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They’ll keep moving for another year in McDowell County as McDowell CHOICES, an initiative of the West Virginia University College of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences, has received a one-year continuation grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The USDA continuation grant will allow McDowell CHOICES – coordinated health opportunities involving communities, environments and schools – to continue offering expanded access to physical activity to McDowell County students and their families, primarily by offering more after school physical activity programs. The program was created with a $204,000 grant from the Highmark Foundation.

The WVU Sport and Exercise Psychology program will host Dr. Mitch Abrams, Friday, April 3, 2015, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. in the CPASS building, room 103. As an expert in effective anger management practices in athletes, Dr. Abrams’ presentation will focus on problems with anger management in sport along with the belief that anger is a problem and it must be eradicated in order to be successful. Abrams believes that the work starts with normalizing anger, teaching one to own it, and then learning how to adjust the intensity of it to the level that would be most helpful for the task at hand, whether in sport or in other aspects of one’s life.

Abrams recognizes that many people have different degrees of anger problems and it manifests itself accordingly. His approach for anger management training works best with individuals who have skills deficits and are motivated to become more empowered and effective in their lives. According to Abrams, anger management is about both performance enhancement and transgression reduction.

After six months of hard work, West Virginia University graduate sports management students were rewarded with a trip to New York to present their research findings. Eleven students in the Sports Marketing Research Methods/Sports Poll class, taught by Dallas Branch, associate professor of sport management at WVU, showcased their work in a presentation for Kantar Media on March 2.

The presentation was a success, with Sports Business Journal deeming the findings from CPASS students worthy of publication in the upcoming edition.  
The project was an opportunity for students to work in conjunction with the advertising and sponsorship company Kantar Media. The students were given access to data from Kantar regarding the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship tournament, including media value for sponsors in the tournament as well as college basketball sponsorship awareness and product usage among sponsors.

On March 5, the results of the 2015 West Virginia University Student Government Association elections were officially announced. The election was a clean sweep, with all 19 winners belonging to the Make a Difference (MAD) Movement. Four College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences students with unique platforms for WVU are among the newly elected MAD Movement.

Ashley Morgan, a senior sport and exercise psychology major, was elected as vice president. Having served two terms as athletic councilor, Morgan has a vision forWVU at the student, local, state, and Big 12 level. Creating a student summit is a top priority for Morgan, who believes it is vital for “the voices of student leaders across campus to be heard no matter what their major, club, or organization.”

More than 470 educators will attend the March 14 physical activity training hosted   by CPASS and the WV Department of Education. This state-wide effort provides workshops focused on improving physical activity in primary schools.

The trainings are intended to better prepare K-8 teachers and school administrators to address recent policy changes committed to improving the culture of physical activity in schools. It provides beneficial resources to incorporate more physical activity in the school day, training on comprehensive school physical activity programming and innovative ways to incorporate physical activity into the academic setting. Studies consistently show that students who get more physical activity perform better academically and have fewer behavioral issues in school.

 Thomas Moran, Ph.D., CAPE, and Sarah Carson Sackett, Ph.D., both of James Madison University, will visit the WVU campus. Carson Sackett will speak on Tuesday, March 10, 11 a.m. – noon, CPASS building, room 101, to discuss the techniques of coaching.

Moran will speak on Wednesday, March 11, 9:30 – 10:45 a.m., CPASS building room 101 and focus on the meeting the needs of athletes of all abilities. Both Moran and Carson Sackett will present a panel discussion from 3 – 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

Preschoolers from a Morgantown daycare are learning through play as they hop, run, throw and laugh in the multipurpose room in the new CPASS building. While the little ones benefit from movement, PETE students gain valuable teaching experience through interaction with the children.

Two years ago, ACE master’s student Shelbie Ann Straughn envisioned creating the first special needs all-star cheerleading team in Morgantown. Through Straughn’s passion to create access for all, the Shining Stars team was born. Today the team is thriving with a complete two and a half minute routine and six competitions under their belt.

The children enrolled in Americorp’s award-winning Energy Express program are not the only ones who benefit greatly from its unique summer curriculum. Kristen Siers, a senior Sport and Exercise Psychology major at West Virginia University, and mentor for the acclaimed program, says the program inspired and encouraged her to take the next steps in her academic career. 

The CPASS Athletic Coaching Education program has partnered with West Virginia University Club Sports to offer sports conditioning sessions for club teams. The sessions are run by graduate students and supervised by Dr. Clayton Kuklick, CPASS teaching assistant professor.