-athlete began to shape her ambitions of one day rising to the top of the athletic department chain of command.
"There were times when the athletic director was making a bonehead decision and I thought, 'I want to do his job,' and truly it was because I always felt that student-athletes deserved a good experience," Martin said. "The only way I could make sure that happened was to be in charge. I thought, 'I'm going to make a difference. I'm going to figure out how to make the student-athlete experience better.' It was out of frustration that I did it, not anything else."
In her path to reach her dreams, Martin was lucky enough to learn from a strong female role model during her college years. Whether or not she realized it at the time, her former assistant coach Sybil Blalock helped mold her into the strong, determined woman she is today.
"I had an assistant coach, Sybil, who had a very strong personality," Martin said. "She was the strongest women I've ever seen. Sybil taught us how to be mentally tough, physically tough, how to be women, how to be demanding, and how to be caring all at the same time. I watched her as she trained with us. You go through the experience and you're thinking, 'Oh my gosh, I can't stand her.' Then you walk out of that experience and you go, 'Oh my gosh, she's helped me make me the woman I am.'"
After going through her own student-athlete experience, Martin began her quest to improve the student-athlete experience by coaching high school, college and AAU women's basketball teams for 12 years.
"What I enjoyed most about coaching was teaching," Martin said. "I watched the female student-athletes grow as women. When you're a coach, you see a freshman and watch her grow and then her senior year, you just think, 'This is a wonderful, beautiful, strong woman.' To see that is so powerful."
After simultaneously coaching and reaching her dreams of becoming an athletic director at Dillard University in New Orleans, Martin became the first African-American woman to become director of athletics at Holy Names University. From there, she took over as the associate AD and senior woman administrator at UC in August 2007.
In her current role, she has become a mentor to many female Bearcat student-athletes, including track and field standout Jasmine Cotten. After arriving in Clifton in 2007, Cotten's attitude and injury bug prevented her from competing at her highest potential. However, after getting pregnant and being granted an extra year of eligibility, Cotten became a star - setting a school record in the pentathlon at the 2012 BIG EAST Indoor Championships and earning Most Outstanding Field Performer. It was a true tale of fighting the odds, which Martin was fortunate enough to witness.
"Women need women in this business to be successful," Martin said. "It is different and you want to see yourself survive and thrive and be successful. You want to see it done. That's what I get out of it. I enjoy watching the Jasmine Cottens. You go, 'Yeah, this is why we do this.'"
Not only has she 'championed' student-athletes, but she has seen the growth and maturation of women's basketball head coach Jamelle Elliott. Martin and Elliott's relationship began on Elliott's first day at UC on May 5, 2009.
"When (Jamelle) was getting ready for her acceptance press conference, we gave her a pin and she turned to me and said, 'Put it on me. Give me some help. Help get me together,' so we sat in her office fixing her up," Martin said. "The fact that she asked me to put the pin on before she went down to accept the position of head coach, I thought about it and it's the same thing of taking care of each other. She didn't turn to our (former) athletic director, she said, 'I need you as the woman in this to help me get through this.' Then you realize - that's my job, to help people do this."
Martin is humble in recognizing the fact that Elliott and her staff have chosen to honor her at their golf outing next Sunday, Sept. 9.
"On some level, I'm being honored for doing my job," Martin said. "It's been interesting because in her last evaluation - I'm not evaluating, I'm sitting back in awe watching the growth. When she tells me what she's learned the most isn't about coaching, it's about leadership. I go, 'She doesn't need me, she's so ready to grow' and vise versa. I've watched her champion other women and to me, that's what it is - seeing the person you want to see created in the universe. It has been an honor for me. It's been great to watch her grow as a young coach."
Her efforts and friendship have had a lasting impact on Elliott, who not only sees Martin as a friend, but also as a mentor and a leader - which are just three of the many reasons she is the honoree at this year's golf outing.
"From the time I arrived in Cincinnati, Robin has been the epitome of a leader, mentor and friend to me," Elliott said. "She has made such a tremendous impact on my life as well as the lives of so many student-athletes, coaches, and people in the community. In essence, she leaves an impression on everyone she meets. I thought she would be the perfect person to honor at our golf outing, as we truly appreciate Robin and want to recognize her for all of her efforts. Robin is not only committed to women's basketball, women's sports, and the empowerment of women, she is also an advocate of helping people do the right thing."
While Martin may believe she is simply doing her job, she has made a greater impact than she realizes. Now, she has not only reached her dreams of becoming an athletic director, but also her dreams of improving the student-athlete experience - simply by being herself.
"The beauty of it is when we create this strong web of people around you," Martin said. "You understand the privilege and the responsibility that comes with that and the friendships, because they in turn support you. In your effort to support them, guess what? You get it right back. Jamelle has my back, but she knows I have hers too. I don't think you set it out to be that way, but I think that's what ends up happening. The other day, we talked about those three things: being a mentor, being a leader and being a friend. When you can transition to be all three of those things in one, that's a very powerful thing. You don't take it lightly."
Registration is still open for the UC women's basketball golf outing on Sunday, Sept. 9. Registration is $125 and includes 18 holes of golf, a participant gift, lunch and barbeque dinner, team and individual prizes, in addition to a raffle and silent auction. Participants can purchase a tee sign for $100 and non-golfers can attend the dinner only for $30 per person. Registration forms can be found here. For more information, contact Dana Rieger at (513) 556-2360 or dana.rieger@uc.edu.