Features

On Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m. athletic coaching education seniors Charles Teeter and John Craig wait to greet their student athletes for a soccer practice session over Zoom. They revisit soccer drills taught from the past week, demonstrate new ones through PowerPoints and YouTube clips and oversee drills that student-athletes perform with their families so they can practice during the week on their own. This virtual approach has allowed ACE 488 students to maintain their connection with the community during the pandemic.

In fall 2021, a newly funded project kicked off to promote wellness within the West Virginia University community through adapted sport. Mountaineers on the Move will incorporate wheelchairs into physical activity courses, allowing the WVU community to learn and participate in an inclusive environment.  

Mike Fox is one of seven Mountaineer student-athletes who was inducted into the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame last fall. Fox earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences in 1990.

Four sport and exercise psychology alumni continue to make a significant impact within the American Psychological Association Division 47, Society for Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology. Megan Byrd, Brandonn Harris, Jamie Shapiro and Amanda J. Visek are adding their vision to the national organization through research, teaching and service. 

The Center for Active WV began with a handful of CPASS faculty who felt called to respond to several growing health crises in West Virginia — crises that involve increasing rates of adult and childhood obesity and all of the accompanying health issues, from diabetes to heart disease.

In today’s job market, an internship is a foot in the door. But how do students find these opportunities during a global pandemic? Campus internships are just one way students are building the connections and experiences they need to be successful outside the classroom. From working with Big 12 teams to learning the ropes alongside facilities pros, our students will be well prepared for their next big step — lifelong careers.

After more than 40 years of service to WVU and CPASS, Dean Dana Brooks retired on June 30, 2019. A tireless advocate for diversity and for his students, Brooks leaves behind a legacy of innovative leadership and passion for his field — sports education.

In this feature, read about student research learning opportunities, applied sport science technology and a team battling chronic disease through physical activity. Kelsey Kinnamon and Neel Rao worked with Dr. Peter Giacobbi on a lifestyle app enhancing users’ experience of pregnancy. The Human Performance Innovation center on campus provides direct experience for students while providing athlete monitoring for WVU sports teams. A partnership with WVU Extension Service, WVU School of Public Health, WV Prevention Research Center and CPASS, funded by a CDC grant, is creating chances for rural communities through health food, physical activity and education. 

CPASS faculty members Jack Watson, Gonzalo Bravo and Peter Giacobbi, along with Cheyenne Luzynski, faculty member in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, have received an award grant through the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center at the University of Montana as part of the U.S. State Department’s Sport Diplomacy initiative. Using a community-based approach, anchored by the globally popular sport of soccer, the team hopes to literally kick-start social change in rural areas and expand women’s empowerment. The group plans to use this sport to increase leadership skills, diplomacy and confidence among the participants, something that could, given time and effort, have a ripple effect across whole communities. It won’t be easy. But it will be worth it, Watson believes.

In early 2014, Mark E. Mitchell, a Pocahontas County native and 1979 graduate of the WVU School of Business and Economics, called his daughter Anne to pitch an idea. He wanted to start a trout lodge business out of his childhood home along the banks of Knapps Creek. And he wanted Anne, a 2012 CPASS graduate, and her partner Mark Hengemihle, also a WVU alum, to run it. 

Multiple outreach projects will have a lasting impact in the Morgantown community and beyond.  A New Jersey high school robotics team has developed a robot that enables kids with special needs in the CPASS Friday Adapted PE program to have greater access to fun physical activities.  A model grant that combines researchers from WVU and three other regional institutions will help community groups to provide health and wellness opportunities for individuals with disabilities. A continuing partnership with the National Inclusion Project expands physical activity environments for a diverse population within WVU Lifetime Activities.  

An on-line master of science program blends industry best practices and practical skills. A new major offers internships for real hands-on experience in the field, preparing graduates to lead physical activity programs in community, campus, commercial and resort settings. An innovative collaboration provides an opportunity to use applied sport science within a combination of service and research to help coaches and athletes better understand the training process.

While many were fleeing the area, Kennedy was desperately trying to return to her office in Brooklyn, where she would spend the night with other New York City’s Transit Authority (NYCT) officials, devising a plan to safely resume operations of the suspended subway system. In the ensuing days, planning would also need to begin on rebuilding the damaged lines by the World Trade Center.

Amid constant change and challenges throughout the history of our institution, state and nation, the College’s calling within the fields of physical activity and sport sciences has remained the same — to create and share knowledge that improves lives in West Virginia and around the world.