Health, exercise focus of lecture series

A series of free lectures will highlight fitness advice from how to select running shoes to healthy food selection.

The lectures, part of Southern Wesleyan University’s Health and Exercise Lecture Series will be offered at the university’s main campus in Central, in Folger Fine Arts Auditorium.

The first in the series, “Running Related Injuries and Shoe Selection,” Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. will feature Skip Hunter, owner and director of Clemson Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation.

The second lecture, “Food Choices for your Personal Health and the Health of the Planet,” will be presented by Dr. Frank Powell, professor of Health and Exercise Science at Furman University, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m.

“Overweight and Obesity: How to Make the Connection that Movement is Knowledge,” will be the final lecture, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. The speaker will be Gwen Massey, president of the South Carolina Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.

Hunter, the first guest lecturer, earned his bachelor’s degree in physical therapy in 1978 from the Medical University of South Carolina while simultaneously earning his certification in athletic training from the National Athletic Trainers Association. His career history as an athletic trainer spans college as well as professional arenas.

As a trainer for eight years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Hunter worked with the football team as well as the field hockey, wrestling, tennis, track and gymnastics programs. In 1989, 1990, and 1994, Hunter served as trainer for the U.S. Soccer Program with the under-21 team in France, with the under-16 team in France and with the World Cup team versus Trinidad in the U.S. He furthered his career as head trainer for the Charlotte Rage arena football team in 1991 and later served as trainer at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Combining his knowledge of athletic training and physical therapy, Hunter teaches continuing education courses throughout the country and has published numerous articles in journals including The National Athletic Trainers’ Journal, The Physician and Sports Medicine, The Journal of Orthopedics and Sports Physical Therapy and The Journal of the American Physical Therapy Association. He has also co-authored two books: Foot Orthotics for Sport and Therapy and How to Become a Physical Therapist.

Southern Wesleyan University’s second guest lecturer, Powell, joined the faculty of Furman University in 1974. He teaches nutrition and specializes in gerontology.

A native of Kentucky, Powell earned his undergraduate degree from Georgetown College, his master’s degree from the University of North Carolina and a Ph.D. in movement science from Florida State University. He completed post-doctoral studies at UCLA.

Paraphrasing the words of Powell’s close friend and mentor Dr. Ray Wylie, a premier senior athlete who died in 1995 at age 84, Powell said he is most concerned that as prosperous Americans, we finance our most productive working years with the physical capital of our youth.

When we fail to regularly invest in the proper care and maintenance of our bodies, Powell said, we find ourselves physically bankrupt before our time. His lecture will focus on the fuel we provide our bodies.

The third lecturer, Gwen Massey, earned her bachelor’s degree in physical education from the University of South Carolina at Spartanburg and her master’s degree in education at Furman University. She is president of the South Carolina Alliance for Health Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. She has been an integral part of the Elementary Physical Education Assessment Writing Team for the State of South Carolina Department of Education, writing and piloting many performance indicators, criteria for assessment, rubrics and testing protocols.

Massey has organized a variety of activities at Northside Elementary in Seneca, where she taught for 11 years. Jump Rope For Heart, recess walking programs, individual fitness journals and individualized report cards are a few of her projects to stimulate fitness awareness in children. She was awarded the 2002 SCAPES Founders Award for Teaching Excellence at the Elementary Level and received National Board certification in 2003. She also received National Board certification in physical education in 2003.

She currently serves as the assistant principal at Pendleton Elementary School, as well as an adjunct professor at Southern Wesleyan University.

Southern Wesleyan University