The 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London begin Friday, July 27, 2012, and end Sunday, Aug. 12, 2012. College of Charleston faculty experts are available to comment on a number of Olympics-related issues, including medical topics, sports performance, sports operations, Olympic values, and more.
Additionally, two current College of Charleston students will be competing in the London Games. Senior Andrew Lawrence (London, England) will be playing for the Great Britain men’s basketball team and senior sailor Juan Maegli (Guatamala City, Guatamala) will represent Guatamala in the laser class for the second-straight Olympic Games after having participated in 2008 in Beijing, China. Watch Andrew Lawrence talk about the opportunity.
Athletic Training/Performance
Steve Bamel, Director of Sports Performance
305.803.9565
Steven Bamel worked from 2007 through 2009 at the United States Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., as the Strength and Conditioning Coordinator. He implemented and designed sport specific training programs, and supervised individual and group training sessions for all the athletes. As well as teaching the athletes on proper strength training and Olympic weightlifting technique, Bamel managed the strength and conditioning coordinators at the other Olympic Training Centers. Bamel has also worked in the Minnesota Twins minor league organization and as a director at the Hardball Baseball Training Academy in Miami, Fla. Bamel is certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Association and the National Strength Professionals association, is in his third season at the College of Charleston.
Steve can comment on:
- Nearly any aspect of sports performance
- Operations and Olympic training philosophies
Carwyn Sharp, Assistant Professor in Health and Human Performance
713.922.6618 or sharpc@cofc.edu
Carwyn Sharp completed his PhD in Clinical Nutrition working at NASA’s Johnson Space Center as the exercise countermeasures project scientist. After three years at NASA, Dr. Sharp came to the College of Charleston where he teaches sports nutrition and various hands on exercise classes while also conducting research on skeletal muscle adaptations to exercise and nutrition. Dr. Sharp is a runner and has coached athletes for speed, power and endurance in numerous sports for over 15 years. In his research, coaching and own training he emphasizes the importance of both high intensity and resistance training.
Carwyn can comment on:
- peaking for competition
- marathon running
- track and field
- high-intensity training/performance
- muscle adaptation
- cardiac performance
- Taekwondo (he coaches two Olympic trials members)
- triathalon
Mike Flynn, Professor/Department Chair of Health and Human Performance
843.953.7291 or flynnmg@cofc.edu
Michael G. Flynn completed his Ph.D. in Human Bioenergetics in 1987 at Ball State University. Flynn taught and conducted research for 10 years at the University of Toledo and 12 years at Purdue University before moving to the College of Charleston in 2009. Flynn teaches research design and analysis, exercise physiology, sport physiology and marathon training. He is also in the first semester of a Freshman seminar called: Sport Physiology and the Cooper River Bridge run. Flynn is an avid runner and amatuer boat builder with a single kakay, tandem kayak and sailboat in his fleet.
Mike can comment on:
- peaking for competition
- marathon running
- muscle adaptation
- cardiac performance
Tim Scheett, Assistant Professor of Health and Human Performance
843.817.6008
Dr. Scheett is an assistant professor and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He earned his Ph.D. in Kinesiology from the University of Connecticut and completed a research fellowship at Ball State University. He is an Associate Editor for Nutrition & Metabolism and the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research and is on the Editorial Board for Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. He has published and presented in the areas of exercise immunology and endocrinology, resistance training, and sports nutrition.
Tim can comment on:
- muscle adaptation
- cardiac performance
- recovery
- nutrition
- peak performance
Holly Serrao, Manager of the Sports Counseling Clinic
serraohf@cofc.edu
Holly Serrao received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from The University at Albany, State University of NY, where she conducted research on addictive behaviors among student athletes. Since that time, Dr. Serrao has worked with college athletes both individually and as teams to help athletes learn & apply various mental aspects of sport performance. Currently, Holly is working for CofC’s Athletic Department as Sports Counselor and also teaching Applied Sport Psychology for the Psychology & Health & Human Performance Departments.
Holly can comment on:
- Sports performance anxiety
- Other sports-related issues
Sports Medicine
Susan Rozzi, Director of Athletic Training Education Program
Dr. Rozzi received her Ph.D. in Physiology and sports medicine from the University of Pittsburgh. She directs the College’s popular Athletic Training Education Program and teaches courses ranging from Evaluation of Athletic Injuries to General Medical Conditions in Athletics.
Susan can comment on:
- Sports medicine
- Injuries
Sport-Specific Experts
Greg Fisher, Director of Sailing
410.212.4916
Greg Fisher, a former All-American, has trained/coached athletes for the Olympic Trials and several World Championships. One of the most accomplished competitors in United States sailing history, Fisher has captured 21 North American or National Championships in seven different classes including the Lightning, Thistle and Flying Scot over the course of his expansive professional sailing career. A past World Champion in the J/22 Class, he most recently skippered to a first-place finish over 50 other teams to claim the J/22 North American Championship on Aug. 21, 2010, in Buffalo, N.Y.
Jason Kepner, Head Volleyball Coach
843.864.8779
Jason Kepner has competed in large international volleyball competitions and is very famililar with all the USA Olympic players on both the men’s and women’s teams. He has coached the Cougars since 2007 and built upon the legacy of one of the most successful programs in Southern Conference volleyball history. Kepner has led the Cougars to two NCAA Tournament appearances and has won the regular season or conference tournament title each of the past five years. Dating back to 2001, the Cougars have now won a SoCon regular season or tournament title for 11 straight years.
Business Aspects of the Olympics
Vince Benigni, Associate Professor of Communication
843.367.1596
Dr. Benigni received his Ph.D. in Mass Communication at the University of Georgia (UGA) in 1999. While at UGA, he served a three-year research assistantship with the prestigious George Foster Peabody Awards, considered the world’s premier broadcast award. A summary of his dissertation, a study of external communication strategies in sports heritage venues, was presented at the International Association of Sports Museums and Halls of Fame Conference in Fall 1999. Recently, he has had articles published about the impact of fan-based Internet sports communities in the Electronic Journal of Communication and the new handbook “Sports Media: Transformation, Integration, Consumption” after authoring a chapter about cable television in the Handbook of Sports Media.
Vince can comment on:
- Olympic history
