AASP Newsletter - January 2021

Greetings and Happy New Year! I hope this message finds you all healthy and safe as we enter 2021. In thinking about the year to come, I find myself reflecting on the year that passed in 2020. It was certainly one for the history books as we navigated the dual and global pandemics of COVID-19 and social & racial injustice as well as their cascading ripple effects. We were forced to slow down, and were consequently challenged to think about how we take care of ourselves and each other. We were witness to incredible loss and incredible compassion and I just want to take a moment to say thank you to all the frontline workers including those of you who hold space for others during difficult times.

I also want to thank AASP members for remaining engaged and being a part of this community, and the Executive Board (2019-20 & current) & AASP staff for your leadership during these most challenging times. Although our individual stations might differ, the events of last year revealed the truth of our interconnectedness and the fact our way forward is together. For the remainder of this report, I would like to share some association highlights from last year as well as some of our upcoming initiatives.

In October, we hosted our 35th Annual Conference, the first to be presented virtually, and saw record attendance with 1,715 pre-registered attendees from 40 countries. Major thanks to the Conference Planning Committee for their remarkable effort to pivot, retain elements of our in-person conference experience, and create this virtual platform for us to share, learn, and connect with each other. As a reminder, all conference sessions are currently available on the meeting website until April 30, 2021. For those who were unable to attend, you can still access the content by registering here: https://appliedsportpsych.org/annual-conference/registration/.

AASP is growing, having surpassed 3,000 members for the very first time. This is exciting, however, as we grow and evolve it is essential that we have clarity about our identity as an association. Consistent with the strategic plan, we have been working with a marketing firm to help us define a brand and core identity that is inclusive, states who AASP is and what we do, and promotes the Certified Mental Performance Consultant® (CMPC) certification. Consequently, we recently polled the membership about the association name. To be clear, we are not looking to make a change but rather wanted to get a sense of what name resonates with you all. The results of the 364 respondents are below:

Thanks to those who participated in the survey. As for the product of the branding initiative, we look forward to sharing this with you in later 2021.

AASP continues to be active in Diversity & Inclusion. In addition to the association’s statement regarding racialized events, the racial justice resource list, and the spring town hall events, we hosted the Tools for Professionals in Sport During BLM & COVID webinar in September, and several post-election process spaces during the US election season. Other activities included the inaugural Mid-Career Institute for Women in Sport, which was held prior to the conference; and the launch of the @AASPTweets initiative focused on highlighting international sport psychology news. Additionally, the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology (JASP) will be adding an Associate Editor position that specializes in matters related to diversity, inclusion, and social justice. Also, there will be an upcoming special issue of JASP titled, “The Current Status of Racism in Sport and Liberatory Practices for Dismantling Racism.”

Over the course of 2020, AASP was featured in a wide range of health, sports, news, and consumer publications, from Oprah Magazine, PopSugar, and The Washington Post, to Popular Science, SELF and, Verywell Mind. We also collaborated with the Clinical/Counseling Sport Psychology Association to provide support by endorsing the Mental Health Consensus Statement for Collegiate Athletics During the COVID-19 Pandemic and adapted one of our blogs for Athletic Trainers - Navigating a Pandemic: Tips for Athletic Trainers Serving the Sport Community which was shared in the National Athletic Trainers’ Association November newsletter. As we move into the new year, AASP members will continue to provide education, increase awareness, and serve as expert voices in the areas of mental performance and sport psychology.

We are excited to continue increasing our visibility to sport psychology professionals and students in 2021 through social media and press coverage. AASP has also launched an Instagram account that allows us to connect with a wider audience and garner interest for membership. Be sure to follow us at @aaspofficial.

Pertaining to certification news, AASP and the Certification Council established a new partner, Scantron, to support our examination process. The Scantron exam is now available for new and recertification candidates. Learn more about scheduling an exam, find test site cities, and review live-online proctoring guidelines here. As a reminder to those who were scheduled to recertify in 2020, the CMPC® recertification period was extended until January 31, 2021 (those who do not recertify by this date will need to apply for reinstatement). Also, the online Essential Guide for Mental Performance Consultants is scheduled for release in April 2021. Thanks to Editors Sarah Carson Sackett and Natalie Durand-Bush, and Co-Editor Lauren Tashman for their work in getting this resource to the finish line.

Finally, we are looking to launch the Graduate Program Recognition initiative in January/February 2021, opening it up to all institutions that are interested in applying. Navigating the grad school landscape can be challenging for students; therefore, the goal of this initiative is to recognize programs that prepare students for the CMPC® certification.

This report is intended to provide a snapshot of our recent activities. In addition to the scope of our efforts, my hope is that you also see we have tried to provide resources, events, and opportunities that are timely and relevant to you and your work. This is also a testament to the members who volunteer their time, energy, and passion to AASP as well as those, including members and friends of the association, who participate and engage in these activities. Thank you.

As I stated earlier, we are growing, and I encourage each one of you to think about how you can continue to help grow and move both AASP and the field of sport & performance psychology forward. Without your contribution, we are missing out on your unique knowledge, perspective, and voice and we certainly do not want to miss out on that. In closing, I thank you for your time in reading this report and wish you all the very best in the year ahead!