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During the winter break sport management students and faculty member Patrick Hairston, teaching assistant professor, participated in a field experience learning opportunity at the Duke's Mayo Bowl Game in Charlotte, N.C. The group attend the game between the University of South Carolina and the University of North Carolina on Dec. 30.

Hairston created this practical learning opportunity by connecting with the Charlotte Sports Foundation and other professional contacts. “I wanted the students to learn the lesson of the all hands on deck mentality as it relates to event management.No role is too small or too big in managing a sporting event, especially a college bowl game in an NFL stadium,” he said.

College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences student Daniel Thompson gained first-hand experience as an intern with WVU’s Office of Health Promotion and Wellness, helping to design the release of the recently announced WVU employee wellness toolkit.

The CPASS health and well-being student attended meetings with faculty and staff to gather information for the project. “I worked directly with Dr. Amy Sidwell on this effort. I met with each of the OHPW priority action teams and the advisory council to understand their well-being priorities,” Thompson said. “Using the knowledge gained from these discussions and a literature review, I established the wellness toolkit and presented it via Zoom to the University community.”

A passion for rowing has evolved into a lifelong purpose for coaching for a CPASS master’s student. Marija Medelinskaite, from Kaunas, Lithuania, says that making the next move from a student athlete to exploring coaching career options fell into place for her.

Medelinskaite started rowing at the age of 12 in Lithuania and says that she loved the sport from the beginning. She competed at the collegiate level at the University of Central Florida. “After graduation I did not want to separate from it, and I gave coaching a try with Casitas Rowing in Ventura, California. After only a few opportunities, I found it very rewarding and enjoyable,” she said. “That is when I knew I needed to get my master's degree in coaching.”

Meet Katie Schoepfer, coaching and sport education master’s student who plans to graduate in May 2022. Schoepfer, from Waterford, Conn., has used her connections and academic experiences to become successful both inside and outside of the classroom. Recently, she was selected to serve as head coach of the U.S. Soccer Under-15 Girls’ National Team.

“My role is to identify and develop young soccer talent all over the country. I make every effort to introduce athletes to standards, culture and style of play of U.S. Soccer to set them up for a long career within the U.S. Soccer Federation,” Schoepfer said.

College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences sport management students headed north in November 2021 to expand their networking opportunities while enjoying a Pittsburgh Penguins NHL hockey game. Read more below from sport management student Jenna Livers who shared the group’s road trip experience in a first-hand report.

On November 11, 2021, a group of CPASS sports management students got the opportunity to take an educational and professional trip to network with Pittsburgh Penguins staff and attend a game at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. We want to thank Lindsay Augustine, assistant dean for student and enrollment services, Office of Student Success, and Drs. Patrick Hairston and Justin Wartella, sport management teaching assistant professors, for their coordination and efforts to make this happen.

An introductory soccer program has provided real life training for 10 College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences coaching and performance sciences students. Raymond Kryzak, director, Mountaineer United Soccer Club, organized and led sessions for the Fundamentals soccer program, an eight-week introductory soccer clinic designed for three- and four-year-old children.

“Last year, we officially partnered with the Fundamentals program and plan to make the same connection in the spring of 2022. CPASS did their part by arranging the use of the facility to host the first coaching and training class in the Morgantown area,” Kryzak said.

As the Mountaineer community eagerly prepares to recognize the achievements of West Virginia University December and August 2021 graduates, the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences will honor the first cohort of Health and Well-being students to earn their degrees. 

“Working with Health and Well-being students is such a great experience. The students have a wide range of career interests within Health and Well-being professions. We have had the privilege to work with each student to help them reach their individual goals,” Colton Metzger, student success coordinator, said.

A virtual, collaborative learning experience for College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences students with students from Halmstad University in Halmstad, Sweden, has thrived during the pandemic.

In fall 2020, WVU sport and exercise psychology students worked with their peers at Halmstad University as part of the SEP 272 course, Psychological Aspects of Sport. Students collaborated on cross-cultural aspects of a sport psychology discussion that promoted deeper cultural understanding.

Eight sport management students and three faculty members attended the Pittsburgh Pirates Third annual Curt Roberts Step Up to the Plate recruitment event at PNC Park on Oct. 13.

Students Madison Reeser, Ariana Burke, Joseph Yanchak, Morgan Montgomery, Arielle Friedman, Zorin Istvan, Jalen Thornton and Hanna Rosenberger attended the event with Patrick Hairston, Justin Wartella, and Gary Lhotsky, all teaching associate professors.