This past weekend I attended a professional development conference, Region III Lead-On, with many of my coworkers. This conference is basically a smaller version of the national NIRSA conference for people looking into professional development or positions/careers in Campus Recreational Sports. I was so excited to bring 4 of my Group Exercise leaders along to this conference and I hope that they got a good idea of what Campus Rec is all about.
Being away for two days on a figure diet is not easy...
(This was my meal plan for the weekend)
The conference was held at The Ohio State University and their recreation center was definitely impressive! I think all of the undergraduates we brought with us had a great experience.
As for myself, I did have one experience at the conference that I would like to quickly post about. It was an extremely moving moment for me. At the conference, there are presentations throughout the two days that relate to professional development in the field. Many of the presentations are put on by students in the field and have to do with finding a graduate assistant position, perfecting your resume, job search strategies, etc.
Sometimes, there are presentations about one specific area in recreational sports like Intramural Sports or Fitness. One presentation was about Group Exercise and Personal Training and how you can use skills from one to assist with the other and make it more effective. This topic definitely caught my eye as I had actually presented last year at Midwest Fit Fest on Using Group Exercise Skills in your Personal Training Sessions. My presentation was half lecture, half workout and showed many trainers and group exercise leaders the benefits of using counting, small equipment, drills, etc. from Group Exercise to make your training sessions stand out.
The presentation at Lead-On this past weekend was very similar to mine, though it was in lecture form as we were all in business casual attire. There was one interactive portion that everyone seemed to really enjoy. The presentation was a lot of fun and definitely a success. I decided to walk up to one of the presenters at the end and introduce myself. Both presenters were Senior undergraduate students from Purdue University. I approached one of the presenters and let her know how much I had enjoyed her presentation and that I had actually presented on the same topic last year at Midwest Fit Fest. She immediately stopped and said "It's you!" At this point I am confused and she goes on to tell me that she and some of her co-workers and supervisors attended my presentation last year at Fit Fest and it was the inspiration for this presentation. Further more, it was her inspiration to begin looking into working in Personal Training and then finding methods to improve the experience for herself and her clients. She said she had left my session "Changed" and she was blown away by what I had presented at that conference.
This may not seem like much to some people, but this was one of the most powerful experiences I have had in my professional development. By presenting at a small fitness conference on a topic that was very important to me, I had inspired someone else to begin a new career path and present at a regional professional development conference. She had then inspired the 40 or so people in that room who can then each inspire someone else.
I remember leaving my presentation last year thinking it pretty successful, but really just dwelling on how I could have presented the material better. Was I speaking too fast? Did I forget any points? I don't recall really thinking, "I sure hope this inspires someone and improves their professional career path forever." And NEVER did I think, "I hope this was powerful enough to inspire someone else to pass the information and inspiration on to others in the field."
But I now see that is what it is all about! THIS is the reason I am in the field I am. THIS is the reason I worked my BUTT off through undergrad and carried all those jobs and volunteered my time at the Rec Center. THIS is the reason I decided to change my life when I was a teenager. The reason I took that GED and wrote that letter to IU. The reason I spent my entire undergrad working in as many Fitness jobs as I possibly could, trying to pay for tuition and fees. The reason I took the GRE, applied for Grad School, interviewed for those graduate assistant positions, and landed the position I am in today.
Because if I can change just ONE person's life, it is all worth it. I would do it all over again and again and then some. Because when ONE person changes, OTHERS see that change and they are MOVED by it. Moved to take charge of their own lives and to then pass the inspiration on to others. And the torch is continuously passed until the world begins to change!
Yes, I would say that the conference was a huge success. That one moment meant so much. I will never forget how it felt to have an impact on someone else. I hope I can continue to do so in everything I do. I pray that God will continue to use me to do His will and that I am always open and ready to carry it out.
