Collegiate Times

Carroll displays a ball made from banana leaves that he traded with children during his travels.

CT: You’ve been able give your presentation for groups of all ages and backgrounds, how does the reaction change from younger people to older people?

CARROLL: Younger people, I don’t have to talk to them about play, they get it. I can talk to them about passion, purpose, inspiration, and identifying what you’re going to play. When people get older, they start to marginalize play, and push it to the weekend, if you think of the term ‘Weekend Warrior’.

I want to remind adults on the role of having play daily, so I have to pull out more research and more of those types of things for an adult audience.

That’s the two differentiating things: I don’t have to tell you to go out and play when you’re in your youth, and when you’re older I have to remind you of why play is important and don’t forget about its role and value and purpose.

CT: So what do you hope the college age students of Virginia Tech can take from your message?

CARROLL: First, I hope I can bring a level of energy and inspiration to demonstrate that you can live your passion every day if you’re willing to be clear and committed to it. It’s a lot of times we’re not quite sure what it is that inspires us. If you do that work in college, and you figure out exactly what tickles your brain, and what you really find joyful on a regular basis, it’s really important for young people to understand that.Why are you majoring in what you’re majoring? Do not major in it because of hiring. I think you’re going to be disappointed. Major in something you find inspirational, something you find intriguing, that you find compelling, that you want to stay forever curious about. I want them to really understand that’s what sport and play has always been for me. All different tangents I’ve taken around sport and play, but I’ve never lost the epicenter. I’m all about a ball. I’m always finding ways to be surrounded by that.

Never lose sight of the thing that’s really is your primal passion and joy. Whether its writing, if its science, if its math, if its arts, if its music, just don’t lose sight of that. If you get pressured to study something else, minor in the thing that gives you joy. At least you’re still feeding yourself.

I think that would be really important for college students to recognize, that we need to make sure we’re feeding our creative soul, feeding our other passions, and that we’re finding a way to have moments that are inspirational and that really are personally inspiring. That will allow us to be more effective in our personal lives, our communities, and our professional lives.

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