United States Sports Academy - "America's Sports University"

Introduction

The
United States Sports Academy in cooperation with the Supreme
Council for Youth and Sports presented the Arab world with
its own international Physical Fitness Test Manual based on
norms collected and processed on Arab youth aged 9 to 19.
This fitness test is one of the few developed outside the
Western world and is believed to be the only such test based
on norms collected and processed on Arab youth ages 9 to 19.
It measures the basic components of all physical activity
i.e.: speed, strength, suppleness and stamina. The test was
first introduced to 199 physical education teachers by the
United States Sports' Academy President and Chief Operating
Officer, Dr. Thomas Rosandich. Over 20,000 boys and girls
have been tested with this comprehensive test battery.

Abstract

The
purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of creatine
supplementation on body composition, muscular strength, and
power during 10 weeks of training in female collegiate volleyball
players. Thirty-six athletes (19 - 26 years old) were randomly
assigned in a double-blind fashion to either a creatine treatment
(CT, n=18) group or a placebo control (PC, n=18) group. The
CT group ingested 5 g of Cr four times a day for five days
for the initial loading phase and consumed 5 g of Cr once
a day for the maintenance phase. The PC group followed the
same supplementation schedule but was given a glucose placebo.
All 36 subjects participated in a conditioning program focusing
on weight training and plyometric training regardless of their
assigned experimental group. Pre- and post-testing was conducted
on body weight, lean body mass, percent body fat, 1 repetition
maximum (1RM) bench press, and vertical jump (VJ) test.
Testing revealed that 1RM bench press and VJ had significant
improvement in both groups; the CT group increased significantly
more than the PC group (p<0.05). Further, the CT group
had significantly greater gains in body weight and lean body
mass with no change in percent body fat. These findings suggests
that creatine supplementation in conjunction with a good conditioning
program can be effective in improving the athletic performance
in female collegiate volleyball players.

Abstract

The
purpose of this study was to analyze job satisfaction levels
of certified athletic trainers in selected NCAA Division IAA
institutions which sponsored football. The study utilized
the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) to measure
job satisfaction of certified athletic trainers. A demographic
questionnaire and MSQ were sent to 240 certified athletic
trainers around the country. One hundred thirty-eight responses
were used in the analysis representing a 57.5% rate of return.
A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Post hoc Scheffe
multiple comparisons were conducted to determine if significant
differences existed in the level of job satisfaction among
athletic trainers relative to their demographics. Statistical
significance was accepted at an alpha level of p<.05.

Introduction

The
American culture is a sports-oriented culture. Sports metaphors
are used to represent personal and professional lives. For
example, "take one for the team" or "go for
it" are common everyday phrases with origins in athletic
competition. And, statistics are used to track favorite teams
and players. Consider the following selected statistics regarding
the sports industry:

Americans
spent $213.5 billion on sports in 1999, a whopping $763 per
capita (Street and Smith's SportsBusiness Journal 1999).

Abstract

In view of the fact that a century of medical and drug warfare
has not liberated us from disease progressive practitioners
have put a growing emphasis on "wellness" and "prevention",
as a health strategy; recognizing that maintaining a state
of good physical, mental and emotional health is the best
way to prevent illness. At the same time, new discoveries
in the science of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) have provided
evidence that a healthy mental state is a prime contributor
of wellness, especially to the athlete. It is the objective
of this article to present this knowledge to the reader in
a precise and understandable manner.

Abstract

Members of the Swedish National Swimming Team (N = 16) traveled
by air from Stockholm to Tokyo via Copenhagen in route to
FINA (La Federation Internationale de Natation Amateur) World
Cup competitions in Hobart, Tasmania and Sydney, Australia.
Following competition at the above venues, the team trained
for nine days at Cronulla Beach, one hour south of Sydney.
This investigation assessed the effect of diaphragmatic breathing
and sleep training on sleep, jet lag and swimming performance.
Prior to the start of the investigation, swimmers were matched,
by gender, using the FINA point scoring system. The eight
matched pairs were assigned to Experimental and Control groups
via a flip of a coin. This procedure produced two matched
groups that were statistically equal (2.75 point of each other;
t(14) = .071, n.s.). The Experimental group listened to a
sleep training tape and did diaphragmatic breathing each night
during the 21 day long experiment. To assess mood, the POMS
was administered each day, except when competitions were held
in Hobart and Sydney. Jet lag was assessed on an 11 point
Likert-like scale by each swimmer following arrival in Tokyo
and Hobart. The sleep of each swimmer was assessed daily using
an Actiwatch. Following programming, this wristwatch like
device was positioned on the non-dominant wrist of each swimmer.
It recorded sleep length, sleep efficiency, movement and fragmentation
index and other sleep variables. The FINA point scoring system
determined swimming performance. Univariate and multivariate
analyses of sleep, jet lag, mood and performance data did
not find any significant between-group differences. It was
concluded that sleep training and diaphragmatic breathing,
as it was done in this study, did not effect, sleep, mood,
jet lag or swimming performance.

Introduction

"Rejuvenology™" is defined (in part) as "…the
proactive art and science of appearance, health, and performance
enhancement…through, both, prevention and rehabilitation."
This new discipline helps individuals look, feel, and perform
better…longer, giving them the comprehensive competitive
package, needed to "win" in any arena. Whether in
sports, business, or interpersonal endeavors, success generally
comes to the individual, who understands human nature and
comes to grips with why people do what they do…why people
think what they think…and what it takes to gain the competitive
edge in a world, which places emphasis on beauty and brains,
as well as brawn. This being the case, the author will share
the essentials of Rejuvenology's Image-Building Triangle,"
which includes physical, psychological, and aesthetic elements.
This triangular model can be used to build one's own image…or
that of a student or client.