AASP Newsletter - August 2016

Skyla Fore, Johnson C. Smith University
Aaron Goodson, MS, West Virginia University
Makayla Adams, Johnson C. Smith University
Dija Cobb, Johnson C. Smith University
Morgan Hasty, Johnson C. Smith University

We explored the importance of sport and exercise psychology during the 1^st Annual AASP HBCU Southeast Regional Conference held on the campus of Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina this past April.  The conference began with great energy as we received greetings from Dr. Rennae Williams Stowe of the Johnson C. Smith University Health and Human Performance Department.  Dr. Rob Owens of AASP's Diversity Committee and Dr. Lizzie Lange of Circle Up Consulting facilitated Friday evening’s Town Hall Meeting and set the tone for the conference.

Town Hall Meeting
The purpose of the Town Hall Meeting was to have attendees get to know each other and share their experiences with sport and exercise psychology and applied practice. It started with a number of icebreaker activities where attendees learned about each other, their interests in the field of sport and exercise psychology, and ultimately what they hoped to get out of the conference experience.

During the Town Hall Meeting, attendees were asked, “What do you hope to get out of the conference?” Overall, attendees reported that they were interested in networking, learning more about the field, understanding how sport and exercise psychology relates to other sport-related disciplines (e.g. sport management, athletic training, sport medicine, coaching), gaining new perspectives, learning new applied techniques, developing lines of research interest, and understanding the role of multicultural psychology in sport and exercise settings.

Navigating the Field: My Journey as a Black Woman in Sport and Exercise Psychology
After the Town Hall Meeting, Dr. Kensa Gunter delivered the first keynote session of the conference entitled, “Navigating the Field: My Journey as a Black Woman in Sport and Exercise Psychology.” Dr. Gunter candidly discussed her experiences as a black woman in the field, ranging from her graduate training to her early experiences as a member of AASP. Her combination of humor, candidness, and passion captivated the audience. Undergraduate and graduate students could see parts of themselves in her stories, and professionals could identify with aspects of her previous experiences. For example, she discussed the challenges of being the only person of color in the room and the dangers that cultural blindness can have on individual and organizational practices. Dr. Gunter’s message inspired hope and optimism and was delivered with a passion that encouraged all to get involved any way they could.

Culture and Diversity in Sport Psychology – Past, Present, and Future
On Saturday morning, Dr. Diane Gill began the day with a keynote address entitled, “Culture and Diversity in Sport Psychology – Past, Present, and Future.” Dr. Gill’s address provided attendees with a comprehensive history of culture and diversity and how it has evolved in sport and exercise psychology practice and research. She discussed AASP, the International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP), and the American Psychological Association (APA). Dr. Gill compared AASP’s and ISSP’s approaches to infusing culture and diversity into their organizational structures in contrast to that of APA. She specifically referred to the AASP Diversity Statement and ISSP Position Stand on culturally competent research and practice in sport and exercise psychology. Near the end of her keynote, Dr. Gill identified and credited several pioneers throughout AASP’s history who have included, or are currently working to include, more culture and diversity in AASP’s organizational operations.

Professional Panel
The conference also included a panel of psychology professionals in sport. Dr. Désarée Festa, the director of the Mind Over Body Division of SouthEast Psych, discussed her day-to-day experiences working with Division I student-athletes, Olympic-caliber athletes, and amateur athletes. Dr. Brooke Thompson, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Gardner-Webb University, talked about her research and how her initial interest in sport psychology came from her days as a competitive, collegiate student-athlete. Dr. Shaun Tyrance, President of Shaun Tyrance Consulting, shared his experiences working with professional athletes as a person of color, particularly his experiences when consulting with NASCAR.

Conclusion
As student coordinators we had an enriching experience networking, planning the conference, sharpening our time management and organizational skills, and learning how sport and exercise psychology professionals consider issues of diversity when teaching mental skills. We came back to the question, “How does sport psychology matter?”  We realized that the real question was, “When does sport psychology matter?” It matters when the voices of the marginalized are an integral part of the conversation, and not an afterthought.  It matters when educational opportunities like the HBCU Regional Conference become the norm, and not the exception. Living in the state of North Carolina, we are powerfully aware of the harm resulting from laws like House Bill 2 (HB2) that not only shut down dialogues of inclusion and diversity, but actively promote the discrimination of transgender athletes like Chris Mosier. Sport psychology practitioners can and should be purveyors of social justice. It is these moments where sport psychology matters the most.

In closing, for future HBCU student coordinators, we give this advice: do not feel overwhelmed. It is a great opportunity! Enjoy the process! Do not hesitate to go to your faculty mentors with any questions or problems you may have. Dr. Williams Stowe, Dr. Owens, and Dr. Lange were crucial in helping us conceptualize and implement the conference. We also appreciate Dr. Leeja Carter’s advice and her leadership on the AASP Diversity Committee in seeing this conference to fruition. Our final word of advice is to have a contingency plan. This will ensure that things will run smoothly. Remember, you can never be too organized!