April 6, 2015
Auburn, Ala. - The sounds emanating from the Auburn Arena practice courts Monday told the story. Laughter, shouts of encouragement and cheering punctuated Auburn's Sports and Science Clinic which highlighted the integration of sports and science in a two-hour period as part of National Student-Athlete Day.
More than 20 sixth graders from Drake Middle School participated in a variety of science-based activities courtesy of the School of Kinesiology and Athletics' Sports Medicine. Auburn's student-athletes organized the event and led students through interactive sessions, drills, and other activities.
Dr. David Pascoe, Humana-Germany-Sherman Distinguished Professor and Assistant Director of Exercise Physiology, along with Dr. Keith Lohse and Hillary Plummer, provided an electromyography test and used electrodes to demonstrate how muscle activity is related to jumping. They also measured speed and agility in a second test.
"It was fun to see the student-athletes interact with the younger students," said Pascoe. "We really enjoy showing how science and sports are integrated. The clinic has been a great success."
The vertical jump was one of the highlights of the afternoon, as students tried to emulate the student-athletes' skills. It also provided a great opportunity for twin women's basketball student-athletes Jazmine and Jessica Jones to showcase their abilities.
"It was fun to watch the twins compete against each other," said sixth grader Alex Jenkins. "They said Jessica won the first time, so I picked her team and she won again. They made it look easy, but it wasn't easy at all."
Athletics trainers Jermile Brooks, Cindy Campbell, and Lana Meeks led the students through a series of activities including wrist taping, stretching with foam rollers, and balancing drills used for injury rehabilitation.
"It's great to spread awareness of athletic training to the younger generation," said Meeks. "It was really fun to hang with the kids and share what we do. It was also great to watch the interaction with our student-athletes and the kids."
The final event of the afternoon was a student relay race complete with dizzy bat, crawling through an obstacle, a balance beam and a ball toss as student-athletes cheered on the young competitors. Not to be outdone, the student-athletes culminated the event with their own ultra-competitive race with All-America high jumper D.J. Smith finishing with a full sprint across the gym to lead his team to victory.
"Today gave the student-athletes an opportunity to give back," said Student-Athlete Advisory President and golf student-athlete Lakin Eddy. "We want to be role models. We hope today showed them how they can incorporate fitness and nutrition into a healthy lifestyle."
Created by the National Consortium for Academics and Sports in 1987, National Student-Athlete Day is celebrated annually on April 6th. National Student-Athlete Day was designed to honor the outstanding achievements of high school and college student-athletes who have achieved excellence in academics and athletics, while having made significant contributions to their schools and communities. It has become one of America's strongest endeavors promoting the positive virtues of sport and student-athletes as a whole, and the positive affect they both have on society. For more information about the NCAS, visit www.ncasports.org/