Members of this year’s Sport Psychology class (Psychology 280) shared their newly acquired knowledge about mental game skills with local athletes as part of a class project. After learning key sport psychology skills during the first part of the course, students divided into groups; selected a sport; developed a teaching plan; and taught these skills to groups of athletes. Dr. Curt Ickes said, “I have a real passion for applied psychology and wanted my students to experience this firsthand. This project gives students the opportunity of seeing psychology in action, while at the same time giving back to the community.” AU students worked with local athletes including: New London Middle School Track, Hillsdale High School Baseball, AU women’s Soccer, AU Men’s Golf, AU Track, Motocross Racers, High School Track Throwers, and Ashland High School JV Softball. At the end of the course, the sport psychology students then made class presentations reflecting on their experiences.
“The fieldwork experience gave me the opportunity to apply my knowledge of psychology in a way where I got to help people be better. I think that opportunities like this where students can be more than students and see the impact we can have on people is an amazing experience that helps us understand and realize the power of our education.” Madi Endicott
