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The Center for Applied Coaching and Sport Sciences at WVU is collaborating with Mountaineer Athletics to host the fourth annual Youth Sports Day, Saturday, Sept. 9, as the West Virginia Mountaineers take on the Duquesne Dukes. Youth Sports Day is proudly sponsored by UScellular.

Youth Sports Day serves as an opportunity to provide the community with information about quality youth sport programs, the importance of sport sampling for developing the athletic skills and fitness youth need to participate in sports programs, Kristen Dieffenbach, professor of coaching and performance science in the College of Applied Human Sciences said.

"We are focused on encouraging lifetime engagement in sport and recreation activities," Dieffenbach added. "The Youth Sport Day provides WVU students studying coaching and sport sciences with an opportunity to engage with kids and families in the community and share best practices in supporting youth sport engagement," Dieffenbach added.

"We are thrilled to be a part of this exciting, local community event helping support skill development and promote physical activity," Nakeita Stewart, director of sales for UScellular, said.

All Youth Sports Day participants will receive discounted game tickets along with group seating to experience the excitement together. Tickets start at $40 each. The first 500 kids to sign up will receive an exclusive WVU Youth Sports Day T-Shirt courtesy of UScellular.

Youth athletes will receive an invitation to join in exclusive pregame activities in the Caperton Indoor Practice Facility, adjacent to the southwest gate of Milan Puskar Stadium. Coaches, family and friends are welcome to join at the same discounted rate.

To purchase tickets to the event, CLICK HERE. Check in starts at 3 p.m. with pregame activities starting at 3:30 p.m. and concluding at 5:30 p.m. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.

Parents or guardians must sign a waiver at the check in table for their child to participate. Participants may pick up T-shirts at the registration table starting at 3 p.m. For more details, contact Alexa Miley at 304-293-8424 or email alexa.miley@mail.wvu.edu.

The West Virginia University campus is invited to celebrate the start of the academic year with the College of Applied Human Sciences on Thursday, September 7, 3-5 p.m. at the Evansdale recreation fields. All students, faculty and staff are welcome to attend.

The fair will feature free snacks, drinks, games, prizes, music, and more. Students will be able to meet college faculty and staff, including a meet and greet with Dean Autumn Cyprès, and learn more about various clubs and organizations on campus. 

The Center for ActiveWV in the West Virginia University College of Applied Human Sciences is pleased to announce the receipt of a $768,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's High Obesity Program. The grant, awarded under a five-year cooperative agreement, will support the growth of CAHS's existing HOP grant and the implementation of the Be Wild, Be Wonderful, Be Healthy: Expanded program.

The Be Wild, Be Wonderful, Be Healthy: Expanded program aims to enhance the capacity and partnerships of CAHS in developing and implementing targeted approaches to improve access to healthy foods and physical activity opportunities for residents in eight counties across three distinct geographical regions of West Virginia. These counties include Clay, Braxton, Calhoun, Logan, Boone, Lincoln, Summers, and Monroe.

The Center for ActiveWV in the West Virginia University College of Applied Human Sciences received $390,000 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the first year of a five-year cooperative agreement for its WV Healthy Schools in Action project. The initiative, which aims to address the pressing health challenges faced by West Virginia schools and students, is anticipated to have $1.95 million in funding over five years.

The WV Healthy Schools in Action project aims to develop targeted approaches that enhance physical activity, healthy dietary behaviors, and self-management of chronic health conditions among underserved students statewide, with a special focus on Mercer County. By implementing comprehensive knowledge and capacity-building strategies aligned with the "Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child" framework, the project seeks to improve school health policies, practices, programs, and services that promote healthy behaviors and health equity practices.

Ian Gentile, Vice President of Hockey Operations with the United States Hockey League completed his master's degree online from West Virginia University in sport management in 2020 while working full-time.

After over a decade working his way up the ranks in the Chicago Blackhawks organization, a stint that included three Stanley Cup championships, he served as the Director of High Performance and National teams for USA football for 14 months before returning to the rink in his current position. Read more about his current role, his career journey and the impact WVU has had on him, as well as advice for students aspiring to work in the sport industry.

Record-setting former West Virginia University gymnastics coach and long-time faculty member in the College of Physical Activity and Sports Science Linda Burdette-Good died unexpectedly in Hilton Head, South Carolina, on June 6, family members have confirmed.

A native of Parkersburg, W.Va., Burdette-Good joined the Mountaineer athletic department following a one-year coaching stint at Fairmont State. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from WVU and served as a faculty member in CPASS from 1974-2009. In retirement, she continued to volunteer her time as a member of the WVU Sports Hall of Fame selection committee.

The College of Applied Human Sciences recognized four faculty members – Rawn Boulden, Patrick Hairston, Erin Jordan and Erin McHenry-Sorber – for outstanding work in the 2022-23 academic year at its all-college assembly on May 10.

Rawn Boulden was the recipient of the 2023 CAHS Outstanding Researcher Award. The award acknowledges a faculty member whose research has made significant contributions to one’s discipline in the past year. In the past year, Boulden’s work investigated issues of school counseling in rural areas, with special emphasis on Appalachia and culturally sustaining school counseling practices. His research portfolio included six peer-reviewed journal articles published or appearing in the press during the award period.

The College of Applied Human Sciences will cap its inaugural academic year at Commencement on Saturday, May 13, at 9 a.m. at the WVU Coliseum. Here is a look at several graduates from the College who will be earning their degree this weekend.

Sam Gambill's memories of going to baseball games are set mostly against the backdrop of Camden Yards, the home of the Baltimore Orioles. The venue, which sparked a renaissance in the aesthetics and design for Major League Baseball facilities, is now the backdrop for Gambill's learning experience as a member of the grounds crew for the Orioles.

"The first time walking out there and being on the field and being able to pick out every seat I had sat in over the years was a really special moment for me and something that I will cherish forever," Gambill said.

After COVID-19 moved classes online in 2020, a West Virginia University expert in adapted physical activity discovered that apps aren’t created equal when it comes to accessibility.

Even so, Samantha Ross, an assistant professor in the College of Applied Human Sciences, knew apps like Chrome or YouTube could still benefit users with disabilities, delivering multiple alternative ways to access information, from screen readers that turn written words into spoken language, to closed captions that convert spoken words into text. And once schools reopened classrooms, she observed that apps continued to be a big part of how K-12 teachers engaged classes.

The School of Sport Sciences recently had several faculty, students and alumni recognized for outstanding work across multiple fields and disciplines.

Tsuda named SHAPE Research Fellow
Emi Tsuda, assistant professor, was named a SHAPE Research Fellow at the organization’s annual conference. Fellow status is reserved for members who have made significant and sustained contributions to scholarship (research, creative, or scholarly activity) and related service in the areas of interest to SHAPE America. The purpose of Fellow status is to promote scholarship as an integral component of SHAPE America, recognize accomplishments in scholarship and promote participation in research activities of SHAPE America.

The WesMon Baseball League, through an alliance with the West Virginia University School of Sport Sciences in the College of Applied Human Sciences, begins its relationship with the Positive Coaching Alliance this spring to support a positive sports experience for local athletes and parents. PCA is a national non-profit developing “Better Athletes, Better People” by working to provide all youth and high school athletes a positive, character-building sports experience.

PCA will host an interactive workshop for coaches in the WesMon Baseball league this Friday, March 31, at 6 p.m., at The River Church in Westover. Attendees will explore why and how to pursue both winning and the more important goal of teaching life lessons through sports.

Betsy Robbins, student success coordinator in the College of Applied Human Sciences, has been named a recipient of the 2023 Nicholas Evans Professional Staff Advising Excellence Award.

At the direction of the Office of the Provost, the WVU Academic Advising Council selects honorees for the Nicholas Evans Awards for Advising Excellence to recognize  outstanding advising and mentoring provided by faculty and professional advisers at WVU. The awards are in honor of Nicholas Evans, a lifelong proponent and exemplar of undergraduate advising at WVU.

Leveraging the power of social media, a new study led by WVU College of Applied Human Sciences is tapping into Facebook to deliver health education and promotion programs to a digital audience.

Professor Peter Giacobbi is leading a research study funded by Facebook/Meta via its non-profit foundation, Global Impact. His team is investigating the feasibility and impact of a physical activity and sleep intervention for adults ages 50-65 in private Facebook groups.

Sport management senior Rocco Agostino became the most recent student from West Virginia University to get real-world experience working at the Super Bowl in Phoenix on Feb. 12. Follow his nine-day trip through the journal below that starts with boarding the flight in Pittsburgh and ends with confetti on the ground at State Farm Stadium to get a behind-the-scenes look at one of the world’s largest sporting events.