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Sport Management major Arielle Friedman landed a real-world opportunity to work at Super Bowl LVI through researching options online. She calls the Super Bowl internship a “once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

The Cherry Hill, N.J. native was responsible for execution of Super Bowl LVI events and helped with hospitality efforts for Super Bowl LVI high level guests. “I provided game day customer service initiatives for more than 70,000 fans. During my internship I had the opportunity to network with many sport professionals who work for the Lakers, Sparks, Angels, Dodgers, Clippers and more,” Friedman said. “It’s something I never pictured myself doing.”

The Association for Applied Sport Psychology has awarded a seed grant to Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology third year graduate student Tommy Minkler. The grant is intended to provide support for AASP members, especially early career professionals/pre-tenured faculty or students, for their community outreach/research endeavors.

Minkler’s study is titled ‘Drivers of Change in Mindfulness-Based Interventions with Athletes: Investigating the Influence of Dosage, Readiness, and Attitudes.’ Minkler says that his research explores wellbeing and performance outcomes along with the factors that contribute to them, during and after mindfulness interventions with college student-athletes.

Morgan’s Message, a pioneering student club within the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, was selected to receive a grant in support of their ongoing efforts to promote mental wellness for athletes.

The group participated in the “I Belong” event during a recent WVU Women’s Basketball game. “Our team networked and connected with other people and organizations flawlessly. The table looked incredible and brought us a lot of awesome opportunities,” Nora Hanlon, club secretary, said. “The I Belong mirror was especially loved. I could not be prouder of the team and I know they feel the same.”

In honor of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, the WVU Association for Women in Sports Media and A2WD will host a panel discussion on mental health for women in sports on February 2 from 6 - 7:30 p.m. in the Media Innovation Center on the 4th floor, Evansdale Crossing or via live stream. The discussion, titled Women in Sport and Mental Health, is in partnership with the Association of Women in Sport Media – AWSM.

The panel will feature Marla Gladstone, doctoral student, CPASS coaching and teaching studies, as moderator. Panel participants include Kayza Massey and Brooke Brown, WVU Women’s soccer student athletes; Olivia Sneed, assistant director of athletics communication and CPASS SM master’s graduate; Sofía España Pérez, clinical and sports behavioral health therapist, WVU Athletics and CPASS doctorate degree in sport, exercise and performance psychology; and Felicia Hooper, behavioral health therapist, Carruth Center.

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.