Four student athletes and two administrative representatives from Elizabethtown College attended the APPLE Conference in Reston, Va. from Jan. 16 to Jan. 18, made possible by a grant from the NCAA.
The Gordie Center for Substance Abuse Prevention at the University of Virginia developed the APPLE Conferences. The Conferences’ main goal is to “assist colleges in promoting student athlete health and wellness by empowering teams of student athletes and administrators to create an institution-specific action plan,” according to its website.
The athletes in attendance from Etown included juniors Steph High, Ashley Dispenziere, Zack Tomasko and Nick Gulla. Health Educator from the Office of Student Wellness Amanda Cheetham and Assistant Athletic Trainer Jon Hoynak accompanied the athletes on the trip.
The organization uses the APPLE Model, which looks at seven different areas where athletic departments can deal with substance abuse. The areas include recruitment, expectations and attitudes, policies, education, drug testing, sanctioning and referral and counseling. The group from Etown attended various sessions related to alcohol and substance abuse throughout the weekend. Two speakers addressed the groups and attendees were also given time to network with other students from colleges around various parts of the country.
Listening to Linda Hancock, one of the speakers, was an important experience for High. Throughout the speech Hancock “acknowledged that some student athletes do drink in college, but she urged schools to educate their athletes on safer drinking habits and practices,” High said.
There was also time for the Etown representatives to bond over the weekend. “The conference was a great way for me to connect with some student athletes and hear their opinions on these issues,” Cheetham said. “It also allowed us time to work together to plan some future programming and educational efforts.”
Cheetham said attending the event was a way for the Office of Student Wellness and the Athletic Department to work together regarding the topics of alcohol and other drug-related education and prevention efforts.”Any time I can get input from students and include them in the planning process, I know it will equal more success in the future,” Cheetham said. “Their enthusiasm is contagious.”
The representatives from Etown plan to bring back what they learned at the APPLE Conference to improve the athletic programs at the College. “All of the attendees from Etown want the best for our school and our Athletic Department, so we are excited to share what we learned at the conference,” High said. “It was an honor to represent Elizabethtown last weekend.”
