Check Out ISPA’s new online CEU Portal in the below video.
In this video we show you the new ISPA Online CEU portal. After purchasing CEUs, this portal is set up for you to access at anytime from anywhere. ISPA is continually striving to deliver new innovations to its credentialed professionals. In April, we will be launching an exclusive section on the ISPA website for Credentialed Professionals. Individuals who are not credentialed through ISPA will not be able to access this exclusive content. Stay tuned for more information on the forthcoming exclusive content.
An idea that we have found very helpful is to suggest that you use your Education Benefits that your employer gives you toward your ISPA credentialing fees. This has been a great idea for many because of the simple math involved. Many companies set aside a small figure in their benefits package for Education, let’s say $200.00. Have you tried to sign up for a graduate course for $200.00? A conference fee? Buy books? Videotapes? But, ISPA credentialing starts at $195.00. Voila!
A presentation you attend is temporary, the investment in your career credentials is longstanding. Think about it.
This time Oprah is lame, as in ‘Lame Duck.’ That is the only way I can explain how her production company (HARPO) is developing a new show with Nate Berkus. The show’s theme is: “Need help with your teenage daughter? Are you constantly fighting with your daughter? Whether it’s her wardrobe, boys, or her messy room, are you finding it hard to get through to her? Do you wish your daughter would listen to you more and take your advice? Let Nate Berkus help you maneuver through teen drama.” Nate Berkus is an interior designer. Ok, he’s going to tell us how to parent our daughters? Educators, psychologists, counselors, social workers should be furious. Where and when did this guy get his training to solve these problems? Does anyone at HARPO have a conscience? Have they considered the potential harm they could cause by an interior designer giving problem advice? Is Oprah paying attention to these people?
I must admit to a guilty indulgence. I had respected Oprah, even admired her in the past. For every 16 programs that had incestuous hillbillies and 11 of celebrities jumping on couches, she would have 1 or 2 that raised the level of intelligence of the USA. By George, she should be forgiven for that 27:2 ratio just on what she has done for reading in this country. I looked away at Dr. Phil, shuddered as he paraded out his son as an expert on teens based on the boy’s credentials of just having been one, the arrogant Art Smith was/is irksome but I could just avoid those shows, the Wizard of Oz, well he seems to enjoy himself, to hell with everyone else. But, an interior designer giving parenting advice? Is this an extended middle finger to America in the last year of the show? Take this America, it doesn’t take years of training and experience and decades of research to tell you how to care for teen girls, just consult the cutest interior designer you can find. It’s easy. I don’t know how much more of this I can take Oprah.
Isn’t it about time that organizations like the APA, the NASW and NEA spoke out to defend their professions? Isn’t that what we pay dues for? For them to protect our professions and guide the public so they turn to trained people to help with these issues? If such a folly as this invaded medicine, the AMA would shut this nonsense down in a heartbeat-probably right after mini-Phil started spouting out as an expert on teens. Maybe it’s time we all question where our dues goes to these organizations? Are they protecting you and I? ISPA speaks out to defend and build our professional’s careers.
Oprah, don’t be alame (duck) control your people. You only have a few more months, go out in style.
ISPA is participating in an exciting conference, “A Mirror Of Our Culture: Sport and Society in America” May 26-28 at St. Norbert College in De Pere, WI. Dr. Mayer will be presenting on multiple topics. (Link to conference: https://www.snc.edu/sportandsociety/schedule.html). We encourage you to look at the link, and if any ISPA professionals would like to co-present with ISPA, please contact Justin Mayer at Justin@thesportsprofessionals.com ASAP. General registration opens on February 1st.
“A Mirror of Our Culture: Sport and Society in America” is a distinctive, intimate, and affordable three-day event that provides opportunities for sports academics and professionals working in sports-related fields to network and to share their expertise about American sports. The conference will cover the following issues:
• Economic Issues in Sports
• Sports History
• Amateur and College Athletics
• The Business of Sports
• The Sociology of Sports
• Sports and Education
• Sports Communications
• Sports and Race
The conference includes a number of elements meant to create a unique experience for all those who participate and attend. Paul Tagliabue, former Commissioner (CEO) of the National Football League, and Carl Vogel, Partner of SCP Worldwide, will give major addresses offering their perspective on “Sports in America” and “The Future of American Sports.” Dr. Robert Kustra, President of Boise State University, will be presenting “Modern College Athletics: A View from the Top.” Also, Kevin B. Blackistone of ESPN’s “Around the Horn” and the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland will be speaking on “Race and Sports in America.” Academics and practitioners will be able to network with each other and to give and hear papers and presentations on a wide range topics related to American sports.
The conference will also include a gallery exhibition of the finest American sports photography, and a juried festival of sports-themed films and videos.
We had a great meeting at ATI Physical Therapy at their Carol Stream, IL complex! Talk about beautiful – this complex had absolutely EVERYTHING. Weight training, cardiovascular training, gymnastics training, aquatic training, you name it! ISPA management was meeting with Dr. Chris Stout, and his team, once again to discuss some upcoming projects that will hopefully be made public in the next month or two. We are also working on putting our minds together to put together some online video training. Exciting stuff to say the least! More to come ~
- Andrew Teunis, Director of Business Development ISPA
Special advisory for ISPA professionals to use for their clients and to disseminate in their communities:
You have undoubtedly noticed that I love the New York Times. I found another valuable piece of information in that paper in one of my favorite sections, Science Times. In the Feb. 4, 2010 edition of the NYT, reporter Anahad O’Connor wrote about studies that showed the increase in deaths and cardiac emergencies during Super Bowl Sunday. It appears as though the extra stress of this highly emotionally charged event places additional stress on those already at risk for cardiac incidents. Couple this extra stress with the traditional over-indulgence in eating and drinking and you have a recipe for disaster.
I would suggest that the responsible professional urges caution to all their clients and to their communities during this high risk day/weekend. Please pass along the message to those you encounter in your professional practice to exercise caution in their enjoyment of this sporting event. I am treating this weekend as I would the upcoming prom weekends each spring. I am passing along the message to everyone to celebrate and enjoy this event responsibly. Please help spread the word and save lives.
Our mission at ISPA is to help support sports as socially responsible activities.
For the month of February The International Sports Professionals Association (ISPA) will be waiving its application fee ($25.00) for new credentialed professionals. Now is the time to apply and become part of this elite organization. Click the following link to download the ISPA application (Leave the payment field blank): Application
-Accreditation
-Training via an internal online CEU program
-Partnerships with other national and international organizations
-Diploma
-Business development opportunities for members
-ISPA is a member of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence
-ISPA adds another layer of credibility to a professionals resume
*The more credentials one attains in his/ her field the more money they can command
*The more credentials a professional has, the more career advancement is attainable
*The more credentials a professional obtains, the more clients will seek out their services above others
-ISPA is with you every step of the way, giving you the confidence to excel!
-Career Building-We help build YOUR career
-Comprehensive Website
-ISPA brings publicity to your career
-Publishing Opportunities (Especially important for academics)
-Recognizable Credential
-Monthly Newsletter and exclusive member only content
I researched a great tip to pass on to your clients:
The age-old question is, ‘Do we burn more fat exercising outdoors in colder weather or in hotter weather?’ I have heard professionals banter back and forth on this issue for as long as I been a gym rat. During this brutal Midwestern winter I decided to do some research on this and I gave up with the definitive answer. I found the definitive study on this in the journal, Sports Medicine1991 issue. The study was conducted at the Naval Medical Research Institute. They found that fat metabolism was actually slowed down in cold weather. They hypothesized that the slow down in metabolism could be linked to the constriction of blood vessels in the peripheral fatty tissues when exercise is done in the cold. The study also found interesting results on breathing outside. (Don’t we all feel that are breathing is so much deeper and cleaner when we run in the cold weather?) They found that indeed, upon initial contact with cold weather the volume of air inhaled and exhaled in the first minute is higher but soon after continuing to exercise (run) in the cold it returns to rates comparable to what it is when we exercise (run) in warm weather. (Hmmmmm……) They also found that heart rate is generally lower in cold weather exercise.
This is great information to pass onto clients at all levels when they ask this question of you. Now you have the definitive response and the research to cite. Run with it. (Excuse the pun.)
With the news of Chicago Bear Gaines Adams’ passing this week, there has been a wide array of speculation as to what caused him to go into cardiac arrest. Yesterday, however, some of those rumors generated were put to rest by an autopsy report which discovered Adams had an enlarged heart. As ESPN reported earlier today, an enlarged heart is not abnormal for athletes, nor is it the sure reason why Adams went into cardiac arrest. However, it has raised other issues in regard to medical exams on professional athletes. An enlarged heart is not a condition that directly causes a person to go into cardiac arrest, but it can be a sign or symptom of other very serious heart/health conditions.
This raises some interesting questions: If the NFL is so concerned about player health and insists on extensive annual medical examinations, how was Adams’ condition not found sooner? If it was found sooner, could it have saved his life? Did the NFL somehow miss performing an EKG on Adams upon entering the NFL (standard procedure)? If so, are they at fault to some extent in this situation for not finding this condition sooner? Should athlete examinations undergo a reform to make sure such conditions are not overlooked in the future?
Gaines Adams’ full autopsy and toxicology report will be made available within the next couple of months. Until then, we can only continue to speculate as outsiders.
Our hearts go out to Gaines Adams and his loved ones in this time of sorrow. He was a gifted athlete whose potential had not yet peaked, and a dedicated family-man that will truly be missed.
- Andrew Teunis, Director of Business Development – ISPA
We have all heard that phrase extolling us to grab the opportunity to realize our destiny. Well, I’ve been energized. I have just returned from the national sales conference of a large international business that I was invited to attend. Of course in the meetings the topic of the poor economy hung over the crowd like a black cloud. BUT, what was inspiring in this industry which is hit particularly hard by the downturn was that this company not only remained strong but it has taken the opportunity to plan and grow for the future during this down time. It is using the global gloom to prosper. I say, ‘Here, Here!’
I think the inspiration of this company is a particularly poignant lessen for professionals who serve sports. I see so many of my colleagues hiding under rocks during this bad economy when they should be thriving. How unsportsmanlike. Do athletes cower in the face of tough opposition? Do they stop working out because, it’s not the right time? NO, they prepare themselves in down times to face the toughest competition because that will make them better at their sport.
I say take these lessens from both the athletes we serve AND from companies like the one I just witnessed and ‘Seize the Day.’ Now is the time to groom yourself to be outstanding in the field. Being a credentialed professional through ISPA marks that you have that courage to face the stiffest competition. Seize your day today. Apply for your credentials and realize your destiny.
