Tommy Valentini, a Kinesiology Ph.D. student in Sport and Exercise Psychology, has been honored with the 2012 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Steve Wilkinson Coach of the Year Award, named for the eponymous college tennis coaching legend. In his third season as the Gustavus Adolphus College head men’s tennis coach, Valentini improved the team record to 22-8 this year (9-0 in conference), with a 6th playoff title and 24th consecutive MIAC title, with the team advancing to the NCAA regional finals. In addition, Valentini coached the doubles team of Amrik Donkena and Mya Smith-Dennis (both from Minnesota) who finished 2nd in the nation at the NCAA DIII National Doubles Championships. Valentini, whose research topic is sport and moral development, is advised by Dr. Nicole M. LaVoi and co-advised by Dr. Diane Wiese-Bjornstal.
President’s Council to publish invited Kane article on Title IX
Professor Mary Jo Kane, School of Kinesiology faculty and director of the Tucker Center, has had an invited paper accepted for publication in the PCFSN Research Digest, a journal of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sport & Nutrition. The article, entitled “Title IX at 40: Examining Mysteries, Myths & Misinformation Surrounding the Historic Federal Law,” makes a strong case for the positive results of Title IX, and counters many myths associated with the groundbreaking legislation including the oft-repeated assertion by its critics that Title IX is responsible for the dropping of men’s non-revenue sports.
Healthy Youth Sport Study paper on Parent Perceptions of Food Environment in Youth Sport now available
Toben Nelson, professor in the School of Public Health and Tucker Center Affiliated Scholar has co-authored a new paper entitled “Exploring Parent Perceptions of the Food Environment in Youth Sport” in the July/August issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. The new study on which the paper is based highlights how parents, coaches and youth sport organizations can promote healthful eating. Youth sport nutrition guidelines and other resources from Dr. Nelson’s ongoing research can be found at http://www.umn.edu/~hyss.
Lindsay Kipp defends dissertation; next stop, University of Kentucky
Lindsay Kipp successfully defended her doctoral dissertation on June 20 and is headed to the University of Kentucky as a faculty member in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion. Lindsay was advised by Dr. Maureen Weiss and doctoral committee members included Drs. Beth Lewis, Lisa Kihl, and Ann Masten (ICD).
Lindsay’s dissertation is titled, “Social Influences and Psychological and Physical Well-Being Among Female Adolescent Gymnasts.” In Study 1, three key findings emerged: (1) perceptions of greater coach autonomy-support and mastery climate were related to greater coach relatedness and, in turn, positive affect; (2) greater friendship quality was associated with higher perceived competence and teammate relatedness and, in turn, all three well-being indices; and, (3) physical maturity was related to well-being—post-pubertal girls reported lower perceived competence, self-esteem, and positive affect, and greater disordered eating. Study 2 tested longitudinal relationships with a subset of girls 6 to 8 months later. Coach autonomy-support, mastery climate, and performance climate positively predicted girls’ perceived competence, which in turn predicted higher self-esteem and lower disordered eating. Results provide evidence for coaches as an important source of influence over time and perceived competence as a mediator of the relationship between social influence and well-being.
Lindsay is very excited about continuing her academic career at the University of Kentucky. While the university is well-known for their championship men’s basketball team in 2012, it bears many similarities to the University of Minnesota. It is the only comprehensive, land grant institution in the state, the Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion is situated within the College of Education, the department boasts a productive and thriving group of faculty members in the social, behavioral, and biological sciences, and the department offers a variety of undergraduate, masters, and doctoral degrees. Lindsay’s appointment includes teaching, research, and service; her main instructional duties include sport and exercise psychology, history and philosophy of sport, and introduction to tests and measurements—courses she had an opportunity to teach during her doctoral tenure at the University of Minnesota and which will no doubt help her hit the ground running.
We wish Lindsay all the best in her future as a scholar and instructor. Her passion, intellectual curiosity, and work ethic will be sorely missed here at the U but these attributes will certainly bode well for her future success in the field. Congratulations Lindsay!
Kane, LaVoi and the Tucker Center in Title IX Anniversary news
Forty years ago an amendment to the Civil Rights Act declared that institutions receiving federal funding cannot discriminate on the basis of gender in providing any educational program or activity. The Title IX amendment, passed June 23, 1972, changed women’s sports in the United States forever.
Dr. Mary Jo Kane and Dr. Nicole M. LaVoi director and associate director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport and faculty in the School of Kinesiology, have been media lightning rods over the past year around this historic legislation. Both Dr. Kane and Dr. LaVoi are considered national experts on the impact of Title IX in creating unimagined opportunities and accomplishments for girls and women in sport. Following is a collection of articles, interviews, and appearances featuring Dr. Kane and Dr. LaVoi around Title IX’s anniversary.
In 40 years, Title IX revolutionized women’s sports, but there’s still a ways to go
Pioneer Press, June 23, 2012
http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_20926231/40-years-title-ix-revolutionized-womens-sports-but
Title IX’s impact on society remains large
Golfweek, June 23, 2012
http://golfweek.com/news/2012/jun/23/title-ixs-impact-society-remains-large/
Saturday is 40th anniversary of Title IX; U of M expert available to discuss landmark legislation
UMN News Expert Alert, June 22, 2012
http://www1.umn.edu/news/expert-alerts/2012/UR_CONTENT_394558.html
Title IX at 40: Myths, stereotypes and unintended consequences
MinnPost, June 22, 2012
http://www.minnpost.com/community-voices/2012/06/title-ix-40-myths-stereotypes-and-unintended-consequences
Title IX built generation of better athletes
Minnesota Public Radio News, June 22, 2012
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/06/22/social-issue/title-ix-anniversary/
Fox 9 News features LaVoi on Title IX
Fox Twin Cities, June 21, 2012
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/video?clipId=7426832&autostart=true
Imagine life without Title IX
espnW, June 21, 2012
http://espn.go.com/espnw/commentary/8080169/celebrate-title-ix-fighting-it
Title IX: Mary Jo Kane
WNBA Lynx, June 21, 2012
http://www.wnba.com/lynx/title_ix_mary_jo_kane_2012_06_14.html
Title IX’s 40th Anniversary
Access Minnesota Online, June 20, 2012
http://www.accessminnesotaonline.com/2012/06/20/title-ixs-40th-anniversary/
Myths & stereotypes
Women’s Press, June 6, 2012
http://www.womenspress.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=4092&SectionID=1&SubSectionID=233&S=1
Title IX
Women’s Press, May 25, 2012
http://www.womenspress.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=4093&SectionID=1&SubSectionID=233&S=1
Playing But Losing: Women’s Sports After Title IX
American Sociological Association Contexts, Winter, 2012
http://contexts.org/articles/winter-2012/playing-but-losing-womens-sports-after-title-ix/
Looking at girls in sports as Title IX marks 40 years in Minnesota and the United States
Twin Cities Daily Planet, May 18, 2012
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/2012/05/18/looking-girls-sports-title-ix-marks-40-years-minnesota-and-united-states
Title IX: Law that opened sports to millions of girls and women turns 40
Twin Cities Daily Planet, May 6, 2012
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/blog/charles-hallman/title-ix-law-opened-sports-millions-girls-and-women-turns-40
Tonight: Fox 9 News features LaVoi on Title IX
Nicole M. LaVoi, Ph.D., faculty in the School of Kinesiology and associate director of the Tucker Center, is featured this evening, June 21, at 9pm in a Fox 9 News video piece on Title IX and issues in women’s sports.
Weiss, Kipp, and Phillips present research at NASPSPA Conference
Maureen Weiss, professor of Kinesiology, and Lindsay Kipp and Alison Phillips, Kinesiology doctoral students in the social and behavioral sciences of physical activity, presented research papers at the annual meeting of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA) in Honolulu on June 7-9, 2012. Lindsay Kipp presented study 1 of her dissertation titled, “Social Influences and Psychological and Physical Well-Being Among Female Adolescent Gymnasts,” for which she received the Outstanding Student Paper Award at the conference. Weiss, Phillips, and Kipp also presented findings from their longitudinal evaluation study of an intervention in middle school physical education classes, “Effectiveness of a School-Based Physical Fitness Program on Adolescents’ Physical and Psychosocial Outcomes.” Finally, Weiss was appointed to the Executive Committee as Past-President’s Liaison, having also served as President and Secretary-Treasurer for the organization in past years.
Tucker Center welcomes summer intern Emma Leyden
The Tucker Center welcomes Emma Leyden as a summer 2012 intern. Emma just finished her sophomore year as a psychology major at Macalester College in St Paul, Minnesota, and joins us after studying abroad in Costa Rica for the month of June. When she found out about the Tucker Center, Emma says she “felt an instant click with the institution’s mission, mainly because for my whole life I have identified as a female athlete, and I have been constantly asking questions about what that means in today’s world.” Emma has always been passionate about sports. She currently plays on the Macalester women’s basketball team and recently started coaching an 8th grade girls’ basketball team.
Emma is excited to join the Tucker Team this summer and wants to learn more about what research has already been done on how sports affect the lives of women and girls, as well as be a part of new research. She is eager to immerse herself in an environment that seeks ways to get women and girls more actively involved in sports and ultimately level the playing field.
Tucker Center welcomes summer intern Alyssa Ruhland
The Tucker Center welcomes Alyssa Ruhland as a summer 2012 intern. This fall Alyssa will be a senior majoring in psychology at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. Alyssa grew up in Minneapolis and throughout her life has always been active in sports. Currently, she is a senior captain for the women’s ice hockey team at Holy Cross.
Through interning at the Tucker Center, Alyssa desires to gain insight and understanding into the many benefits—and also issues—associated with girls and women in sport. She also wants to learn structured research methods and understand their practical implications. Her plan is to gain experience in this field to better prepare her for future graduate studies in clinical psychology.
Wiese-Bjornstal and Kane interviewed for Boston NPR story on concussions and female athletes
The School of Kinesiology‘s Mary Jo Kane, director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport and professor of sport sociology, and Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, associate professor in sport and exercise psychology and Tucker Center Affiliated Scholar, were interviewed by NPR Boston’s “Only A Game” sports program for a story on female athletes and concussions scheduled to air on June 23, the anniversary of the passage of Title IX.
Tucker Center concussion video aired on CTV Ch 14 cable tv
The Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, housed in CEHD’s School of Kinesiology, has released its critically acclaimed video, “Concussions and Female Athletes: The Untold Story,” on local cable CTV North Suburbs Channel 14, a non-profit media center based in Roseville, MN. CTV’s sports programming reaches 31,000 subscribers and features many local men’s and women’s high school and small college games.
LaVoi featured in CEHD Vision 2020 blog
Nicole M. LaVoi, Ph.D., faculty in the School of Kinesiology and associate director of the Tucker Center, is featured in the College of Education and Human Development’s “Vision 2020: Ideas. Research. Impact.” blog, dedicated to sharing CEHD “ideas and research to create a positive impact across our communities.”
Wiese-Bjornstal and Smith to speak at Mayo concussion symposium
Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, associate professor in sport and exercise psychology in the School of Kinesiology, and Kinesiology aluma Aynsely Smith, RN, PhD, sport psychology consultant and research director in the Sports Medicine Center at Mayo Clinic, will be faculty in the Mayo Clinic Symposium on Concussion in Sport, September 28-29, 2012 at the Mayo Clinic’s Ashton B. Taylor Auditorium in Scottsdale, Arizona. Wiese-Bjornstal’s talk, “A Vulnerable Population: Concussion in the Female Athlete Physician,” will be delivered Friday the 28th, and Smith’s talk, “Preventing Concussion: Education, Fair Play, and Rule Changes,” will be delivered Saturday, the 29th. The state-of-the-art symposium highlights the epidemiology of concussion in sport; the pathophysiology of concussion; sideline and outpatient clinical evaluation; standard and novel diagnostic strategies; and implementation of return-to-activity guidelines. The symposium format includes platform lectures, small group workshops, panel discussions, and live two-way remote audio/video concussion evaluations using robotic teleconcussion technology with faculty comprised of renowned scientific and clinical experts in the field of concussion.
Dengel featured in CEHD Vision 2020 blog
Dr. Don Dengel, associate professor of exercise physiology in the School of Kinesiology, is featured in the College of Education and Human Development’s “Vision 2020: Ideas, Research, Impact” blog, dedicated to sharing CEHD “ideas and research to create a positive impact across our communities.”
Sacramento Bee quotes LaVoi in article on lacrosse murder civil suit
Nicole M. LaVoi, Ph.D., faculty in the School of Kinesiology and associate director of the Tucker Center, is quoted in a Sacramento Bee article, “Lawsuit raises questions about coaches’ responsibilities” saying “it’s fair for coaches to scrutinize their players’ actions and be held accountable for them” and that “the environment developed by team leaders ‘definitely influences athlete behavior,’ whether it be for better or worse.” The $29.5 million civil suit was filed this month by Sharon Love, the mother of Yeardly Love, a lacrosse player beaten to death by her coach and former boyfriend, claiming state of Virginia, the school’s athletic director, and two of its men’s lacrosse coaches were derelict in the their duty to protect Love from her convicted murderer and coach George Huguely V, who had a history of alcohol abuse and violence toward Love and others.
Weiss to serve as NASPSPA Executive Committee Past-Presidents’ Liaison
The North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA) has made an announcement that 
Maureen Weiss, professor of Kinesiology, will serve as the organization’s Past-Presidents’ Liaison.
Tucker Center in Women’s Press Title IX issue
Read about the Tucker Center in the June “Title IX” issue of the Women’s Press, online now and in print next week.
GolfWeek.com quotes Kane on Title IX
Dr. Mary Jo Kane, director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport and professor of sport sociology in the School of Kinesiology, is quoted in GolfWeek.com’s article, “Title IX: An empowering transformation.” In the article on pro golfer Suzy Whaley and other female athletes, Kane says, “What Title IX has done is create a critical mass of women playing at all levels of competitive sports.”
LaVoi quoted in Yahoo! Shine article
Nicole M. LaVoi, Ph.D., faculty in the School of Kinesiology and associate director of the Tucker Center, is quoted in a Yahoo.com Shine newsletter article “Are Competitive Sports Safe for Girls?” LaVoi says, “Parents need to be familiar with the risks and benefits of the sports their child is going to participate in. The benefits aren’t automatic.”
Savoie new Vice President of CEHD Alumni Society Board
Kelsey Savoie, Executive Administrative Specialist in the School of Kinesiology, has been named the next vice president of the CEHD Alumni Society Board beginning July 1. In addition, she will assume the role of President in July of 2013. Savoie received her M.Ed. in Sport Management in 2011 from Kinesiology and has served the Alumni Society Board as an active member this past year. The Alumni Society works to keep alumni connected and informed and provides opportunities to participate in alumni-oriented activities throughout the year.