Scott Link, current CPASS Sport and Exercise Psychology student, has been competing in Mountaineer Idol for the last three years. In 2011 Link placed 6th place over all, then in 2012 finished 2nd in the competition following Paris Winfrey. Redemption was a key initiative for competing again in 2012 after his upsetting early exit from the competition in 2011.
“I am naturally a competitive person and want to bring my best to each round of the competition and therefore put a lot of time into it,” said Link. “I wanted to do it again because I had a great experience the first time but went home a lot earlier than I would have liked. I knew that I could have done better and therefore wanted to try again.”
While competing in Mountaineer Idol these last three years, Link works hard to balance his academics with the competition. “I love putting in the extra effort for the competition. Plus, performing is something I love to do and often want to practice more than study!” said Link.
“The information about sport psych closely coincides with ways to improve my performance in idol as well. Therefore the usefulness of the program [Sport and Exercise Psychology] has helped me in the competition as well.”
“I was originally coming here to study athletic training, but I remember Dr. Watson speaking at my orientation and the SEP program was much better suited for me. I have always been someone who tried to push and motivate others to do their best in all situations, so this field seemed perfect for me.”
Useful is one key word Link uses to describe his education at CPASS. “It’s amazing to me that the SEP program is teaching me things that are so relevant in life rather than just sport and exercise settings.”
This year during Mountaineer Week, Link was eliminated after his top 5 performance during 80’s Night of Mountaineer Idol. The 2013 winner of Mountaineer Idol was crowned Skip Smith on the first of November.