Kelsey Kinnamon, a 2019 graduate of West Virginia University, is being recognized at the upcoming 2024 Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) Annual Conference in Las Vegas. Kinnamon has been awarded the prestigious AASP Student Abstract Award, which is presented to outstanding student researchers. The award is part of the AASP Foundation’s initiative to support students attending the conference, providing Kinnamon with the opportunity to present her research in front of leading professionals in her field.
Kinnamon’s research, titled “Disrupting the Norm: Planned Disruption Use Among Elite Olympic Weightlifting Coaches,” explores an innovative approach to pressure training in Olympic weightlifting. Alongside co-researcher Billy Bean, Kinnamon conducted interviews with elite-level weightlifting coaches to understand their use of planned disruptions as a training technique. These planned disruptions simulate the high-pressure environments athletes face when competing internationally. Weightlifters often train in familiar settings but must perform at their peak in unpredictable environments, sometimes with little time to adjust. Kinnamon’s research offers valuable insights into how coaches can better prepare athletes for these challenges, ensuring they are mentally equipped to excel under pressure.
“Through interviews with coaches, we learned a lot about how they view pressure training, which helps us as consultants work with coaches to support and prepare their athletes,” Kinnamon explained.
After completing her undergraduate degree at WVU, she went on to earn a master’s degree from Georgia Southern University and is now in her fourth year as a doctoral student at Florida State University. She is completing her practicum training at FSU Counseling and Psychological Services, where she provides mental health support to students. In addition to her practicum, Kinnamon also works within the ALEC Center, a university clinic offering psychoeducational and mental health evaluation services. In this role, she collaborates with both students and the athletic department to coordinate and deliver comprehensive evaluation services, further integrating her passion for mental health and sport psychology into her work.
“My passion for this field grew at WVU and led me to pursue a master’s degree and eventually a doctoral degree,” Kinnamon said. “I was provided with support and mentorship from the moment I began classes in the program and always felt the faculty genuinely cared about me doing well and helping me craft my own career path.”
In addition to her studies, Kinnamon co-founded KB Mental Performance, a consulting business that provides mental performance services to athletes at the highest levels of competition, including USA Weightlifting.