McKayla Hanson, a kinesiology senior at Michigan State University, has entered herself in the 2011 Ironman Triathlon — despite the fact that she only has one leg. Born with a rare form of bone cancer, Hanson had her right leg amputated when she was only seven years old. A traumatizing event at such a young age, Hanson said she had difficulty accepting that her...
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In a New York Times opinion piece published on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011, writer David Bornstein raised several questions about the emphasized values of youth sports, and the coaching methods that go along with them. While Bornstein and several surveyed parents agree that sports should focus on teamwork, honesty, discipline and fair play, they also said that the sports instead promote competitiveness...
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In a recent study, MSU Kinesiology doctoral student Veronica Son and department chair Deborah Feltz have found that individuals are more motivated if they are working as part of a team, as opposed to focusing solely on themselves. Specifically, the researchers saw increased performance when the word “I” was replaced with “we” in self-talk motivational statements. “I believe in the power of ‘we,’” Son...
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Aaron Scheidies, a 2004 graduate of Kinesiology from the Michigan State University College of Education, is one of two recipients of the 2011 Distinguished Young Alumni Award – and it’s no wonder why. Scheidies is a physical therapist, model, public speaker and triathlete who has only 10% of the vision of a fully sighted person. Despite being born with  Stargardt disease - a condition that...
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Cognitive scientist Sian Beilock has devoted her career to the study of high-pressure situations, and how people – mainly students and athletes - respond to them. As a student and lacrosse player herself, Beilock was immediately drawn to the topic, and has since discovered ways to keep from choking under pressure. In one study, Beilock found that if athletes sing...
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Brian Tass, a 2001 kinesiology graduate from the MSU College of Education, has recently been selected as the new varsity head coach of the Novi High School boys’ basketball team. With six years of success as head coach at Waterford Kettering High School, Tass says he hopes to keep the Novi program running strong. “I think Novi basketball will...
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