The West Virginia University Athletics Performance Center recently served as the site for the National Strength and Conditioning Association West Virginia State Clinic on March 25-26. The new facility acts as the home for strength and conditioning, training, rehabilitation and nutrition for all WVU Olympic sport programs.
A sold-out audience of 75 participants, including students, coaches and educators, learned from national leaders in the strength and conditioning and sport sciences field. Presentation topics included strength power development, periodization, the high-performance model and strength and conditioning profession. The clinic featured hands-on sessions with a focus on coaching, sport science and technology.
The panel included strength and conditioning pioneer Meg Stone, director of the Olympic Training Site, East Tennessee State University, world-renown sport scientist Michael Stone, director, Exercise and Sports Science Lab, ETSU, and a leading researcher in the field of strength and power adaptation Tim Suchomel, associate professor of exercise science and program director of Master of Science in sport physiology and performance coaching, Carroll University.
Jarrod Burton, association state director and CPASS coaching and performance science doctoral student, coordinated the event. The presentations featured CPASS alumni Stephanie Mock and Josh Nelson, CPASS doctoral student Jason Stone, and Clive Brewer, CPASS adjunct professor and assistant director of high performance, Toronto Blue Jays.
On Saturday, Brewer led a hands-on session which allowed audience members to watch a coaching session who shared insight on how to observe, process and coach athletes in a team setting. Brewer describes the unique session. “We coached the WVU novice rowing team, whom we had never met, in a weight room we hadn’t coached in, through a strength session. We coached the audience on what we were seeing, thinking and doing as we did it.”
Guy Hornsby, CPASS assistant professor, says the original April 2020 clinic was canceled. “We are appreciative that so many people who had planned to join us in 2020 were able to make it two years later. To be able to provide such a top-notch speaker lineup inside an elite facility was special and inspiring for our students and local coaches,” Hornsby said. “It was a team effort. I thank Kaitlin Sweeney and Jimmy King for sharing the Athletics Performance Center with us. I especially thank Jarrod Burton for leading the event.”
“We are gratified that our CPASS network of has grown and developed over the last few years,” Hornsby added. “This clinic helps our students learn and network. Our program continues to put leaders in the field who are willing to come back and participate in clinics like these.” Hornsby served as the NSCA WV state director from 2017-20.
Prior to her career in strength as conditioning, Mock competed for the WVU women’s volleyball team. “It was great to return to WVU and share developments and innovations that we’re working on at Pitt,” Mock, assistant athletic director for sports performance, said. “I appreciate the invitation from Guy to return to my alma mater while building new relationships in the field and continuing to learn and grow.”