By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Five Willamette University student-athletes and Assistant Women's Lacrosse Coach Annie Longtain will attend the APPLE Institute in Newport Beach, California, from Friday, Jan. 24 through Sunday, Jan. 26.Student-athletes from WU who will be at the APPLE Institute are Molly Murphy-Brown (So., Sandy, OR/Sandy HS) from women's cross country and women's track and field, Kea Gier (Sr., 3B, Kaneohe, HI/Iolani School) from softball, Kyle Martz (Jr., DB, Salem, OR/ South Salem HS) from football, Andrew Kibbee (So., Kenmore, WA/Bothell HS) from men's golf, and Kelsey Wong (So., UT, Honolulu, HI/Punahou School) from softball. They will be joined by student-athletes from throughout the nation.
Participants in the APPLE Institute will learn about all aspects of student-athlete well-being. An emphasis will be placed on discussing the influence of drugs and alcohol on academic and athletic performance, and the need for mental health support. After learning about various aspects of student-athlete wellness, the participants from each institution will develop an action plan for student-athletes on their campus.
"I am interested in working with other schools and collaborating on ideas to prevent substance abuse," Wong commented. "I will bring back what I learn and implement it on campus, which will be very beneficial. I know I will learn a lot and gain new knowledge about student-athlete wellness and health. It should be a fun and informative experience."
"I am especially excited to talk about mental health issues in student-athletes, as I personally understand how it can affect athletic performance," Murphy-Brown said. "I think this conference will be a great way to inform ourselves and our peers about some of the most common problems were face in athletics, and hopefully find ways to solve these problems."
The APPLE Institute breaks up student-athlete wellness into various slices of an apple such as drug use, alcohol use, mental health, diversity and inclusion, etc. Groups are asked to focus one one or two "slices" and develop an action plan to be completed during the next 12 months. Hopefully many of the participants will be able to attend the APPLE Institute again next year to measure successes and find out how action plans were implemented at other colleges and universities.
"This is an amazing opportunity for me, not only to learn about student-athlete substance abuse prevention, but to increase my leadership abilities in order to promote what I have learned at APPLE," Kibbee said. "Expanding my education regarding student-athlete issues such as substance abuse can only help our golf team and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)."
"Attending this conference will help me expand my knowledge on the subject of drug and substance abuse for student-athletes," Gier noted. "I believe that with the information I learn, I can help the administration, coaches, and players better understand the consequences as well as inform the importance of recognizing substance abuse in athletes and how to find the right resources to help."
One element of an action plan is to involve recruits on campus visits, or first-year student-athletes soon after they arrive on campus. Campus visits provide an opportunity to show the support services that are available on campus and to encourage prospects to choose a particular college or university if they share a similar vision of campus life. Likewise, the success of any action plan will likely be greater if new students can understand and participate in the plan from their first few days on campus.
Martz is attending the APPLE Institute for the second year in a row.
"I am blessed to have the opportunity to return to this year's APPLE Institute in California," Martz said. "I was fortunate enough to attend last year's APPLE Institute in Orlando, Florida. The event was one of the most memorable experiences of my college career. As the only (Willamette) student-athlete returning to APPLE, I am looking forward to our group excelling at this year's event. I plan to expand on the skills I have previously learned, and to report on the positive strides Willamette SAAC has taken since last year's training."
Along with Murphy-Brown, Gier, Kibbee and Wong, Longtain will be attending the APPLE Institute for the first time. She will provide leadership to Willamette's group, and will be able to help the group develop an action plan that involves coaches and administrators as well as student-athletes.
