2011 University of Delaware Blog
Sunday, 16 October 2011
Rawlson Morgan, Athletics, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Today, we said goodbye for a while as we departed for our apprenticeships at the different sites we were assigned. Just before leaving though, some of us had the chance to get something to eat at this place with a sign outside which read “Real eggs from Chicken.” The eggs actually tasted real, according to the guys who bought “Real eggs from Chicken.” The trip from D.C. to Penn State took longer than expected but it was really exciting at times. We got to see the countryside in all of its glory. Nasrullah got the chance to make a movie and I found my cards after fearing they were lost. We learned a lot from the experience before tiredness showed its ugly head.
Saturday, 15 October 2011
Shu-Hwa Wang, Athletics, Taiwan
Elroy, Marlies, Diehl and an unknown cute grandma were dancing and having a fun at the Metro station while we were waiting to head into Washington DC. I believe that everyone enjoyed experiencing American culture at Washington DC. One thing I can say as a slogan would be, “So many museums….and so little time….” I thought two days might be better to explore this wonderful city.
Nayana Chowdhury, Judo, Bangladesh
I knew this was going to be a really exciting day, maybe that’s why I got up at 5:00 am and had an apple. Then I was fast asleep again. At 8:00 am when I finally said farewell to sleep my roommate Marlies was already in the gym working out. We were ready to go at 8:45. Marlies and I got American coffee and cake at Star Bucks for breakfast. By 9:40 we were back in the hotel lobby. We were off to the tour of the White House Gardens and what an experience that was. We took a shuttle to the Crystal City metro station and then we were on our way to the White House. The garden tour was very beautiful, and then we went on to the Lincoln Memorial and viewed the war memorials. Wow! What worthwhile experience. We had lunch together around 12:30 and had some time to share about the sites and scenes. It was my first time in the US. Washington D.C. is really an interesting historic place to visit. By 4:20 pm we had completed our tours and were on our way back to the metro station. The one we were expecting to use was closed but we did not panic our “tour guide” Jennifer was able to figure out where we had to go to get to the next metro and it was not far away. We arrived at the Crystal City station at 4:55 pm but it took 30 mins to get the shuttle to the hotel, so by then we were officially late because we were supposed to be back by 5:00 pm. Jon was there to give us our itinerary for travel from DC to our apprenticeship sites and on to Colorado Springs. At 7:15 we were ready to be on the go again, as myself, Jennifer, Elroy, Marlies, Sato, George “from Georgia”, Hope and Ahmed went to the shopping mall had dinner together and came back around 10:00 pm to our rooms. Of course I had to get my daily fill of ice cream before boarding the metro back to the hotel. Today was a really awesome experience. We took many pictures, the friends that I have met are very caring and loving and I like them very much, but I do miss my family and my students a lot. I wish they were here with me to experience this. I am sure they would enjoy this experience as much as I have.
Friday, 14 October 2011
Jerome Advincula, Judo, Guam
It was our second day in Washington D.C. and we took a tour outside the White House. After our tour, we all went our separate ways. We looked around for a place to eat for about 20 minutes until we found a food court with many varieties from Japanese cuisine, Thai cuisine, to good old American burgers. After our group got something in their stomachs, we headed out to walk around the city to go and see some of the different museums Washington D.C. had to offer. First we made our way to the spy museum and then went to the criminal museum. On our way we saw some talented guitarist playing on the side of the street. I said they should have all gotten together to form a musical band. After walking around for a few more minutes we decided to head back to our hotel because we had another meeting about our apprenticeship cites. After the meeting we all went our separate ways again. The day was still early so some of us decided to walk around and find something to eat. After walking around for about an hour and a half, we spotted a Chinese restaurant. We didn't dine in so we had them deliver to our hotel. The food was good and it reminded me of a restaurant back home.
Thursday, 13 October 2011
Yoko Tanabe, Judo, Japan
We had very interesting lectures and gave our sponsorship presentations. Our first lecture was about Training Model-Approach from Ms. Anne Pankhurst. She is a coach and an expert. She taught us about Program Design and how to configure the system. Our second lecture was about Mental Preparation from Mr. Robert Shillinglaw. He lectured about a mental training program and practices for the game. Our third lecture was about Sport in the Educational Environment from Mr. Michael Williams. It is an education based athletic program in high schools throughout America. And finally were our sponsorship presentations. Our presentations were all unique and entertaining. It was great fun and interesting. Everyone enjoyed it.
Franco Liu, Volleyball, Malaysia
Today in class I learned a lot of knowledge I can use for my project, especially sports system in USA education and tapering training systems. Now, in my mind I just hope I can increase more information and knowledge that can help our volleyball sport grown in Malaysia.
Elroy Agard, Athletics, Barbados
The ICECP has been a great experience. This morning I woke up pretty tired because I was up after 2:00 am working on a power point group project. The first session today was very enlightening and engaging. Anne Pankhurst did a very worthwhile session on “program design,” a sure path to success. She is hilarious. Psychology and mental preparation session with Coach Shillinglaw was excellent. Many of the worlds’ athletes are getting closer when it comes to physical ability but I think mental toughness gives champions the edge and that’s what I want out of my athletes. Mike Williams really peaked my interest about a total sport education approach in schools. The presentations on sponsorships were really good; we can learn a lot from each other . Well it’s been 2 weeks here at Delaware and tomorrow we move on to Washington DC for the week end and then Penn State University. I am looking forward to this experience. I must say, so far the things that have really impacted my stay are the first thing Dr. Robinson said, “You will find that we are more similar than we are different, “ and the staff at Marriott hotel is just awesome, the service is out of this world. Much love and thanks to Tracy the Manager, she is a real sweetheart. Thanks on behalf of the coaches.
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Heather Samuel, Athletics, Antigua and Barbuda
It was a rainy day on the outside but very informative on the inside. Today's lectures sparked much interest from all of us. The exercises to prevent lower back pain in our athletes was received with open arms. One coach remarked "I have never seen these things before but I will use these exercises to enhance my athletes". We all look forward to more informative lectures. Thank you for this opportunity.
Zhishan Cheng, Judo, China
Today was a busy day. I got up at 7:00 to run outside, but it was a rainy morning. After breakfast we had our class at 9:00. The first class was Prevention Strategies for the Lower Back by Michael Higgins, PhD. We had three hours of class where everyone learned a lot and thought it was interesting. At the end of the class some of us tried the movements Dr. Higgins showed us. In the afternoon we had class with Dr. Matthew J Robinson about Promotional Strategies, and how to help the game grow at the grassroots level. We learned some new ideas from Mr. Robinson. They will be used in my work when I am back in China. ICECP give me a good chance to get new ideas and good education.
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Meshal Alotaibi, Archery, Saudi Arabia
We started our day with a delicious breakfast and went back to the conference room where we started our lecture with Mr. Ian Hennessy. He talked about stages of an athlete’s development. It was really informative and I liked the example he gave that 75 percent of soccer players in the academic drop off at age 21 and also that the golden age to learn soccer is between 8 -12 years. After that we had the second lecture with the genius Mr. Brad. In fact I have no comment because I have to listen to the lecture again (amazing information). Unfortunately I didn’t go to lunch as I was really tired. After lunch break we got back again with Mr. Brad and this time it was about Recovery & Regeneration.
From 3 to 5 pm we were working on our project presentation about marketing and sponsorship. At 5: 30pm our leader was Diehl, and we had our final lecture with Dr. Matthew. It was about the project in Lausanne and the apprenticeship time.
Milan Cornel, Fencing, Romania
In the morning, I woke up at 6:30am. Around 7:30am I went to breakfast and at 9:00am we started classes with Mr. DeWeese and his muscle physiology course. At 3:00pm I started working on the project development with three colleagues. We sat and managed to get to an agreement for our project. In the evening I listened to Dr. Matthew Robinson further explain what we are expected to do with our projects. I ate dinner at 8:30pm and then retired to my room.
Monday, 10 October 2011
Marko Isajlovski, Fencing, Macedonia
Beautiful day. It started with a panel discussion with Coach Tina Martin followed by a lecture by Dr. Matthew Robinson about Sponsorship, Marketing & Fundraising. It is a very useful topic for me. After lunch on our trip to South Campus I asked myself why we were freezing under the air conditioners inside the classroom while the weather outside was perfect.
The session at South Campus was very interesting. We were introduced in Taping & Bracing with Mr. John Smith and during our 15 minute break between the lectures, we had a chance to play basketball with some of the best college basketball players. At the end of the day Mr. Brad DeWeese gave an incredible lecture about Periodization which I liked a lot.
Jener Sato, Archery, Brazil
Since ICECP-2011 classes started I have learned a lot, even in subjects I thought I`ve already studied enough. This has been a huge experience for me and, I am sure for my colleagues. Until now, I could identify a lot of new methodologies that will be very useful in my country. Some of them, I've already started sending to my coaches to study. All speakers are great and have transmitted to us a lot of useful information. Thanks to Brazilian Archery Federation, Brazilian NOC and Olympic Solidarity, USOC and Delaware University for supporting me on this experience.
Sunday, 9 October 2011
Marja Woortman, Archery, Namibia
Today, we had a resting day. Many only woke up at 11:00 for brunch. There were some exceptions, with some coaches up at normal time and busy in the lobby. At brunch we meet Mr. Ahmed El-Fattah from Egypt, who caught up with our group today. He had a friendly introduction to people present at the table, “Welcome, I am George from Cook Island,” “Hi, I’m Marlise from Austria for basketball,” etc. After brunch the coaches went into different directions. Some joined to watch the volleyball game, others stayed in the hotel for the football game and a few made it to the library and continued their research. All over it was a lovely sunny, warm, and rest-full day. At dinner, the lively group came together again enjoying their meals with lots of laughter. Sunday, October 9, 2011
Sonam Gyeltshen, Boxing, Bhutan
On Saturday, I traveled to New York City from Wilmington and stay there with my Bhutanese friend at Junction Boulevard. I attended a Bhutanese birthday party and I met a lot of Bhutanese colleagues. It was strange that I happened to meet some old friends and classmates whom I haven’t met for years. On Sunday, we woke up and had breakfast. We then proceeded to Jackson Heights where we found most of them were from Asian Countries. It felt as if I was back in my own country. We then proceeded to Times Square that was our last visit before coming back home. The visit was meaningful awesome, which I will never forget. I owe a lot to my friends from New York City, because without them the trip would not have been so exciting. Now, I have something to take back home to my country about New York City and share with my family, friends, and country as a whole.
Saturday, 8 October 2011
Larry Uwelur, Wrestling, Micronesia
Today was the first day that we actually had to enjoy the real beauty of Delaware by going on a full day shopping trip. After a full week of long hours of listening to educational lectures from various intellectual presenters and group discussions and presentations, this day was more of a mind-refresher for everyone. It’s simply to have fun going shopping together with all the coaches and make the best out of our days here at Delaware. Coming from a very tiny island in the Western part of the Pacific Ocean, everything has been amazing! So going on this shopping trip is just one of the many adventurous realities I’ve encountered every day in Delaware.
The shopping malls are by far some mega structured building that I couldn’t possibly imagine having on my little island because then, it would cover the whole island and people will either literally “LIVE” (sleep, eat, shower, etc.) in the mall or relocate to another island or maybe live like the movie WATER WORLD.
I was totally overwhelmed by the fact that I was actually seeing everything I would only dream of seeing with such affordable prices (compared to my home) and in such a huge building that I couldn’t possibly think of what to buy! It was funny because when we were told at our first stop, Walmart that we had about 2 hours to shop I was like, “You gotta be kidding me, two hours!! That’s too long, what you gonna do in two hours”! Little did I know, I was one of the last ones they had to wait for me because I wasn’t finished shopping. Go figure!
After Walmart, we went to Christiana Shopping Mall, then to Dick’s Sporting Goods, and then to Best Buy. I just wished I have some of Bill Gates’ money so I could buy all the good stuff I saw at the stores. But, in a way it was good I didn’t have money because then I might have bought everything that we might rent a cargo truck to transport all my things!
The shopping trip was definitely a good idea and a necessary one otherwise I’d freeze to hell when I go to Colorado Springs because I wouldn’t have any cold weather clothing. I believe we all enjoyed it very much.
To actually see an American Football game (college football) for the first time not on a TV screen was a breathtaking experience! Not only was I fascinated by the game itself but also the size and height of the stadium, the towering seating, the number of spectators and to top things off, the CHEERLEADERS! I swear, I didn’t know whether I was watching the game or watching the cheerleaders performing their acrobatic flips and shaking their bun buns! Oh yeah, the marching band also was just superb, the choreography, the synchronization, everything was fantastic! It just blew my mind how talented some people are in creating many different kinds of artistic work and put them together and made them look so smooth. Phenomenal!
Friday, 7 October 2011
Makhaya Andile Mofu, Boxing, South Africa
Today, as I was coming from lunch, I had the chance to sun bathe a bit and I admired a squirrel that kept on coming back to visit me. As I was looking at this little animal, a thought came to me about this university. It has many students from around the world but, the freedom, happiness, passion, tolerance and energy that they display made me understand why there are squirrels here!! Our presenters today displayed an amazing energy in addressing our questions!!!
This is indeed the university of the squirrel!!!
Kenny Lidise, Volleyball, Fiji
I thought the lectures today were a blast but if that wasn't enough, the treat at the pizza just made my day. The icing on the cake however came when our own UD College volleyball team thumped and I mean hammered the other team 3-1. Way to go BLUE HENS.
Little bird told me that my photo was up on Facebook.....just want let you all know that was one of my rare moments of brilliance. That Saudi Arabian owes me one.
Thursday, 6 October 2011
George Williams, Basketball, Cook Island
We all had to meet a little bit earlier than usual in the lobby at 8:45am as our instructor had to leave early to catch a plane. Today the class learned in depth about four letters, “L.T.A.D.” which stands for “Long Term Athlete Development.” We were very lucky to receive instruction from Richard Way from Canada. The class gave him the nick name “Rich-Way.”
He provided two handouts to the class with excellent information, and also provided an excellent website which will serve as an excellent resource. When the class became a little restless, Richard provided a treat of some cookies all the way from Canada.
After dinner, half of the class was expected to do a five minute presentation. The three sports that presented were Basketball, Track and Field, and Archery.
All presentations were completed with enthusiasm. However, some coaches went over time and were given a prompt to hurry up. It was great to see lots of help and support with the preparation.
In summary today was a full and busy day as per usual with the ICECP. Everyone has settled down and is getting along nicely.
George Abzianidze, Swimming, Georgia
On Thursday we had very important and interesting lectures about Long Term Athlete Development. Mr. Richard Way explained us components of LTAD: Stage, Focus, Strategy, Game\Modification, Competition and Other activities. Mr. Richard Way is from Canada. He gave us a very interesting web site and also distributed very delicious cookies from Canada.
From 7:00pm to 9:00pm, Basketball, Track and Field, and Archery coaches gave SWOT Analysis Power-Point Presentations. Presentations were prepared well and were very interesting and original.
In conclusion, today was a very busy and interesting day. There is a friendly environment between the coaches.
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
Hope Chisamanga, Basketball, Malawi
The day started with the presentations which were eye openers for the participants. From Dr. Lynn Snyder-Mackler with sports medicine, to Dan Watson and emergency management that exposed knowledge to most of the participants on how give first aid to an athlete. Then came the practical part, which was all fun using dummies to learn how to give first aid. The afternoon session presented the coaching styles and power point orientation (introduction) by Paul Hyde at the Smith Hall. Later was project development, with participants discussing and helping each other on the presentation of SWOT which really showed teamwork and good spirits among the coaches.
Muharram Mchume, Volleyball, Tanzania
Dr. Lynn Snyder gave a very good presentation on Sports Medicine for coaches. The first aid practical we did with Dan Watson were more ideal as practice makes perfection.
For Coaching Styles, Mr. Size Vardhan gave out habits of some football world class coaches like Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United and Arsene Wenger of Arsenal. At the library, we were helped with the use of computers with various information and research methods to help improve our power point presentations. Otherwise the day was very useful as I learned new things from the University of Delaware.
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
Marlies Kiefer, Basketball, Austria
The day started with Mr. Size Vardhan lecturing about Ethics in Coaching, a topic that mirrors coaches’ viewpoint about morale in sport. I felt it was very appropriate that it was Size, who we all learned to appreciate a lot both as colleague and lecturer, that delivered this lecture. Being ‘one of us’, a coaching colleague, made it very easy for us to engage.
Next was Dr. Robinson introducing us to something called a SWOT-Analysis. Sounded quite scary, took a while for us to grasp what is actually meant by it, and eventually led to some concerns about how to do the presentations (see Blog Thursday) and confused thoughts about our project. Well, we discussed, exchanged ideas, helped each other and, I guess, applied. Boom!!
After the lunch break it was Dr. Barlow’s turn to talk about Biomechanics. Personally, listening to lectures about biomechanics could be compared to trying to understand Nasrullah talking – it’s a challenge! But then, what a great, practical, valuable, useful and funny lecture. Many thanks for that! And on that note, thanks, Nasrullah for your Karaoke effort!!
After dinner it was time for a library introduction session. With Jeffrey struggling with his best stride, and Cornel getting lost (I dare say) the tail of the group trailed a little. Finally we arrived at Morris Library, though, where Lydia Collins helped us with worldcat, databases and trains.
Good session! Good day! More good days to come!
Monday, 3 October 2011
Diehl Langkildie, Basketball, American Samoa
Monday was a very interesting and eye-opening event with the opening ceremony with Dr. Robinson kicking off the program with other keynote speakers that really caught the attention of the coaches that are participating in the ICECP. Classes also officially began this day with Dr. Robinson leading the first class with the "Olympic Movement", Dr. Barlow with "Olympism" and former ICECP participant from South Africa, Size Vardhan with 2 sessions to round up the day of classes. Personally, I'm very excited about the program and the coaches that are here, where I get to share & absorb information about coaching styles & develop ideas about different aspects of coaching ideas. MONDAY WAS A GREAT DAY.
Nagendra Paduel Chhetri, Basketball, Nepal
The opening ceremony started at 9:00am in the morning with 32 participants from 32 different countries. First we had a group photo. Dr. Robinson started the programme and we had a great opportunity to meet Nancy Hogshead-Makar (Olympic winning gold medal) and listen to her sharing about swimming.
Then after break Dr. Matthew Robinson told us about the ICECP and the Olympic movement. Around noon Dr. David Barlow started session with the topic of Olympism. After that Mr. Vardhan shared about ICECP and why it is important. I’m here and I don’t know anything about how to write a project and Mr. Size Vardhan showed us his project. Then I came to know how to write, and what to do for my project.
Before ending the day, each participant gave his/her introduction with his/her country, culture, etc. This way I come to know the participants, where they’re from, and what their project is about.
Sunday, 2 October 2011
Matthew Smiling, Basketball, Belize
Sunday morning we had breakfast in the restaurant of the hotel where we are staying (Courtyard Marriott). We had orientation in the hotel’s lobby, where we met our counterpart (coaches), and also met Dr. Matt Robinson, Jeff and Dana. After orientation we went on a University campus tour, which was led by Jeff and Dana. We saw some of the dorm buildings, the cafeteria, the library, and Smith Hall, etc. We also walked down Main St., where some of us visited stores and cafes. At 2:45pm we went to the CSB Field for an Ice Breaker Activity with Doc Roger. I now know why they call it “ICE”, it was cold. We played games among ourselves, and got to know each other a little better. Did I mention it was cold? Opening Reception was held in the “SALON B&C” room of the hotel at 6:00p.m, where we had dinner. We also met with students from the University, who had done some research on the different countries where we (the coaches) are from. We also met Carolina Bayón, USOC Director of International Cooperation. All the coaches had to give a two minute mini-presentation of their country and who they are. This was very interesting for we all met people from places we only heard about. There were 32 different countries and 32 different stories. I will certainly enjoy the remainder of time here with my new friends.
Kiry Hem, Swimming, Cambodia
The first day of our ICECP program we went for a tour around campus at the University of Delaware. We also had an Ice Breaker activity at the Carpenter Sports Building field. It was a great day for us to be together and to get to know each other! We really enjoyed the tour and activities, having done so much that day!
