Colby-Sawyer College hosts the Exercise and Sports Sciences Symposium Athletes First: Components of Effective Coaching on Monday, March 7, at Wheeler Hall in Ware Student Center. The event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lectures are free and open to the public with a reservation required by Friday, Feb. 26. Lunch with presenters and Exercise and Sports Sciences faculty is also available for a cost of $12.50. For more information and reservations, contact Academic Administrative Assistant Terri Hermann at thermann@colby-sawyer.edu or 603.526.3616.

After opening comments by Academic Vice President and Dean of Faculty Deborah A. Taylor, Ph.D., four experts will present on aspects of effective coaching, from developing competitors and sports psychology to proper nutrition and evaluative coaching methods.

Eric Eisendrath, a former Division I goalie for Brown University, has presented more than 900 workshops in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean and will deliver “Developing Competitors.” Eisendrath’s career in sports television has enabled him to cover six Olympic Games, the NFL, NBA, MLB and the NHL. He has also worked as a high school varsity hockey coach and youth soccer and lacrosse coach, as well as serving on multiple boards. An exercise enthusiast, he has run three marathons (New York twice and Boston once).

Christopher Proulx, a clinical consultant, physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist at the healthcare company DJO Global, will present “Using Performance Outcomes to Influence Training, from a Coaching Perspective.” Proulx is also in private practice and is an adjunct assistant professor of research at New York Chiropractic College. He holds a Doctorate of Chiropractic degree, an M.S. degree in exercise science, a B.S. degree in health and fitness, and he is a Ph.D. candidate in exercise science. He has authored and co-authored several peer-reviewed publications and has presented his work across the U.S., Europe, and in Central and South America.

Laura Moretti, dietitian in the Sports Medicine division at Boston Children’s Hospital, will present “Nutrition for Optimal Health and Athletic Performance.” Moretti graduated from Rutgers University with a B.A. in economics. After six years on Wall Street, she decided to follow her true passion and completed an M.S. in clinical nutrition at New York University. In her position at Boston Children’s Hospital, she works closely with professional athletes and consults with teams about optimal nutrition and fueling practices. Moretti is an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the Greater Massachusetts Dietary Association, Nutrition Entrepreneurs Dietetic Practice Group, the National Eating Disorders Association, and the Sports, Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group.

Robin S. Vealey, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health at Miami University in Ohio. She will present “Strategies for Coaching the Mental Game.” She teaches courses in sport psychology, coaching effectiveness and children in sport, and she has received multiple teaching and mentoring awards. Dr. Vealey’s research focuses on self-confidence, burnout, mental skills training and coaching effectiveness. She has authored three books: Coaching for the Inner Edge, Competitive Anxiety in Sport and Best Practice for Youth Sport. She is also a Fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology and a member of the United States Olympic Committee Sport Psychology Registry. She has served as a sport psychology consultant for the U.S. Nordic Ski Team, U.S. Field Hockey, elite golfers and athletes and teams at Miami University.