My Health and Human Performance Internship: An Internship That Led Me to the Next Step After Graduation

By Sarah Hendrix

This past semester I completed my 400-hour internship and had the privilege of working with our athletic training staff here at Ferrum. I went in to the internship unsure of what I was going to be doing after I graduated in May, but during my internship, I was able to find that out. I learned something new almost everyday; it did not matter if it was with my supervisor athletic trainer or another trainer in the athletic training room. I was able to stretch people, make them ice bags, help correct their movements during rehab, and so on, but I also learned some about the paperwork side of things. Luckily, being an athlete here, I could see how the paperwork was done because I was shown on my file. I was able to help out with two great teams and their coaches here on campus, the baseball and women’s basketball teams. I helped out with other sports too when I could, but those two teams were the main two I helped with during my internship.

Over the semester I had been thinking about applying to Bridgewater College to further my education, because at the end of the fall semester, our HHP department told me about the articulation agreement we had just made with Bridgewater College for their Master of Science in Athletic Training Program. I ended up applying right before spring break, the head professor called me and we discussed a few questions I had and he said he would get back to me with some answers. When he got back to me, he had answers, but also wanted me to come in for an interview and I went for one over spring break. The following week they called and offered me admission into the program, but I discussed it with my family before I made the decision a week later to attend Bridgewater. I am excited, but it is crazy to think that I am already at the point in my life to be attending Graduate School.

Needless to say, my internship here, in the athletic training room at Ferrum, helped lead me to what I will be doing after graduation. I did not know that I was going to be this interested in athletic training until my internship. I knew being an athlete through college that I was not ready to be away from the world of sports yet, so I had thought about coaching with whatever was next for me. I have always wanted to help people and with athletic training I can help the athletes I work with, but I also am able to stay around the sports world. This opportunity for graduate school fell into my lap at a perfect time because my internship made me realize that this was the next step for me. I am very thankful for the opportunity I had to work with some great coaches, athletes, professors, and especially the athletic training staff here at Ferrum College. I thank all of them for helping prepare me for the next step in my career path. I look forwards to expanding my knowledge in the athletic training world when I get to Bridgewater College.

The Spirit of Adventure E-term 2016: A Walk in the Woods

By Sarah Hendrix

Dr. Hardwicke and Dr. Nicholson-Angle are the professors for the e-term The Spirit of Adventure.  Today’s class consisted of class lecture, outdoor activities and a nice walk around Adams Lake.  The classes focus is spiritual wellness, faith among various cultures and how the natural world impacts our spirituality.  The class will be leaving Wednesday, May 11, to head to Lake Junaluska for about a week.  Our first class was mainly informative discussing expectations and what will be occurring during the e-term.  Additionally, we discussed some history behind the spiritual connections of Ferrum College to Methodism. 

The hike that the Spirit of Adventure class went on today was led by Aaron Conover who is the Director of Ferrum Outdoors.  At the beginning he gave everyone a blindfold that they would need the whole time because some of the activities required it.  This also would mean that you would need a partner for some of the activities.  We were asked to walk through the woods blindfolded while guided by our partner.  There were trees, limbs, pinecones, etc. all on the ground, so we had to trust our partners enough and believe they would keep us safe.  Another activity required being blindfolded while your partner guided you to a tree and then the blindfolded person had to touch and feel the tree and the area that was around it.  After that the partner and the blindfolded person went back to the starting point where they could then take the blindfold off.  Then the person that was blindfolded had to go and find the tree their partner had picked for them.  A lot of people found their tree and that was because their senses were used to figure out what tree they had come in contact with.  The class really seemed to enjoy the activities and they trusted their partners, but they also used their senses, which will be needed all throughout the Spirit of Adventure e-term.

Students Attend Prom For Class Final

By Sarah Hendrix

Ballroom dancing has been around for a while and is all around the world. This past semester Dr. Hardwicke taught a ballroom dancing class on Wednesday afternoons from 2:30 until 3:50. This class was held once a week in the gym, but people outside the class were always welcome to attend the class whenever they wanted too. Dr. Hardwicke had Michael Rucinski helped teach the class with her as his internship, but this was a great person to have teach along side of her because he is a really good dancer. The class learned a number of dances that they had to perform on the last day of class as their final.

The final for the ballroom dancing class was a prom, A Step Back In Time, at the end of the semester on the last day of class, which was Wednesday, April 20, 2016. The dress code for the students was to dress like you were going to prom, so whatever someone would have wore to the

prom. Each student was allowed to bring a date, they could be in the class or they could be someone else they wanted to bring. Each dance was danced at the prom and everyone had to dance to each song to be able to get their grade on their final. The students had learned a total of nine ballroom dances over the course of the semester, while also learning some line dancing, contra dancing, and a barnyard dance for a little fun and change in pace. Also, there were some “free” dance songs that were played like, the “Cha Cha Slide” and the “Wobble” just to have some extra fun at the prom. All of the students looked very elegant at prom and seemed to enjoy themselves, while showcasing for the class and spectators what they had learned in the ballroom dancing class.