Behind the scenes with Olympic coaches and athletes

Students from the online Coaching Education master’s program, most of whom have jobs as coaches, teamed up with their virtual classmates this past June at the U.S. Olympic Training Center for the second residency of the program.  Dave Carr, associate professor in the School of Recreation and Sport Sciences, and Roger Gilders, a professor in the School, took the 28 students to Colorado Springs to spend six days observing Olympic-level athletes and coaches.

The group got to talk with many top-level coaches, such as the head coach of the men’s gymnastics team and the head coaches of the women’s soccer and wrestling teams. They also watched the USA Basketball under-17 and under-19 players during training and learned some of the latest coaching techniques.

"What a great time getting back together after working together [online] for the past year,” said Wess Brahler, a student and coach from Pennsylvania.   “It’s very ironic that a group of people can have no personal face-to-face interaction and still feel bonded to one another." 

Outdoor leadership development

Nearly sixty miles of backpacking in the Cranberry Wilderness of West Virginia followed by nearly sixty miles of sea kayaking along Cape Lookout National Seashore in North Carolina.  No showers. No running water.  No cell phones.  This is how a group Ohio University students and instructors chose to spend 25 days of their summer.  Why?

“I wanted to increase my knowledge and experience as an expedition participant and leader and improve my extended outdoor living skills,” said Dave Spoljaric, an OU senior majoring in Outdoor Recreation and Education.

The 25-day course aimed to do just that.  The course is designed to help students refine basic wilderness living skills while developing expertise in specialized modes of wilderness travel.  The goal is to help students develop the knowledge and expertise to teach others how to safely use and enjoy the wilderness with minimal impact on the environment.  Successful completion of the course resulted in professional certification as an Outdoor Leader through the Wilderness Education Association as well as a certificate as a Leave No Trace Trainer. 

Each student taught lessons to their classmates throughout the course, including lessons on such topics as stove operation and use, navigation, crisis management, leadership, and judgment and decision making among others.

“The judgment and decision making practice was so valuable, since I want to go into this as a career,” said Kelly Konnerth, a junior majoring in Outdoor Recreation and Education.

Another important component of the course was a "leader of the day" exercise in which each student took a turn leading the group for a full-day.  At the close of the day, the leader received feedback from his or her peers and instructors — both positive and constructive — to help improve leadership skills.

“I’d never led a group before," said Konnerth.  "It’s good to have to lead your peers—to trust yourself to do that.”

The first half of the course was spent backpacking in the Cranberry Wilderness Area in West Virginia. The students gladly traded their backpacks for sea kayaks.

“After hiking for ten days, seeing the ocean for the first time and the waves was amazing,” said Bobby Koch.

The course was one of two sections of the course offered during the summer by Ohio University’s Recreation Studies program.

“Great times. Good people.  I highly recommend this course,” said Anthony Koga, a senior majoring in outdoor recreation and education.

Exploring the textile and apparel industries in China

A factory where fabrics are produced for designers such as Gucci and Giorgio Armani and a factory where parts are made for Nike and New Balance offered students and faculty an inside view of the retail production process during the Apparel, Textiles and Retail Merchandising program’s visit to China.

“We had a great opportunity to experience firsthand the culture difference, to experience the rapid development in China and understand the trade relationship between the U.S. and China, ,” said Yingjiao Xu, an assistant professor in the School of Human and Consumer Sciences who led the trip.

Four students and two faculty members traveled to Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and two neighboring cities to interact with Chinese students at Renmin University of China. The group also visited Chinese retailers and producers and see landmarks  such as The Great Wall and Tiananmen Square.

Design projects in Asia

The backdrop of the Asian cities of Hong Kong, Beijing, Tokyo and Kyoto inspired creative sketches, photographs and design projects for more than 20 interior architecture and visual communications students during August. Accompanying them on the trip were Assistant Professor Vince Wojtas and Associate Professor David Matthews, both with the Interior Architecture program in the School of Human and Consumer Sciences, along with Sam Girton, associate professor in the School of Visual Communication.

From exploring historic districts in those cities to setting up studios in hotel conference rooms, the students got to participate in unique projects, such as finding new Chinese products and services and figuring out if they would be marketable in the United States.

“This was a really great experience working with the students and watching their reactions as the trip unfolded. A big part of traveling through Asia is the different culture and different design concepts,” said Brandon Flayler, a graduate assistant in the School of Media Arts and Studies who had gone on the trip once before.

— Jaclyn Lipp and Erin Sykes