Former Saint Louis University women’s basketball standout, Amanda Kemezys, has been around the ministry of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for a long time. Amanda has been involved in many different roles with FCA, spanning from huddle leader at Belleville East to now being the Camp Dean for Girls Weekend of Champions – a camp that Kemezys attended herself as an athlete! After extending her basketball career and playing professionally in Lithuania, Kemezys is now serving as a campus huddle coach at her alma mater. Amanda knows first-hand the impact that FCA can have on our local campuses. As our Huddle Coach Spotlight, the current Belleville East head girls’ basketball coach has a strong FCA history! FCA: How has FCA impacted your life and faith? Kemezys: I’ve been involved with FCA since my freshman year at Belleville East. I loved having a group on campus that shared a love of sports and a strong Christian faith. I attended Girls Weekend and Huddle Leader camps that expanded my circle of Christian friends and helped me focus on my relationship with Christ. While playing sports in high school and beyond, FCA was a guiding part of my life that helped me use my athletic abilities as a way to honor God and share Word with others. FCA: Why are you a FCA Huddle Coach? Kemezys: Knowing the impact that FCA had on my own life throughout school, I am humbled by the opportunity to help today's students have that same experience. FCA allows us to share the Gospel at a public school in ways we otherwise wouldn't be able to. I have a true passion for mentoring students and athletes, but no opportunity is greater than sharing the Gospel with them and watching as God transforms their heart. FCA: How do you see FCA making an impact on your campus? Kemezys: I love seeing the fellowship at our FCA meetings where teenagers can share freely about things going on in their lives and on their teams. With all of the hardships that our youth face today, it is so important that they have this time to share the Gospel with each other and talk about what it looks like to live out the life of a Christian athlete in high school. On a campus our size (around 2500 students) it is great to have FCA as a group that ties members together and helps them find Christian brothers and sisters at school to relate to. FCA: Anything else you’d like to share about FCA? Kemezys: FCA now impacts my life as a coach and huddle coach just like it did when I was a student athlete. Being a part of a coaches' huddle, serving at camps and attending area-wide events has connected me to so many awesome Christian coaches throughout the Metro-East. I greatly appreciate God using these coaches and the FCA staff to pour into me, helping strengthen my own Christian faith and then be a light to the players who God has entrusted to be on my team. We have such an amazing opportunity to use our platform as coaches to be examples of the Christian faith and draw our athletes to Him. One of the recent quotes that I saw FCA post online was from Dabo Swinney, Clemson's football coach. He said, "I will be accountable to God for this: What did I do with all those kids He gave me? What did I do to build His Kingdom?" What an awesome challenge that God has given us to be a light to our student-athletes! I'm so glad to have FCA as a way to build His Kingdom.