E-Valuating the Future of Sport: E-Sports as Education

The e-sports landscape is rapidly expanding. Hundreds of millions of people tune into live events and millions of dollars are offered in scholarships and tournament prizes. Roughly 200 colleges across the nation have developed varsity e-sports programs and that number continues to grow. Now, as colleges recognize the potential value of e-sports and adopt more programs, the inevitable rise of high school e-sports has begun.

In this growing industry, it may be worthwhile to acknowledge the potential benefits, as well as the negatives, when it comes to team-based e-sports games. As a strength & conditioning coach and long-time gamer myself, I recognize the potential dangers of video games but I also see potential value in e-sports when done right.

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MINDFUL MOVEMENT: A scaffold for student mindfulness training

Attention is a skill. As technology improves and phones tug at the nervous systems of our students, it is a skill we should deliberately cultivate. Research has shown that “off-task” use of technology has become normalized in the classroom. Students are distracted more than ever before. Teaching the skill of attention is essential… mindfulness and movement can help.

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5 Easy SEL Lessons for Sport or PE

Professors Carol Ciotto and Ellen Benham of Central Connecticut State University are experts on Social Emotional Learning (SEL). At the 2022 Health and Physical Literacy Summit, they shared a review of these skills, as well as in-room exercises to team them in an athletics/physical education space. Their strategies center on what is referred to as…

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Tim Dohrer: Leading with Kindness

In a quiet office overlooking Northwestern University’s autumn-tinted campus, Dr. Tim Dohrer is quietly inspiring the new wave of teacher-leaders. Leadership is a skill for all. Whether it takes the form of coaching, parenting, or teaching – whether it occurs in the boardroom, on the field, or at home – leadership is both necessary and…

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Self-Talk and Mentorship: A Lesson from the NAKHE Conference, 2019

The language we use to frame our experience will define our experience. Though it may seem obvious, it is clear that students, coaches, and professionals often fail to enlist the power of accurate framing for an optimal outcome. Worse still, we complain. Too often we identify problems as though the complaint itself is the solution.…

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The Power of Support

What allows us to perform at our best?

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