Conference Report
Association for Applied Sport Psychology
Conference 2014
Gillian Cook & Cara Williams
Las Vegas, 15–18 October
T
HE Association for Applied Sport
Psychology (AASP) held its 29th Annual
Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada,
between 15–18 October 2014. The location
of the conference, on the doorstep of the
Las Vegas Strip, provided an exciting setting
for international scholars, early career
researchers, and practitioners to exchange
ideas and explore numerous topics within
sport and exercise psychology. The associa-
tion has grown rapidly over recent years,
evidenced by a record number of attendees
(1156), the introduction of ‘Five Slides in
Five Minutes’ presentations, and an addi-
tional poster presentation session. As space
precludes a detailed description of each
presentation, this review will present a brief
overview of the conference highlights.
An absorbing pre-conference workshop
was delivered by Kenneth Ravizza and
Angela Fifer on consulting excellence with
teams on a season-long basis. Aided by their
different ages/career stages, anecdotes, and
best practice advice was offered that was
appropriate and relatable for both advanced
and neophyte practitioners. The presenters
suggested that practitioners should be
passionate about their work, understand that
they are a small slice of a large pie, consult
with enough individuals on a team to make a
difference, and accept that some players and
coaches will not desire their services. The
workshop was concluded with advice for
young practitioners entering the field of
applied sport psychology. This included the
need to maintain athlete confidentiality,
develop patience, and understand that
98
different contexts require different
approaches.
The Coleman Griffith lecture was
presented by Keith Henschen, who shared
the numerous lessons he had learned from a
long and distinguished career in applied
sport psychology. The attendees were treated
to a fascinating insight into the world of
applied practice. Henschen spoke of the
cardinal skills of practice, and stressed that
the keys to a successful career were having a
referral network, a support group of peers to
discuss best practice ideas, and respecting
the coaches as they work ‘in the real world
and not in the theory’. Finally, he suggested
that sport psychologists should ‘work for the
players and be paid by the team’.
Building on the Coleman Griffith
lecture, the first keynote was delivered by
Kimberley Amirault-Ryan. This presentation
was particularly interesting because it
touched upon the experiences of a female
practitioner working within a male domi-
nated environment. She was the first woman
to be appointed as a performance consultant
with the New York Rangers and New York
Knicks, two of the largest professional sports
organisations in North America. Amirault-
Ryan spoke of her work with professional
and Olympic teams, beginning with a story
about her first meeting with the New York
Rangers on 11 September 2001. She also
described an incident with Theoren Fleury,
where she went above and beyond what was
expected of her as a performance
consultant. The keynote ended with anec-
dotes from her work with the Canadian
Sport & Exercise Psychology Review, Vol. 11 No. 1
© The British Psychological Society 2015

national team at the 2014 Sochi Winter
Olympic Games.
The International lecture, entitled
‘Blending research and applied work at the
highest level: Challenges, pitfalls and
rewards’, was delivered by Professor Anne
Marte Pensgaard. It was particularly useful to
early career researchers and practitioners
because she illustrated how her practice is
informed by her research, and her research
is informed by her practice. A core message
of her presentation was the need for sport
psychologists to be accredited at the
Olympic Games. This is because of the many
unanticipated issues that arise during the
Games.
Edward Deci gave a stimulating keynote
presentation that drew upon his Self-Deter-
mination Theory to promote optimal moti-
vation. He described numerous ways in
which coaches can foster athlete’s experi-
ences of autonomy, relatedness, and compe-
tence. In particular, he highlighted that they
can develop a needs supporting environ-
ment by offering relevant choices to athletes,
providing meaningful feedback, providing a
rationale for requested behaviours, mini-
mising their use of controlling language, and
focusing on indirect rather than direct
competition.
Drawing on their work at IMG Academies
in Bradenton, Florida, Taryn Morgan,
Vanessa Shannon, and David Hesse
presented an interactive and captivating
workshop on empowering female athletes.
The speakers described a programme that
they delivered to female athletes to promote
self-confidence, self-identity, and positive
body image. The programme teaches
athletes about the powerful impact of words
Sport & Exercise Psychology Review, Vol. 11 No. 1
Association for Applied Sport Psychology 2014
and labels, methods to effectively handle
feedback, and the multiple roles they may
occupy on a team. The speakers concluded
their presentation by discussing the poten-
tial pitfalls of social media and the need to
educate athletes about the appropriate use
of personal websites.
To conclude, Las Vegas provided a
thrilling backdrop for the lively, educational
and informative keynotes, workshops,
lectures, and posters that were presented
during the four-day conference. The confer-
ence provided a fantastic platform to share
and develop practice and research ideas, and
to engage with fellow practitioners. We are
certain that all of the delegates will be
eagerly anticipating the 30th Annual Confer-
ence in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 2015.
The Authors
Gillian Cook
Doctoral researcher and sport psychologist
in training (BPS Stage 2),
School of Sport, Exercise and
Health Sciences,
Epinal Way, Loughborough,
Leicestershire LE11 3TU,
United Kingdom.
E-mail: G.M.Cook@lboro.ac.uk
Cara Williams
PhD student,
School of Sport, Exercise and
Health Sciences,
Epinal Way, Loughborough,
Leicestershire LE11 3TU,
United Kingdom.
Email: C.Williams2@lboro.ac.uk
The authors contributed equally to this work.
99
Copyright of Sport & Exercise Psychology Review is the property of British Psychological
Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv
without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print,
download, or email articles for individual use.