A pair of top figure skaters have swept the United States Sports Academy’s contest for March Male and Female Athlete of the Month. American Nathan Chen won the men’s award while Russia’s Alina Zagitova took home the women’s honor. Chen defended his world title at the 2019 World Figure Skating Championships in Japan on 23 March 2019. Chen scored a total of 323.42 points to fend off Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu, who took second place. For the season, Chen won three gold medals on the grand prix circuit, a third consecutive national title and a second consecutive world title. Zagitova won the women’s gold medal at the International Skating Union World Figure Skating Championship in Japan on 22 March 2019. Zagitova scored a total of 237.50 points, 12.74 more than her [...]

Editor’s note:  Since students of the United States Sports Academy are able to complete their coursework and degree requirements on their own schedule, the Academy throughout each month immediately awards degrees to students who complete requirements. Students are not required to wait to the end of a semester or term to receive their degrees. The Academy congratulates the following graduates who completed their degrees this month. Doctoral Graduate Dr. Jesse Leroy Godding (Waxahachie, Texas) – Ed.D. Sports Management, Sports Leadership Emphasis Master’s Graduates Jesse Muir Cuslidge (Fresno, Calif.) – M.S.S. dual degree Sports Management and Sports Studies Theresa Elizabeth DeWitt (Russell Springs, Texas) – M.S.S. Sports Coaching Kenrdra Ann Eckstrom (Dania Beach, Fla.) – M.S.S. Sports Management Hollis K. Riley (Shelton, Wash.) – M.S.S. Sports Management

The United States Sports Academy’s program to train physical education teachers and coaches in the Kingdom of Bahrain to meet the needs of athletes with adaptive needs has culminated with 223 students completing the program. Academy National Faculty member Marty Floyd traveled to the island nation in the Middle East three times since June 2018 to teach the post-secondary, non-degree certificate program in disabled and adaptive sport for the Bahrain Sports Federation for Disabilities (BSFD). The Adaptive Sports program is a unique course of advanced study designed for coaches and physical education teachers who have or want to have experience working with athletes with varying degrees of adaptive needs. The program has a two-pronged approach that includes working with competitive athletes and developing inclusive programs for recreational athletes. The program has [...]

For the 14th consecutive year the United States Sports Academy will continue its international certification program to provide advanced sport education to prepare students in Thailand for careers in sport. The post-secondary, non-degree programs in Bangkok are designed to prepare people in Thailand for careers in coaching and related athletic professions. The International Certification in Sports Coaching (ICSC) program includes a wide range of coaching and related administrative skills, while the International Certification in Sports Management (ICSM) program includes management topics such as sports event planning, marketing and public relations, and facilities. Each year under the program approximately 100 students are drawn from the Sport Authority of Thailand (SAT) and its affiliated sport organizations around the country to attend the certification programs -- typically 50 for each certification. Following the [...]

The United States Sports Academy’s master’s degree program in sports coaching has been ranked as one of the top of its kind by OnlineMasters.com, an industry-leading educational research organization. The Academy was featured in the organization’s Best Online Master’s in Sports Coaching Programs list for 2019, which identified the top programs in the nation that are the best in the areas of curriculum quality, program flexibility, affordability, and graduate outcomes. For information about the Academy’s master’s degree programs, visit: https://ussa.edu/academics/master-sports-science/ The Academy also earned the organization’s “Best Mentorship Option” designation for its mentorship program, which gets students away from the books and computer and into the office, onto the field or court, analyzing video, crunching statistics, managing facilities, promoting events and any number of activities. The mentorship provides students with [...]

A pair of freestyle skiers have swept the United States Sports Academy’s contest for February Male and Female Athlete of the Month. American skier Aaron Blunck won the men’s award while Estonian Kelly Sildaru won the women’s award for the second consecutive month. Blunck defended his world halfpipe title at the International Ski Federation (FIS) Snowboard, Freestyle Ski and Freeski World Championships in Utah on 9 February 2019. Blunck scored 94.20 on his final run and successfully held off French veteran Kevin Rolland for the title. Sildaru, 16, became the youngest freestyle skiing halfpipe world champion of all time when she won gold in the event at the International Ski Federation (FIS) Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships in Utah on 10 February 2019. Sildaru completed the first-ever switch 1080 [...]