Completed Event: Volleyball at Old Dominion on November 8, 2025 , Win , 3, to, 2 , (25-22, 21-25, 25-15, 23-25, 15-11)
VB
Final
James Madison
3
at Old Dominion
(25-22, 21-25, 25-15, 23-25, 15-11)
2
James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
Changing Minds Changing Lives
9/21/2022 3:00:00 PM | Student-Athlete Development
Each summer, several student-athletes spend time at JMU taking classes, training for their sport, working or doing an internship. This summer, the incoming football class was here getting situated with campus and what it takes to transition to becoming a JMU football student-athlete.
The NCAA requires that incoming football players have some type of educational component during their time on campus in the summer. This year, Student-Athlete Services teamed up with Dukes LEAD and JMU Sports Psychology to offer a five week/10-course program entitled "Changing Minds Changing Lives."
The program, designed to train these athletes for resilience, was offered twice a week during June and July to help incoming students develop skills and build relationships that will smoothen the transition to college academics and athletics.
JMU's 21 incoming first-year football athletes fostered coping skills, built upon their strengths, and cultivated connections with one another.
"This experience made me more open to share and be vulnerable with my teammates," Blake Kendall, a freshman quarterback from Florida said. "The overall takeaway was it was a good opportunity to connect with my new teammates on an emotional level. We were able to share personal experiences with each other much quicker than in a normal setting.
Lead facilitator, Parker Leap, a doctoral student using this course for his dissertation project, was especially excited by the opportunity to facilitate an innovative and growth-promoting transition to college experience for a diverse group of student-athletes.
"Student-athletes face unique challenges as they transition to college," Leap reflected. "Not only do they have to deal with greater academic challenges, but they also have to manage extremely high sport demands and expectations from others. This course offers coping skills, builds strengths, and cultivates social supports so that student-athletes can effectively navigate this trying time and other future moments of adversity. For me, it was an honor and privilege to witness the growth of these young men individually and collectively. Their consistent engagement and openness throughout the process was refreshing and I believe allowed them to form lasting connections that will sustain them throughout their collegiate careers. They truly are a remarkable bunch with unlimited potential."
During each class, participants wrote on the resilience-based topic of the day and subsequently, shared aloud their writings in small groups. What was an initially anxiety-provoking activity, the guys bonded by discovering unexpected similarities, laughing together, and acknowledging each other's strengths. For their final projects, participants showcased their learnings in creative fashion. From PowerPoints to poems, they identified their strengths and new coping skills in a fun and engaging manner.
"We stressed to be present where your feet are," Leap explained. "These athletes learned different exercises to ground them in the present moment and more generally, deal with stress. Overall, most enjoyed having a few moments to relax their bodies and minds during their grueling preseason."
JMU Athletics hopes to build upon this offering and ideally be able to provide a similar opportunity for all incoming student-athletes in the future, setting them up for success while at JMU.
The NCAA requires that incoming football players have some type of educational component during their time on campus in the summer. This year, Student-Athlete Services teamed up with Dukes LEAD and JMU Sports Psychology to offer a five week/10-course program entitled "Changing Minds Changing Lives."
The program, designed to train these athletes for resilience, was offered twice a week during June and July to help incoming students develop skills and build relationships that will smoothen the transition to college academics and athletics.
JMU's 21 incoming first-year football athletes fostered coping skills, built upon their strengths, and cultivated connections with one another.
"This experience made me more open to share and be vulnerable with my teammates," Blake Kendall, a freshman quarterback from Florida said. "The overall takeaway was it was a good opportunity to connect with my new teammates on an emotional level. We were able to share personal experiences with each other much quicker than in a normal setting.
Lead facilitator, Parker Leap, a doctoral student using this course for his dissertation project, was especially excited by the opportunity to facilitate an innovative and growth-promoting transition to college experience for a diverse group of student-athletes.
"Student-athletes face unique challenges as they transition to college," Leap reflected. "Not only do they have to deal with greater academic challenges, but they also have to manage extremely high sport demands and expectations from others. This course offers coping skills, builds strengths, and cultivates social supports so that student-athletes can effectively navigate this trying time and other future moments of adversity. For me, it was an honor and privilege to witness the growth of these young men individually and collectively. Their consistent engagement and openness throughout the process was refreshing and I believe allowed them to form lasting connections that will sustain them throughout their collegiate careers. They truly are a remarkable bunch with unlimited potential."
During each class, participants wrote on the resilience-based topic of the day and subsequently, shared aloud their writings in small groups. What was an initially anxiety-provoking activity, the guys bonded by discovering unexpected similarities, laughing together, and acknowledging each other's strengths. For their final projects, participants showcased their learnings in creative fashion. From PowerPoints to poems, they identified their strengths and new coping skills in a fun and engaging manner.
"We stressed to be present where your feet are," Leap explained. "These athletes learned different exercises to ground them in the present moment and more generally, deal with stress. Overall, most enjoyed having a few moments to relax their bodies and minds during their grueling preseason."
JMU Athletics hopes to build upon this offering and ideally be able to provide a similar opportunity for all incoming student-athletes in the future, setting them up for success while at JMU.
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