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Drawing on clinical and research experience, TrueSport Experts offer practical and evidence-based insights and guidance to help coaches, parents, and other sports influencers embody and teach young athletes about Sportsmanship, Character Building & Life Skills, and Clean & Healthy Performance.

Meet the Experts

Kevin Chapman, PhD headshot.

Kevin Chapman, PhD

Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Founder Kentucky Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders

Dr. Matthew Fedoruk.

Matt Fedoruk, PhD

Chief Science Officer U.S. Anti-Doping Agency

Dr. Deborah Gilboa headshot.

Deborah Gilboa, MD

Board-Certified Family Physician, Founder AskDoctorG.com

Ian Goldberg headshot.

Ian Goldberg

Founder and CEO, iSport360

Nadia Kyba headshot.

Nadia Kyba, MSW, RSW

Registered Social Worker, Founder NowWhatFacilitation.com

Michele LaBotz headshot.

Michele LaBotz, MD, FAAP

Associate Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine/MaineHealth

Laura Lewis.

Laura Lewis, PhD

Director of Science, U.S. Anti-Doping Agency

Stephanie Miezin headshot.

Stephanie Miezin, MS, RD, CSSD

Registered Dietitian, KC Current Director of Nutrition

Melissa Streno headshot.

Melissa Streno, PsyD

Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Lantern Psychology

Charron Sumler headshot.

Charron Sumler, PhD, LPCC

Sport Psychotherapist, The Ohio State University, Department of Athletics

Past TrueSport Expert Bios

Betsy Butterick headshot.

Betsy Butterick

Coach and Communication Specialist

David Conant-Norville headshot.

David Conant-Norville, MD

Physician, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Mind Matters, P.C.

Sophia Herzog headshot.

Sophia Herzog

Team USA Paralympian Para Swimming

Landsharks Running Club logo.

Lori Hill

Executive Director Landsharks Running Club

Noah Hoffman headshot.

Noah Hoffman

Team USA Olympian Cross-Country Skiing

Alicia Kendig headshot.

Alicia Kendig, MS, RD, CSSD

Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics U.S. Olympic Committee

John Kessel headshot.

John Kessel

Director, Sport Development USA Volleyball

Roberta Kraus headshot.

Roberta Kraus, PhD

Sports Psychologist Center for Sports Psychology

Sally Roberts headshot.

Sally Roberts

Founder Wrestle Like a Girl

Celia Slater headshot.

Celia Slater

Founder & Athletics Strategist True North Sports

Amanda Stanec headshot.

Amanda Stanec, PhD

Founder, MOVE+LIVE+LEARN

Youth Development
Researcher & Writer

Trevor Tierney headshot.

Trevor Tierney

President and Co-Founder LXTC Lacrosse Training Center

Travis T. Tygart headshot.

Travis T. Tygart

Chief Executive Officer U.S. Anti-Doping Agency

Kristen Ziesmer headshot.

Kristen Ziesmer, MS, RDN, CSSD, LDN

Registered Dietitian, Founder Elite Nutrition & Performance

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Kevin Chapman, PhD

Kevin Chapman, PhD headshot.Kevin Chapman, PhD
Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Founder
Kentucky Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders

Dr. Chapman is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, founder and director of the Kentucky Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders (KYCARDS) where he specializes in the assessment and treatment of anxiety and related disorders. Dr. Chapman is a Diplomate and Certified by the Academy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (A-CBT), and is a internationally recognized expert in the implementation of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety and related disorders. Additionally, Dr. Chapman serves on the Editorial Board for the Oxford University Press Treatments That Work treatment series, which includes evidence-based treatment protocols for training mental health professionals and treatment workbooks to assist clients throughout treatment. Dr. Chapman is also known for his expertise as it relates to the intersection of multiculturalism and mental health. Similarly, Dr. Chapman has published numerous papers in scientific journals and has written several book chapters. Dr. Chapman is a Faculty member for the Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI) for the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) and serves on its Clinical and Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Chapman serves on several Editorial Boards including the Journal of Anxiety Disorders and Clinical Child and Family Psychologist Review. Additionally, Dr. Chapman is a Media Psychologist and regularly contributes to and serves as a consultant for multiple media outlets including A&E and other production companies. Most recently, Dr. Chapman was the Program Expert on the hit series My Strange Addiction: Still Addicted as well as Seasons 1 and 2 of A&E’s hit show 60 Days In. Dr. Chapman has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, US News and World Report, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, NBC Health, Bloomberg Business Week, Men’s Health, and numerous other outlets including the Nick News documentary Worried Sick: Living with Anxiety, a feature on adolescent anxiety. Dr. Chapman previously served as an Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology. Dr. Chapman completed a BS in Psychology from Centre College, a MS in Clinical Psychology from Eastern Kentucky University, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Louisville.

Professional Sports Background

Dr. Chapman also serves as a Mental Health Expert for TrueSport, a subsidiary for the United States Antidoping Agency (USADA) and is a recognized expert in sports performance and mental health, particularly in the areas of anxiety and emotion regulation in athletes. Dr. Chapman also serves as the Team Psychologist for the Louisville City Football Club (USL) and the Racing Louisville Football Club (NWSL) and regularly appears on numerous podcasts that highlight the necessity of mental skills in sports as well as navigating performance anxiety. Dr. Chapman previously served on the Performance Team for the University of Louisville Department of Athletics.  Dr. Chapman was a two-sport collegiate athlete (track and field, football) and was inducted into the Centre College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2020.

Matt Fedoruk, PhD

Dr. Matthew Fedoruk.Matt Fedoruk, PhD
Chief Science Officer
U.S. Anti-Doping Agency

Dr. Fedoruk joined USADA in 2011 as Science Director and is responsible for providing scientific expertise to drive USADA’s science, testing, results management, and supplement areas. As a member of the Organizing Committee for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, he managed anti-doping testing, education, and laboratory analysis challenges before and during the Winter Games. He holds a Ph.D. in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine from the University of British Columbia and is an avid outdoor enthusiast, enjoying the endless sunshine and high-altitude training in Colorado with his family.

Deborah Gilboa, MD

Dr. Deborah Gilboa headshot.Deborah Gilboa, MD
Board-Certified Family Physician
AskDoctorG.com

Resilience expert Deborah Gilboa, MD, aka “Dr. G” works with families, organizations, and businesses to identify the mindset and strategies to turn stress to an advantage. Renowned for her contagious humor, Dr. G works with groups across multiple generations, to rewire their attitudes and beliefs, and create resilience through personal accountability and a completely different approach to adversity. She is a leading media personality seen regularly on TODAY, Good Morning America and The Doctors. She is also featured frequently in the Washington Post, The New York Times, Authority Magazine, and countless other digital and print outlets.  Dr. G is board certified attending family physician and is fluent in American Sign Language. She lives in Pittsburgh with her four sons. 

Ian Goldberg

Ian Goldberg headshot.Ian Goldberg
Founder and CEO
iSport360

Ian Goldberg is the Founder and CEO of iSport360, a youth sports technology company that is changing the culture in youth sports for over 3.5M athletes, coaches and sports parents.   Ian’s career started at the White House where he worked for the economic advisors to two US Presidents and then spent more than half of his career in digital product management and sales for early-stage technology companies.  Outside of his role leading iSport360, Ian is an Advisory Board member for the National Alliance for Youth Sports and is the Editor of the biggest and fastest-growing newsletter in youth sports.  But most of all Ian loves his role as a #GirlDad and as a volunteer sports coach for his two daughters.

Nadia Kyba, MSW, RSW

Nadia Kyba headshot.Nadia Kyba, MSW, RSW
Registered Social Worker
Founder NowWhatFacilitation.com

Nadia Kyba is a Registered Social Worker and earned a master’s in social work from the University of British Columbia. A widely respected expert in the field of conflict resolution, Kyba’s experience spans more than 20 years within the Provincial Child Welfare system and more recently in the private and not-for-profit sectors. Her passion for training and conflict management has led her to design and facilitate interventions and workshops for sports associations, not-for-profits and businesses to build stronger teams through conflict management coaching and training.

Kyba is the founder and president of www.nowwhatfacilitation.com, an organization that provides teams with the skills to effectively manage conflict, increasing productivity, retention, and overall success. She is currently the Safe Guarding Officer addressing maltreatment in sport with viaSport British Columbia. Her specializations include conflict management, child maltreatment, facilitation, consultation, and course instruction.

Kyba is also the author of THIS IS HOW WE ROLL: A Coaches Guide to Transforming Conflict into High Performance, as well as two practical and easy-to-use workbooks: THIS IS HOW WE ROLL: Team Building through Conflict Management in Sport and THIS IS HOW WE ROLL: Team Building through Conflict Management in the Workplace.

Kyba is a lifelong athlete with a deep love of sport. She believes that involvement in organized sport provides children, youth, and adults the opportunity to gain positive experiences that can impact all areas of their life.

Michele LaBotz, MD, FAAP

Michele LaBotz headshot.Michele LaBotz, MD, FAAP
Associate Professor
Tufts University School of Medicine/MaineHealth

Dr. Michele LaBotz, MD, FAAP, is a sports medicine physician with extensive experience caring for athletes across all levels of competition. Her expertise spans nutrition and supplement use, injury prevention, physical literacy, and mental health in young athletes. She frequently speaks nationally and writes on these topics, having co-authored the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) clinical report on the use of performance-enhancing substances in young athletes. Dr. LaBotz previously served as policy coordinator for the AAP’s Executive Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness and now serves on the board of directors for both the Maine Chapter of the AAP and the Taylor Hooton Foundation. She is currently the medical director for the athletic training program at the University of New England and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine.

Dr. LaBotz completed her premedical training at the University of Michigan and the University of California, Irvine, before earning her medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School. She trained in pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Maine Medical Center, followed by a sports medicine fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Afterward, she served as a team physician and helped establish the sports medicine fellowship at the University of Hawai’i before returning to Maine with her family.

Dr. LaBotz is also a co-creator of Physical Literacy for All Youth in Maine (PLAY ME), a program that promotes physical literacy assessment and development in both community and medical settings. Her current research interests include examining barriers to sports and physical activity participation among young females, as well as studying the effects of medication on strength training.

She lives on Cousins Island in Yarmouth, Maine, with her husband, a retired golf professional, and their daughter, a former competitive gymnast.

Laura Lewis, PhD

Laura Lewis.Laura Lewis, PhD
Director of Science
United States Anti-Doping Agency

Dr. Lewis joined USADA in 2020 as the Director of Science and provides scientific expertise across USADA’s science, testing, results management, and education programs, while also leading and managing the Athlete Biological Passport testing programs. Laura gained her PhD in Exercise Physiology in 2011 and comes to USADA after 10 years working in the Australian High Performance Sport System. Laura loves all things sports and outdoors, with a particular interest in the physiology associated with extreme environments, as well as the equine athlete. In September 2021, Laura moved to Colorado Springs with her husband, three children, and her very excitable Hungarian vizsla. The family is looking forward to enjoying all the wonderful things Colorado has to offer.

Stephanie Miezin, MS, RD, CSSD

Stephanie Miezin headshot.Stephanie Miezin, MS, RD, CSSD
Registered Dietitian
KC Current Director of Nutrition

Stephanie Miezin is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics with experience in both dietetics and culinary arts. She is passionate about improving the health and performance of athletes through nutrition education and by making performance fueling delicious and fun. She has a Bachelor’s in Culinary Nutrition from Johnson & Wales University and a Master’s in Medical Dietetics from Ohio State University. She has worked for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, helping fuel Team USA athletes at Olympic and Pan American Games and at the Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado. She has helped fuel athletes in the Tampa Bay Rays baseball organization, Ohio State University, and international soccer athletes. Stephanie has led organizational nutrition strategy and a team of dietitians as Director of Nutrition at the health and wellness resort company Canyon Ranch. She is currently the Director of Nutrition for the NWSL team, KC Current. Outside of work, Stephanie enjoys getting creative in the kitchen, making pottery, and outdoor adventures with her dog Coco.

Melissa Streno, PsyD

Melissa Streno headshot.Melissa Streno, PsyD
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Lantern Psychology

Dr. Melissa Streno earned a PsyD in clinical psychology (2015) and an MA in sport and performance psychology (2010) from the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Professional Psychology. She completed her pre-doctoral internship training with Psychological Resources for OU Student-Athletes (PROS) at The University of Oklahoma. Upon moving back to her native city of Denver, Colo., Streno completed her postdoctoral fellowship within an eating disorder treatment program focusing on developing and leading a track designed specifically for athletes. She spent three years as a primary therapist in the eating disorder partial hospitalization program before venturing into full-time private practice with Lantern Psychology as a licensed psychologist in Colorado. She continues to teach as an Adjunct Professor in the Sport and Performance Psychology Program at the University of Denver as well.

Streno is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology and has consulted with youth, high school, collegiate, elite, and Olympic athletes from a variety of sport and performance domains, including dancers and musicians, as well as those active in a business setting. Areas of expertise include, but are not limited to eating disorders, disordered eating, body image distress, anxiety, depression, and life/relationship transitions. Additionally, she helps those leaving a performance realm maintain valuable parts of their identity and connect with purpose to develop a genuine relationship with food, exercise, and their body.

 

Charron Sumler, PhD, LPCC

Charron Sumler headshot.Charron Sumler, PhD, LPCC
Sport Psychotherapist
The Ohio State University, Department of Athletics

Dr. Charron “CT” Sumler serves as the Assistant Director of Sport Psychology and Wellness Services at The Ohio State University. She earned a PhD in Counselor Education from Ohio State (2024) and an MA in Counseling from Texas State (2014). In her current role, Dr. Sumler provides individual clinical services, mental performance training, and coach/staff consultation within Ohio State athletics. Dr. Sumler is passionate about creating sport cultures that are safe for all athletes and ensuring that marginalized student-athletes have a voice. She played four years of collegiate basketball and specializes in multicultural counseling, trauma, anxiety and depression.

Betsy Butterick

Betsy Butterick headshot.Betsy Butterick
Coach and Communications Specialist

As a former coach with experience in DI, DII, DIII, and the WNBA Betsy utilizes her unique background with individuals ready to improve and teams of all kinds – from the locker room to the boardroom.

As “The Coaches’ Coach” she meets coaches where they are and supports the growth that they’re looking to make. As a Communication Specialist, Betsy helps teams improve communication effectiveness while working collaboratively to create positive change at all levels of team.

Professional, playful, and with a talent for people-centric design, Betsy offers a personal and experiential approach towards learning and development.

A life-long athlete, Betsy grew up playing all sports and was a competitive basketball player (and awful golfer) at the collegiate level. She now spends her time in North Carolina with her wife and two daughters cycling, hiking, exploring, practicing yoga, chasing sunsets and in constant pursuit of the perfect breakfast burrito.

David Conant-Norville, MD

David Conant-Norville headshot.David Conant-Norville, MD
Physician, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Mind Matters, P.C.

Dr. David Conant-Norville is a board certified general, child, and adolescent psychiatric physician and co-founder of Mind Matters PC. He has been honored by the American Psychiatric Association as a Distinguished Life Fellow and by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry as a Distinguished Fellow. As a member of the Mind Matters PC management team, Dr. Conant-Norville currently serves as Clinical Director and Vice President.

He majored in Human Biology at Stanford University and returned to Oregon to attend medical school at Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU).

Dr. Conant-Norville has a passion for sports psychiatry and has given many lectures at national psychiatric meetings, as well as authored multiple articles on the role of psychiatry in establishing health youth sports experiences. He is particularly interested in sport as a treatment modality for psychiatric illness. Dr. Conant-Norville currently serves on the board of the International Society for Sports Psychiatry (ISSP), as Outreach Director and as chair of the ISSP Youth Sports Committee.

Dr. Conant-Norville is a psychiatric consultant to the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), as well as the PGA and LPGA Tour Anti-Doping Program. He also serves on the expert panels for the National High School Coaches Association and TrueSport.

Sophia Herzog

Sophia Herzog headshot.Sophia Herzog
Team USA Paralympian
Para Swimming

A resident of the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center, Paralympian Sophia Herzog first made the national team in 2015 and won four medals at the 2015 Parapan American Games. She soon after competed in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, where she went on to win a silver medal in the 100m breast stroke. Sophia has since won five medals at the 2017 World Championships, including two gold medals.

Lori Hill

Landsharks Running Club logo.Lori Hill
Executive Director
Landsharks Running Club

Lori Hill got her start with the Landsharks Running Club in Colorado Springs, Colo. as a coach and race director. In 2017, Hill became an Executive Director of the Landsharks Running Club alongside Jackie Bell.

An alumnus of the University of Colorado, she grew up participating in many youth sports, but ultimately found running to be her true passion. She enjoys teaching kids to learn to love running and helping coaches maximize their potential as community leaders. Hill believes it takes a village to raise a child and recognizes it is something special to be trusted by the thousands and thousands of Landsharks families as a part of their village.

Noah Hoffman

Noah Hoffman headshot.Noah Hoffman
Team USA Olympian
Cross-Country Skiing

A two-time Olympian in cross-country skiing, Noah Hoffman was first named to the U.S. Ski Team in 2008 and soon realized success with his first National Championship win in 2012 and a podium at the Under-23 World Championships. He achieved another career highlight with a final stage win during the 2013-14 Olympic Season at the Opening World Cup Tour in Kuusamo, Finland, where he became the first American male since 1983 to win a World Cup level event. Noah has since competed in the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, and the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Alicia Kendig, MS, RD, CSSD

Alicia Kendig headshot.Alicia Kendig, MS, RD, CSSD
Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics
United States Olympic Committee

Alicia Kendig is an U.S. Olympic Committee sport dietitian. Since 2011, she has provided performance nutrition consulting to the summer strength and power sports athletes, as well as the winter sport athletes. Throughout her career, Kendig has worked with many National Governing Bodies and USADA to educate athletes on performance nutrition and dietary supplements. She continues to help athletes achieve performance goals through well-planned nutrition strategies. Kendig holds a bachelor’s degree in nutrition and a master’s degree in public health nutrition from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

John Kessel

John Kessel headshot.John Kessel
Director, Sport Development
USA Volleyball

John Kessel has been at USA Volleyball (USAV) since 1985 and is currently Director of Sport Development for USAV and World ParaVolley.

Kessel is an FIVB Level IV Instructor and USAV CAP Level V Cadre member and secretary of the NORCECA zone Development Commission. He has been coaching since 1971 at the collegiate level or above and is a sought after international lecturer, podcaster, and author, conducting thousands of seminars and clinics in all 50 states and nearly 60 different countries. In 2013, the American Volleyball Coaches Association inducted him as their 60th ever member of the AVCA Coaches Hall of Fame.

Roberta Kraus, PhD

Roberta Kraus headshot.Roberta Kraus, PhD
Sports Psychologist
Center for Sports Psychology

Roberta V. Kraus is President of the Center for Sports Psychology in Colorado Springs, Colo. Her international reputation comes from extensive experience designing and implementing specific mental training programs about peak performance, team leadership, developmental coaching, group dynamics, communications, and motivation.

Kraus was the Sports Psychologist for the USA Men’s and Women’s National Wheelchair Basketball teams, who both won the Gold medal at the Paralympic Games in 2016.  She also facilitates the Athlete Career Education P.I.V.O.T.  (Consistent Top Performance with Life after Competition) workshops for upcoming and current retirees for both Team USA Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

She has recently co-authored a new portable deck of coaching cards utilized to help develop coaches’ effectiveness. In addition, she has designed a mental training drill book for coaches and athletes to assist them in customizing a specific mental training program for their athlete(s) throughout the competitive season.

Sally Roberts

Sally Roberts headshot.Sally Roberts
Founder
Wrestle Like a Girl

Sally Roberts is a former elite wrestler, a former combat veteran, and sport psychology consultant who founded Wrestle Like A Girl™ on the premise that girls can do anything and that through sport, they can realize their full potential.

Roberts is a 3-time national champion, 2003 World Cup Champion, 2003 & 2005 World Bronze Medalist and a 2008 Olympic Alternate. She served six years in the Army as a Special Operations soldier where she volunteered for deployment to Afghanistan. She was also a member of the Army’s prestigious World Class Athlete Program and represented both the U.S. Army and Team USA in elite athletic competitions.

Roberts is the 2016 Women in Sport Award recipient on behalf of United World Wrestling and the International Olympic Committee. She is a board member of USA Wrestling, the United States Olympic Committee Youth Development Working Group and the Association for Applied Sports Psychology. She is an athlete ambassador for TrueSport, the grassroots organization for the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from University of Colorado – Colorado Springs and a Master of Arts degree in Sport and Performance Psychology from University of the Rockies.

Celia Slater

Celia Slater headshot.Celia Slater
Founder and Athletics Strategist
True North Sports

Celia Slater is the owner and founder of True North Sports. She is a nationally-recognized leader committed to providing professional development opportunities for coaches of all sports interested in pursuing both excellence in their profession and bridging the gap toward gender equality for both coaches and players.

Slater is equipped with nearly 30 years of unmatched experience in college athletics as both an organizational head and a collegiate basketball coach, most recently serving as co-founder and executive director of both the NCAA Women Coaches Academy (WCA) and The Alliance of Women Coaches (The Alliance).

Amanda Stanec, PhD

Amanda Stanec headshot.Amanda Stanec, PhD
Founder, MOVE+LIVE+LEARN
Youth Development Researcher & Writer

Dr. Amanda Stanec was born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada where she attended and played soccer for St. Francis Xavier University. 

Upon moving to the US, she attended Virginia Commonwealth University where she attained a Masters of Science with an emphasis in Physical Education and Sport Psychology. Completely devoted to her field, she enrolled in a PhD program in Kinesiology within the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia where she was recognized as the outstanding doctoral student in her graduating year. Amanda was honored as the 2016 young alumna of the year by St. Francis Xavier University.

Further achievements include the publication of more than twenty articles as well as co-authoring several book chapters related to physical education, sport, health, and wellness topics. She has served on the Board of Directors for Physical and Health Education (PHE) Canada and is well-respected for her contributions as Lead Writer for provincial wide physical education curriculum, university kinesiology and teacher education courses, and youth sport leadership and positive youth development programs. Most recently, Amanda has led projects on behalf of the International Olympic Committee, the Association of the Summer Olympic International Federations, Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation, United World Wrestling, NFL Play 60, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and PHE Canada. She continues to travel extensively to educate and inspire through her relatable and humorous keynote presentations.

Trevor Tierney

Trevor Tierney headshot.Trevor Tierney
President and Co-Founder
LXTC Lacrosse Training Center

Trevor Tierney is the President and Co-Founder of LXTC Lacrosse Training Center, established in 2009, which runs youth and high school lacrosse programs throughout the year, including DU Pioneers Camps and Clinics, Denver Elite, Denver Pride Club Teams, USBOXLA Denver Box Lacrosse, and Goalie Evolution Academy.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Princeton (2001) and a master’s degree in psychology from Harvard Extension School (2018).

In 2009, Trevor joined his father Bill Tierney at the University of Denver and coached there for five seasons. He was instrumental in helping lead the Pioneers to three NCAA Final Fours and a NCAA National Championship title in 2015 through his work with the defense and goalies.

Tierney is a two-time All-American, Academic All-American, and 2001 NCAA Goalie of the Year at Princeton University, where he won two Division I National Championships. He is the only goalie in the history of the game to have won an NCAA Championship, an ILF World Championship, and an MLL Championship.

In 2012, he was inducted into the New Jersey Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

 

Travis T. Tygart

Travis T. Tygart headshot.Travis T. Tygart
Chief Executive Officer
U.S. Anti-Doping Agency

Travis T. Tygart became USADA’s Chief Executive Officer in September of 2007. In his 15 years working with USADA, he has also served as the Director of Legal Affairs and as Senior Managing Director & General Counsel, during which time he prosecuted cases on behalf of clean athletes before the American Arbitration Association and the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

As CEO, Tygart works closely with the USADA Board of Directors to carry out the organization’s mission of preserving the integrity of competition, inspiring true sport, and protecting the rights of clean athletes. Tygart has also reached out and made himself available to many Olympic athletes, embracing them as an essential part of the fight against doping.

Tygart’s tenure as CEO also produced the groundbreaking research on the importance of true sport: “What Sport Means in America,” and the “TrueSport Report.”

Over the course of his career, Tygart has been recognized by Sports Illustrated as one of the 50 Most Powerful People in Sports, named to the TIME 100 list of Most Influential People in the World for 2013, and deemed one of the Top 12 World Sports Personalities of the Year by Sport Intern. He has also been named one of the World’s Most Influential Sports Personalities by Inside Sport, and as one of the Colorado Lawyers of the Year by Colorado Law Weekly.

Kristen Ziesmer, MS, RDN, CSSD, LDN

Kristen Ziesmer headshot.Kristen Ziesmer, MS, RDN, CSSD, LDN
Registered Dietitian
Elite Nutrition & Performance

Kristen Ziesmer, MS, RDN, CSSD, LDN, is a registered dietitian, board-certified specialist in sports dietetics, and a certified personal trainer. Ziesmer earned her undergraduate degree in dietetics from the University of Maryland and her master’s degree in nutrition and dietetics from SUNY College at Oneonta.

After graduate school, Ziesmer worked as the campus dietitian for the University of South Carolina, educating students on eating for their sport, weight management, eating disorders, and other health conditions. She was part of the eating disorders task force and took on the role of developing the program, “Carolina BeYoutiful.” She also worked as the sports dietitian for Apex Athletic Performance, where she counseled young athletes and athletes preparing for the NFL draft.

Ziesmer later went on to fulfill her dream of opening a private practice, Elite Nutrition & Performance, in 2012. Through her practice, she works with a variety of athletes, including middle and high school athletes, adults competing in endurance sports, and professional athletes, to teach them how to fuel their bodies for optimal health and performance through an evidence-based, food-first approach.

Goal-Setting Lesson Video Transcript

Hi. I’m Trevon, Trey, Jennifer. Team USA wheelchair basketball player, paralympian, and true sport athlete. Today, I want to talk to you about goal setting. And there are three things that I would like you to know. First, successful athletes set goals and a planned roadmap. Second, goals should be written down, assessed over time, and changed if necessary. And third, goals need to be challenging in order to be worthwhile. As a freshmen at Edinboro University, I was a part of a team that made the national championship game. And at that time I recognized I was the low man on the totem pole, but I felt in my heart that I knew my dreams were so much bigger than winning a national title. I wanted to make Team USA. I knew what achieving my lofty goal was not going to be easy and that I would need to work hard every day.

So, as a reminder, I created a pyramid of goals that I kept right above my bed. This pyramid reminded me of the accomplishments that I was working towards and visually represented my need to create a solid foundation underneath me before reaching the top. In the bottom roll of my pyramid of goals I listed goals such as obtaining my bachelor’s degree, becoming a scholar athlete award recipient, and becoming an All-American. The middle row listed winning a national title and playing for a professional team. And at the top row, the most challenging of them all, I listed becoming a gold medalist for Team USA.

By understanding that there are smaller stepping stones to achieving my ultimate goal of being on Team USA, I was able to stay motivated and to stay focused on completing the smaller stepping stones fully before moving onto the next one. Now I’ll be the first to admit that not every goal that I listed on my pyramid was accomplished, but seeing my goals every day when I went to bed, I was able to push through the days that I felt like doing nothing in hopes of achieving the bigger picture. Remember, create a clear goal roadmap, assess your goals often, and continue to challenge yourself. I hope that you never stopped dreaming big or reaching for the stars. And I look forward to seeing where your roadmap takes you.

THE SIMPLE TRUTH: DECODING THE SUPPLEMENT INDUSTRY VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

At first glance, dietary supplements look the same. They seem safe and healthy, but just because the label says a product is a dietary supplement, that doesn’t mean it’s safe. Unfortunately, you can’t tell whether a product is safe or not just by looking at the label. Most vitamins, minerals, fish oil, and other supplements containing nutrients are probably just fine, but supplements are not evaluated or approved by FDA before they are sold. Although it is rare for vitamins or minerals to be contaminated with drugs, there has been at least one case of a vitamin containing an anabolic steroid.

At the other extreme are products that contain drugs, stimulants, anabolic steroids, or other hormones. Even though these are not technically dietary supplements, many of them are labeled as supplements. For example, body-building products sometimes contain anabolic steroids or Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators, known as SARMs, or other hormones. Some pre-workout or energy products contain illegal stimulants like DMAA, ephedra, or other amphetamine-like stimulants. Weight loss products might contain prescription drugs like sibutramine, or hormones, like human chorionic gonadotropin, also known as hCG. All natural or herbal sexual enhancement products might contain hormones or Viagra-like drugs. Products like these can harm your health and career, but they’re for sale online, in some nutrition stores, and they’re labeled as dietary supplements.

When you pick up a supplement, especially one that promises performance enhancement, you don’t know if it belongs in the “Mostly O.K.” pile or in the “Dangerous” pile. After all, two products might look the same, but one might contain just amino acids and other legitimate ingredients, while the other also contains anabolic steroids. Because of this, FDA has issued a warning about certain categories of supplements: body building products, weight loss products, and sexual enhancement products. Be extremely careful when considering a supplement in one of these categories. We strongly recommend that you avoid products in these categories.

Even when FDA tests supplements and finds dangerous ingredients, companies sometimes refuse to recall them. Sometimes, they simply repackage their product and continue selling it under a new name. Just because a product is on a store shelf doesn’t mean it is safe. You need to do your research and be an informed consumer. The dietary supplement industry is enormous. Supplements that appear to be safe could actually be dangerous products in disguise. If you use dietary supplements without doing your research, you may be taking serious risks with your health and your career. Please visit USADA’s Supplement 411 for more information about dietary supplements.

What Kind of Coach Do You Want to Be? Video Transcript

Edwin Moses: You’re a coach. Maybe what you want is very simple, for everyone to just run in the right direction, score for their own team, to try and try again and again. Maybe you want your athletes to become all stars. You want them to earn trophies, medals, win titles. You want them to reach the highest height their sport allows. And wanting all of that, of course, that’s good. But as every great coach discovers, developing a great athlete means nurturing, nurturing the even greater person within. Truth is, you have even more influence than you know.

You have the ability to affect even deeper change, to take what’s in your hands and do something even more extraordinary. You can be both the coach who provides the skills needed to win the game and the coach who helps them learn and succeed beyond the sport, to become all stars wherever they land in the future, and to enjoy their lives more now, because the confidence and courage they find working with you will stay with them when they need it the most. There are games to be won, lives to change. Coaches have the power to do both.

I’m Edwin Moses, and the lessons I’ve learned through sport have challenged me, guided me, and shaped my life forever. What kind of coach do you want to be?

A Good Sport Lesson Video Transcript

Hi, I’m Izy Isaksen, Team USA, Modern Pentathlon, Olympian, US Army Sergeant, and True Sport Ambassador. Today, I want to talk to you about being a good sport. There are three things I’d like you to know. First, real winners act the same toward their opponent, whether they win or lose. Second, follow the rules and be a gracious winner and respectful loser. And third, sportsmanship reveals your true character.

I started competing in Modern Pentathlon eight years after my older sister and three-time Olympian, Margaux Isaksen, began competing. I soon realized that people often compared the two of us. I would overhear spectators and teammates asking, “Who’s the better athlete,” and “Who’s going to beat the other.” Instead of letting outside pressures create a negative experience for us, I chose to practice winning and losing with grace and respect. I know that it would have been easy to let our hyper competitive mindset affect our relationship, but instead we decided to support and cheer for each other, regardless of our own performance. My experience of competing against and being compared to my older sister, taught me to focus on how to perform at my best, rather than putting wasted energy into wishing for others to fail.

I believe that sportsmanship reveals true character. So, no matter what situation I encounter during competition, I know it’s important to always treat people with respect and be a good sport. Remember, be a fierce competitor, find grace in all your victories and losses. And I hope to see you out there.

Body Image Lesson Video Transcript

Hi, I’m Kara Winger, Olympic javelin thrower, and true sport athlete. Today I want to talk to you about body image and I have three things I’d like you to know. First, healthy thoughts often lead to healthier bodies. Second, there are varying body types and no one’s body is exactly like another. And third, true beauty goes deeper than the skin. As a multi-time Olympian, I’ve experienced a lot of variation and progression in my training. My coaches and I adapt to my training frequently, all with the goal of supporting my long-term success and health in the sport of javelin. I’m talking to you about body image today because sometimes even with the best of intentions and a common goal in mind, the changes you make to your training habits can prove to be detrimental if made for the wrong reasons. In the lead up to the 2012 Olympic trials, I was told in order to improve my performance on the field, I should try to become a leaner, skinnier version of myself.

So I changed my diet. I went along with what I was being told to do, even though I’d had great success at a slightly heavier weight and higher body fat percentage, and became much leaner than ever before. It seemed like a successful change at first, but I didn’t have nearly the results I’d had before. And I believe becoming leaner than my body naturally wanted to be was what caused my ACL to tear. In the end, it cost me heavily going into the 2012 London games. The takeaway for me, and hopefully for you, is that it’s important to know what works for you and your body and to not compare yourself to others. You should do your research and experiment with your diet to find what makes you feel the best, rather than focusing on what you look like. Today, if I feel like having a chocolate chip cookie, I have one, just not every day.

I’ve learned what a properly balanced meal for my body looks like and I recognize food as the fuel that keeps me throwing. I hydrate and allow myself time to recover. And I listen to and communicate with my body so that I can be the best version of myself. In the end, you are in control of how you see, treat, and respond to your body. We only get one and it’s amazing to discover how many things our bodies can do. Be a true sport athlete. Love who you are in this moment and get excited for all the places your body will take you.