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Colby-Sawyer College's Exercise and Sport Sciences Symposium Focuses on Youth, Health and Sport

NEW LONDON, N.H., March 6, 2013 – Colby-Sawyer College will host the 22nd Annual Exercise and Sport Sciences and Athletics Symposium, focusing on Youth, Health and Sport, on Monday, March 18, 2013, in Wheeler Hall at the Ware Student Center. The symposium will include presentations on sport-related concussion, the significance of sports nutrition for youth and ACL injury prevention. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and lectures are free.

The first session, “Sports Related Concussion,” begins at 9:15 a.m. with Susanna Gadsby, B.S.N., and explores the signs, symptoms and testing methods of concussion and identifies ways to lower the risk to youth. Gadsby is the registered nurse coordinator for Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center's (DHMC) Department of Orthopedics, where she co-developed DHMC's sports concussion program with Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth professor Art Maerlender, Ph.D. An advocate for concussion patients and a supporter of coordinated care in communities, Gadsby regularly educates healthcare professionals throughout the state on youth concussion awareness and prevention.

After a short break, Brooke de Lench '72 will present “The Making of the Documentary: The Smartest Team” at 9:55 a.m. As executive producer and director of “The Smartest Team,” de Lench documented the successful implementation of a concussion management program by an Oklahoma high school football team. Prior to the symposium, the public is invited to a free screening of the documentary on Sunday, March 17, at Clements Hall in the Curtis L. Ivey Science Center at 7 p.m.

In addition to filmmaking, de Lench is the author of the critically acclaimed Home Team Advantage: The Critical Role of Mothers in Youth Sports, and the founder of a top youth sports parenting web site, MomsTEAM.com. Her site provides parents of young athletes with a wide array of health, safety, nutrition, hydration and sport-specific information, including ways to prevent sexual and emotional abuse. As a respected speaker on youth sport safety, de Lench has made numerous appearances on national television shows, contributed to major newspapers, been quoted in magazines such as Time and Good Housekeeping. She was a recent roundtable participant at the Aspen Institute in Washington, D.C., on the future of youth and high school football.

At 11:05 a.m., Jennifer Sacheck, Ph.D., will present “Youth Exercise and Sport: Relevance of 'Sports' Nutrition?” Dr. Sacheck's research ranges from studies on the effects of nutrition and exercise on muscle physiology in young and older adults to the effects of physical fitness, nutrition and obesity on stress and cardiometabolic risk factors in youth. Dr. Sacheck's community-based research includes “The Daily D Health Study” funded by the National Institute of Health, and “The FIT Study (Fitness and Metabolic Health),” sponsored by the American Heart Association.

Dr. Sacheck is an assistant professor in the John Hancock Research Center on Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity Prevention at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and a scientist in the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at the Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. She is an active member of the American College of Sports Medicine as well as the Obesity Society and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist. Dr. Sacheck has authored several reports on childhood obesity in New England and currently serves on the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Physical Fitness and Health Outcomes in Youth.

After lunch, Dr. David Barlow and Aimee Burnett will present “Life Event: Emergency Management Plan – ACL Injury.” They will focus on the basics of ACL prevention training and the general concepts associated with biomechanical aspects related to ACL injury and prevention training. In addition, there will be a 40-minute lab session designed to instruct participants in practical warm-up routines and exercises designed to protect individuals against ACL injury.

Dr. David Barlow is a graduate from the Institute of Health Professions at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Mass., where he received his master's degree in physical therapy and completed his clinical doctorate. Dr. Barlow has worked with sports and orthopedic injuries for more than 12 years and has been recognized as an orthopedic clinical specialist for the past 10 years through the American Physical Therapy Association. Aimee Burnett is a graduate of Springfield College with a master's degree in physical therapy. She currently works with patients in the outpatient orthopedic department at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

Reservations for the symposium are required. A buffet luncheon will be served at 12:10 p.m. and will cost $15 for professionals and $10 for students and senior citizens.

For reservations or more information, contact Administrative Assistant Terri Hermann at (603) 526-3616 or thermann@colby-sawyer.edu.

To learn about the Exercise and Sport Sciences Program at Colby-Sawyer College, visit www.colby-sawyer.edu/ess/index.html.


Colby-Sawyer College is a comprehensive college that integrates the liberal arts and sciences with professional preparation. Founded in 1837, Colby-Sawyer is located in the scenic Lake Sunapee Region of central New Hampshire.

Colby-Sawyer College, 541 Main Street, New London, N.H. 03257 (603) 526-3000