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West Virginia University is seeking applicants for a U.S. State Department Sport for Social Change exchange between the U.S. and Mexico. The program will involve an eight-day trip to Mexico with the goal of using the sport of soccer to promote leadership and empowerment among young women in Mexico. The U.S.-based participants will later interact with participants from Mexico during a 13-day exchange in the United States to build on lessons learned in Mexico.

Team coordinators are seeking 20 participants from West Virginia, Virginia or Pennsylvania to take part in this program. The team will select approximately 10-12 professionals and 8-10 students (at least 15 years old) to travel to Mexico in late April 2019 (exact dates depending upon airfare) to participate in a soccer exchange with Mexican youth and adults. 

The Sport and Exercise Psychology program offers numerous classes that range from professional issues, psychological perspectives to sports in American society. One class focuses on the history and sociocultural contributions to sports in America, specifically historical figures who are African American.

“As a student, their presence in class today and listening to their speeches was very inspirational, motivating and knowledgeable. Their golden experiences are a reminder for this generation to understand the history and its importance," said Farhan Shaikh.

A book, recently published by a West Virginia University faculty member, has been incorporated into the Olympic World Library (OWL), housed within the Olympic Studies Centre (OSC) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The book “Sport mega-events in emerging economies: The South American Games of Santiago 2014” was part of an ambitious project by Gonzalo A. Bravo, sport management associate professor, WVU College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences.

The WVU Department of Campus Recreation has announced five graduate assistant positions based at the Student Recreation Center.  Positions are designed as two, one-year contracts covering the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years.

Graduate assistants will oversee administrative duties, staff supervision and project and event management. 

Since the 1970s the child obesity rate in the U.S. has nearly tripled, according to the Centers for Disease Control. As the rates climb, the importance of physical education for children becomes more and more critical.

As a teacher, Shannon Nash, physical education teacher education (BS 2009), realizes the need for leaving a lasting impression for a healthy and active lifestyle for every student.  

 A West Virginia University master’s cohort has created a fundraising effort to benefit the National Foundation to End Child Abuse and Neglect (EndCAN). The College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences sport management on line master’s students worked together to identify the non-profit recipient of the funds, decide on a product and generate a marketing plan.

“One member of our class, Morgan Montgomery, was instrumental in securing our start-up funds. She is in Colorado, near the charity’s headquarters, and contacted them, pitched our idea and gained their support. We knew we had a financial obstacle to overcome, so Morgan was successful in getting the organization to provide us with $500 to launch the product,” said Kevin Spano, team CEO. 

WVU College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences faculty and students attended the 33rd Annual Association for Applied Sport Psychology conference in Toronto, Canada in early October. AASP hosted an awards ceremony, announcing top performers in various categories, including numerous CPASS recipients.

Ian Connole, CPASS alumnus, received the Distinguished Applied Contribution Award for significant work that has impacted the field of sports psychology. Connole, a partner with Vision Pursue, provides a focus on improving mental skills to impact life experiences, including mindfulness for high performance individuals and organizations.

The Weight Management Program, a community-based diet and exercise program, reached 33 counties through approximately 100 fitness centers around the Mountain state.

The innovative arrangement, developed by Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) and managed by West Virginia University, was recognized nationally for the fee-for-service model housed at community-based fitness centers, designed to promote healthy living. PEIA will continue to oversee the program.

Eloise Elliott, PhD, Ware Distinguished Professor, CPASS, and William Neal, MD, School of Medicine, were invited speakers at the recent Appalachian Translational Research Network (ATRN) Summit in Lexington, KY, in September.

Their talk,  The West Virginia CARDIAC Project: Surveillance, Research, and Interventions, focused on successful community-academic research collaborations and how community partnerships are integral to the success of all three components of the Project.

It’s been eight years since Joe Mazzulla helped lead the West Virginia University Mountaineers to the NCAA Final Four, and now he’s returning to the basketball court. Except this time, he is on the sideline as head coach for the Fairmont State Fighting Falcons men’s basketball team.

Mazzulla, from Johnston R.I, spent four years playing for Coach Bob Huggins, 2007-2010. During his time at WVU, he recounts one of his favorite memories with the team.

Maryland native Erik Schwarz says his internship experiences as a West Virginia University sport management student convinced him to take the Division I Athletics path.

“I was a student football equipment manager for five years. During my last year of school, I did an internship with the football administrator. Working with the Mountaineer football team from 1988-1992 was unbelievable experience,” Schwarz explained.  

The National Athletic Trainers' Association has announced that West Virginia native Marisa Brunett will serve as its new vice president as of this summer.

Brunett has served on the NATA board since 2016. She says her new responsibilities as vice president is an honor.  

Dr. R. Scott Kretchmar, one of the top sport philosophers in the country, will visit campus on October 10, 2018 at 7 p.m. to discuss improving youth sport. The Bolton Center for Sports Ethics will host the lecture at the Evansdale Crossing building (EVC-E 414). This event is free and open to the public.

In his upcoming lecture, Kretchmar will discuss the value of youth sports.

In the world of sports teams and major events, many people forget about the office jobs that surround the team and help ensure success.

Casey Hudson, 2018 Sports Management master’s graduate, found himself learning the the behind-the-scenes business of a major league soccer team, the Columbus Crew. Hudson is currently responsible inside sales and manages around 1,000 accounts.  

A Japanese group will visit the West Virginia University campus this fall to promote cultural understanding and international learning experiences within the field of physical education teacher education.

The partnership is part of the new Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) program designed as a complementary strategy to ongoing study abroad efforts within the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences. While COIL projects typically develop online relationships only, this effort combines an online alliance with a physical, face-to-face meeting component.