While the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, will capture the nation\u2019s attention in February, East Stroudsburg University graduate Brendan Wall is already working to help develop the next Bode Miller or Ted Ligety.<\/p>\n
For Wall, what started as an internship with the U.S. Men\u2019s Alpine Ski Team helping to prepare America\u2019s top young ski racers for future Olympics, turned into his dream job this fall.<\/p>\n
A 2011 ESU graduate and master\u2019s candidate in exercise science, Wall was hired as the strength and conditioning coach for the men\u2019s alpine ski team\u2019s C and D divisions \u2013 the program that trains elite, young racers on track to compete in World Cup skiing and the Olympics.\u00a0On Saturday, November 2, Wall left for the ski team\u2019s Copper Speed Center at Copper Mountain in Colorado where the C and D teams are training.<\/p>\n
From there, Wall, 24, will travel with the teams on the NorAm and Europa Cup circuits to Switzerland, Austria, France, Vermont, Canada and Slovakia for the International Ski Federation\u2019s Junior World Championships.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m beyond excited,\u201d Wall said. \u201cThis is basically my dream come true. I\u2019m pretty sure I\u2019m one of the youngest guys to ever be employed by the [United States] Ski Team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wall said his ESU bachelor\u2019s degree in physical education and health education, plus his graduate work in exercise science were the keys to getting him the internship later being offered a permanent position.<\/p>\n
ESU\u2019s Shala Davis, Ph.D., chairwoman of the department of exercise science, said Wall\u2019s academic background, combined with his dynamic personality, work ethic and great communication skills made him an excellent choice for the highly-competitive internship and job.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe teach in the graduate program that you need to play to your strengths and that\u2019s exactly what he did,\u201d Davis said. \u201cI think it goes back to the fact that he went through a one-year accelerated program where you have to sink or swim.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wall stepped up, balancing a graduate assistantship with course work and other responsibilities while demonstrating the motivation and enthusiasm, essential components to working with elite athletes, Davis said.<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t hurt that Wall, from Warwick, N.Y., has been skiing since age 5, was a member of his high school\u2019s ski racing team and taught skiing at Jack Frost Mountain in Blakeslee while he was an ESU student.<\/p>\n
Wall started his graduate internship at the Center of Excellence in Park City, Utah, in April where he was under the supervision of Alex Moore, then the United States Ski and Snowboard Association\u2019s strength and conditioning coordinator. During Wall\u2019s stint there, Moore was lured away to be the high performance director of the NBA\u2019s Cleveland Cavaliers. That meant Wall had to take more responsibility in running strength and conditioning workouts and performance testing with the young skiers, who are mostly ages 18-21.<\/p>\n
His skills caught the attention of Sasha Rearick, the head coach of the men\u2019s alpine ski team. When Rearick offered him the job as the C and D teams\u2019 strength and conditioning coach, Wall jumped at the chance.<\/p>\n
Wall has completed most of his course work for his Master of Science degree and plans to finish within the next year.<\/p>\n
For more information, contact Davis at 570-422-3336.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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