Eric Martin, assistant professor in the School of Allied Health Sciences Department of Kinesiology, received an award, presented a poster, and co-led a workshop at the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) 31st Annual Conference in Phoenix, Arizona on Sept. 28 – Oct. 1.
The Distinguished Doctoral Student Practice Award recognizes outstanding service delivery in sport and exercise psychology by a doctoral student who demonstrates exceptional quality and innovation in delivering sport and exercise psychology services to the public. Martin received the award for many different consulting activities that he did during his time at Michigan State University. Martin was awarded a check for $500, free 2016 AASP Annual Conference registration, and a plaque which was presented at the conference.
The poster, titled “Developing a Team Mission Statement: Who are we? Where are we going? How are we going to get there?”, outlined the steps needed to lead a sports team in the creation of a mission statement. The challenges the study participants faced during the process were: ensuring athletes had autonomy during the creation of the mission statement, incorporating feedback from all team members, and facilitating in a manner that empowered and created athlete buy-in to the process. The lessons learned were: making sure all athletes made an initial commitment to the mission statement, ensuring the mission statement remained relevant throughout the course of the season, and explicitly creating specific athlete behaviors that would indicate a commitment to the mission statement.
The workshop, titled “Student Professional Development Workshop,” focused on the topic of job preparation and the transition from student to professional. Many aspects of the transition were addressed including: interview skills, resume writing, job market demands, and negotiating compensation.
“This was the tenth time I’ve attended the national AASP conference and each year I am re-energized with meeting and connecting with passionate people in the field and seeing the great work that is going on around the globe,” said Martin. “This conference highlighted the research-to-practice bridge that I try to use in my teaching and consulting work. I can’t wait to make the trip next year to continually improve my own practices to better serve the needs of my students and the athletes I work with in my position at Boise State University.”
Martin’s focus in the Department of Kinesiology is on youth sports with an emphasis on motivation and passion in activity choices. He received his doctorate of philosophy in Kinesiology from Michigan State University, a master of science in sports studies from Miami University, and a bachelor of science in psychology from Colorado State University. Before coming to Boise State University, Martin taught as an instructor at Michigan State University. He also served as an advisory board committee member for the Clinton County Regional Educational Service Agency and as a consultant for several Michigan high schools. Martin has also been involved with Power Play Lacrosse’s travel club and the collegiate gymnastics team at Michigan State University.