United States Sports Academy alumnus Dr. Andy Dotterweich wears many hats in his role as an associate professor at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) and operations manager at an official Olympic Training Site in Johnson City, Tenn.
Dotterweich earned dual Master of Sports Science degrees in coaching and sports medicine from the Academy in 1998. He is an associate professor in the Sport, Exercise, Recreation and Kinesiology Department at ETSU. He also serves as the operations manager for the Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) program at the institution’s Center for Excellence for Sport Science and Coach Education, the Olympic Training Site on the ETSU campus.
Dotterweich said his Academy education “uniquely positioned” him to be successful in higher education and sport.
“I chose the Academy because I wanted to be immersed in a sport related curriculum,” Dotterweich said. “While I had several interests when I arrived, they were all centered around sport, recreation and physical activity and I felt that the Academy could provide me with the academic preparation I needed to move forward in my career. Being allowed to focus on both sport medicine as well as coaching made me stronger in both areas. Fast forward to now and my experience at the Academy uniquely positioned me for success in what I do.
“I really appreciated my experience with the Academy,” he said. “I liked the Academy’s focus on sport and flexibility and no other higher education institution at the time was designed to meet my personal goals and needs. My experiences at the Academy were incredibly valuable and have helped me realize my dream positon. I get to do a job I love which was, in large part, made possible by the education I received at the Academy. The Academy not only gave me a formal education, but provided tools of self-motivation, stressed the need to develop relationships, and opened my eyes to the many avenues of sport as a vocation.”
As an academic, Dotterweich contributes to teaching and service at ETSU and conducts research on a variety of interests including LTAD, youth sport development and recreational sport. He teaches coaching courses in ETSU’s sport science graduate program and psychomotor development and recreation programming at the undergraduate level.
Beyond his academic work, Dotterweich said he enjoys playing a service role in the wider community surrounding ETSU.
“Service is what keeps me really busy,” he said. “Beyond the regular committees and other university service, I am heavily involved in the community because of my position with the Center of Excellence for Sport Science and Coach Education. I love being able to include all of my passions in my day-to-day work. That is one of the best things about what I do. I get to indulge my interests, make connections with students, athletes, kids and professionals, and give back to the community every day.”
Dotterweich has also had experience coaching at Davidson College, Norwich University, Eastern Illinois University, the US U-23 National Women’s Rugby Team, and at ETSU.
“My dual degree from the Academy included sport medicine and coaching which led to all of my experiences,” he said. “I feel, while there are a multitude of sport focused programs out there, they also have competing programs and interests which sometimes detract from the sport emphasis.
“The Academy being an institution that solely focuses on sport is an advantage to the students. While I learned a lot from my coursework, I learned just as much being surrounded by a sport-focused community. I was able to meet different sport figures, get involved with different sport agencies, hear up-to-date news with non-governmental bodies, collaborate with similarly focused individuals and gain other opportunities that went above and beyond standard internships and guest speakers. The connections of the Academy and its faculty and staff were far reaching and really enriched my experience.”
