AAHPERD in Tampa

Most of you will be required or feel compelled to continue to improve yourself by way of professional development activities. My trip to Tampa was just such an activity. I have been a continuous member of AAHPERD since 1983, and it has benefited me in a number of ways.

First, back in the old days, we did most of our job searching through publications like the Chronicle of Higher Education or attending conferences and utilizing the career services they offered. When I was near graduation from OSU, I attended conferences in Kansas City and Little Rock and applied for a position at ASU and ultimately was hired. I am indebted to AAHPERD for providing an opportunity to investigate job openings from around the country, and ultimately for playing a role in obtaining my job at ASU.

Second, AAHPERD has provided me with opportunities to share my research and teaching ideas and to be exposed to research and teaching ideas of others. My presentation at this year's conference involved introducing others to free software like Picasa photo editing, Open Office, and Google applications like this blog site that I'm using right now.

Third, AAHPERD or any other professional organization provides opportunities to network with other colleagues in your discipline. As a result, you may learn about new job opportunities or about possible candidates for jobs that are available at your institution; you might get an idea for future research or develop a relationship that will create an opportunity for a future research collaboration; or you will simply reconnect with folks you have gotten to know over the years and spend time sharing information about your respective careers, family and friends. This was without doubt the most rewarding part of the conference for me this year as I was able to spend a considerable amount of time with my mentor from OSU, Betty Edgley.

I wish you could all meet Betty. Better yet, I wish you could all know Betty. She is one of a kind. I came to know her in 1981 shortly after I enrolled at OSU. She was a faculty member in the health program I had just become a part of and she quickly became a huge part of my life. She draws people to her with her personality, intellect and sweet disposition and I was lucky enough to be able to spend seven years of my life in her presence.

We were frequent running partners, and she helped me train for my only marathon, the White Rock in Dallas. We ran around the noon hour and ran regardless of heat, wind, rain, snow or whatever the weather conditions. We had a number of courses around the city of Stillwater we would run, all of them around the seven mile mark. Plenty of time for conversation and conditioning. I could go on and on about Betty because she is truly a remarkable woman, but I'll stop here and move on.

In addition to visiting with Betty, I had a long conversation with another OSU buddy, Garry Bowyer. Garry and I studied together for our comprehensive exams, a bonding experience if ever there was one. He teaches in the Physical Education program at Miami of Ohio and provided me insight into the state of PE from his perspective.

I also visited with two other colleagues from OSU, Danny Ballard, who was a winner of a prestigious honor award for her service to AAHPERD, and the chair of the HPELS department when I attended OSU, George Oberle.

Danny teaches at Texas A & M, and I was able to attend a social sponsored by A & M on Wednesday night because of that relationship, and the end result was some good conversation and a couple of free glasses of wine. I also met one of Catherine Rasberry's dissertation committee members from Texas A & M while I was there, Buzz Pruitt. Catherine was a health promotion major at ASU and went on to graduate school at Purdue and A & M. She now works for the CDC in Atlanta. It was nice to share "notes" about Catherine with Buzz, and not surprisingly our memories of her were very much the same as Catherine is another one of those "one of a kind" individuals.

When that social ended, we were invited to a UNLV social which provided hors d'oeuvres and another drink or two. Since I wasn't driving, and I spaced my drinks out over four hours, I figured it was okay. However, as Darius Rucker so beautifully described in a song, it caused me to be "Drinkin' and Dialin' Again" as I walked back to my hotel.

I would be remiss if I didn't also provide some information about George, who is currently dealing with pancreatic cancer. Although he looked good, that type of cancer does not bode well for longevity. I had seen George last year at the AAHPERD conference in Ft. Worth prior to his diagnosis, and it's amazing how his demeanor is relatively unchanged. We didn't dwell on his cancer, but it is the elephant in the room, and I addressed it both humorously and seriously. I learned an awful lot from watching George operate and he is one of the many people who have shaped me in some way and I will be forever grateful for his contributions on my behalf.

Fourth, another feature of the conferences you might get to attend in the future involves soaking up some of the culture in the city you visit. In the case of Tampa this year, it was a spring training baseball game between the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees at George Steinbrenner Field (click on box score to view). The ticket and the cab ride amounted to about $50, and a cold beer was $6.50 and a Scooter Dog $2.50. Although that's a lot of money, for an old baseball fan like myself it was worth it to see an old school ballplayer like Derek Jeter and to watch a ball game with Jim Stillwell (another huge baseball fan) and Andy Mooneyhan. Also, even though you're watching a ball game, there is time for discussing work and conference related issues, and we did.

Fifth, I always appreciate the exhibit center where publishing companies, other universities, and HPESS related entrepreneurs ply their wares. It gives me a chance to check out textbooks and teaching aids and see the latest equipment designed to help people think, feel and act. Some added bonuses included a number of new pens from various universities and my picture taken with Carl Lewis, the winner of 10 Olympic medals including 9 golds. He was at the conference promoting the Hershey Track and Field games which provide track and field resources to schools and communities.

Finally, professional development costs money, and I am grateful to ASU for providing me with travel funds and you will be grateful to your place of employment if they do the same. Registration for the conference was $245, airline tickets were $181.40, three nights in the Courtyard Marriott was $534.24, taxis to and from the airport $50, mileage to and from the Little Rock airport $112.50, and $216 for meals comes to about $1340. While this is a lot of money, and I have no way of calculating a dollar for dollar value, it was meaningful to me professionally and personally and ASU will prosper in some way as a result.