Daniel Gould, Ph.D.  Dan is the Director of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports. A sport psychology specialist Dan has studied stress, burnout and motivation in young athletes, how high school coaches teach life skills to their players, talent development in children, and the role that parents play in youth sports. He is best known for his efforts to link sport science research to practice and practice to research and work as a coaching educator.

Larry Lauer, Ph.D. Larry is the Director of Coaching Education and Development for the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports. He has an undergraduate degree in psychology from Clarion University, and masters and doctoral degrees in exercise and sport science from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Larry is an active sport psychology consultant and researcher extensively studying violence and aggression in youth sport and best methods for teaching young athletes to manage their emotions in competition. He has also examined the role of parents in junior tennis success and ways to teach mental skills to young athletes. Larry has directed youth ice hockey programs and coached youth baseball. He is an Advanced Level USA Hockey coach.

Darcie Zubek, B.S. Darcie is the secretary for the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports. She has an undergraduate degree in psychology from Michigan State. In addition to her administrative duties, as a working mom Darcie provides a practical grounding to the work of the Institute.

  

Sarah Carson, M.S. Sarah is the 2004-2005 Institute for the Study of Youth Sports Wolgumth Fellow. A Kinesiology doctoral student specializing in sport psychology Sarah is studying social relations and hazing as they pertain to the youth sports experience. She has an undergraduate degree from Hartwick College and masters degree from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. An active mental training consultant has extensive experience teaching team building both in athletics and business settings.

Bob Benham, Ph.D. Dr. Benham is an Assistant Professor of Kinesiology at MSU, specializing in Teacher Education. He is also involved with the coaching education research and outreach efforts of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports. He has developed coaching education materials and conducted professional development programs in the U.S. and in Europe. His research interest lies in the examination of expert instructors' pedagogical practice. Bob spent 14 years as a K-12 educator/coach.

 

Marty Ewing, Ph.D.  Marty has been a faculty member with the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports since 1983. A sport psychology specialist, Marty has studied achievement motivation in young athletes, parental issues in
children's sports and ways to better provide sports experiences for underserved populations. An active sport psychology consultant and coaching educator, Marty has worked with countless numbers of young athletes and their coaches.
 

Gene Brown, Ph.D. Gene has been involved in sport as a participant, coach, and researcher. He is a biomechanist who has studied performance and injury mechanisms in youth sport. He has been a faculty member of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports since 1979. During this time, Gene has made numerous contributions to the Institute. These include being the editor and a primary author of Youth Soccer - A Complete Handbook that served as a template for four subsequent books in the youth sport series on coaching, an editor and author of the Program for Athletic Coaches' Education that has been used as reference manual for the PACE Program, and a clinician and instructor.

Ryan Hedstrom, Ed.M., ATC. Ryan is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Kinesiology studying sport psychology and growth and motor development with an emphasis in youth sports.  He has an undergraduate degree in athletic training from Manchester College and a masters degree in counseling from Boston University.  Ryan has worked with numerous athletes, teams, and coaches as a performance enhancement consultant and coaching educator.  Ryan has also focused some of his consultant work on helping injured athletes deal with psychological factors of rehabilitation.  His research focuses on coach-athlete interactions and coaching behaviors and development.

Mary Barron, M.S.  Mary Barron is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Kinesiology studying human growth, motor development, and athletic training. Mary has an undergraduate degree in biology and physical education with a concentration in athletic training from Longwood University. Mary earned a Masters degree in Athletic Training from Michigan State University. Mary has worked with all levels of athletes, from youth to professional. Mary's research areas are youth sports injury epidemiology and how injury rates are related to biological maturity, first aid and injury prevention knowledge of youth coaches, and the effectiveness of injury prevention programs.

John Powell, Ph.D. Dr Powell is the Director of Graduate Studies in Sports Medicine for the Department of Kinesiology and is a clinical athletic trainer at Michigan State University.  His responsibilities include coordination and the development of programs for the graduate athletic training education curriculum, injury prevention research and clinical supervisor for MSU wrestling and swimming. Dr. Powell has been an athletic trainer for thirty-five years and served as Research Chairman for the National Athletic Trainers' Association from 1977 to 1992. He also serves as a consultant for sports injury prevention and safety for the National Football League, the National Hockey League, the Big Ten Conference and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Dr. Powell's research efforts focus on the epidemiology of sports injuries and injury prevention at all levels of competition. He was awarded the 2000 William G. Clancy Jr. Medal for Distinguished Athletic Training Research and named a National Athletic Trainers' Association Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer for 2005.

Crystal Branta, Ph.D. Crystal has devoted her career to understanding how children and youth acquire and perform motor skills. Her research centers on the influence that physical growth and biological maturation have on the motor performance of children and youth from preschool through the adolescent years. Crystal has taught and coached in public schools and in youth sports settings in a variety of sports. She was involved in the original Youth Sports Studies that helped pave the way for the development of the Institute.

Back to the top