Premier Sport Psychology is excited to welcome one of our Summer 2018 interns, Jordan Johnson!  Read below to learn more about Jordan.

Let’s start with a fun fact about yourself. 

I am a quarter Filipino.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

If I could travel anywhere, I would take a hiking trip to the Swiss Alps in Switzerland.

What is the best show you’ve watched on Netflix?

The Office (Netflix)

Game of Thrones (hands down the best show ever created)

What is your favorite song? Favorite artist?

Favorite Song – Take Me Home, Country Road by John Denver

Favorite Artist – Chris Stapleton

You are being sent to a deserted island you can bring one person and one item, who and what would you bring, and why?

If I was sent to a deserted island I would bring Mike Zimmer and a memory foam pillow.

If you could have one superhero power, what would it be?

If I had one superhero power I would want to possess the force from Star Wars.

When you were in Kindergarten, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was in Kindergarten I wanted to be a professional football player.

What is one thing that scares you?

I am deathly afraid of snakes!!

Favorite sport to play? How about to watch?

My favorite sport to compete in is the decathlon for track and field.

My favorite sport to watch is NFL football or NBA basketball during March Madness.

What is your experience with sports?

I grew up in a sports oriented family and have had experiences various sports. In high school, I was a linebacker and running back for the football team. I also competed as a sprinter and triple jumper for the track and field team. I am currently a student athlete at the University of St Thomas where I compete as a decathlete for the track and field team. In my spare time I love to bike, rock climb, play basketball, and play softball.

What has drawn you to the sports psychology world?

I first learned about sport psychology when I was watching an ESPN program about Michael Jordan. They had a sport psychologist on the television talking about Jordan’s flu game during the 1997 NBA finals against the Utah Jazz. The sport psychologist talked about Jordan’s mental toughness and his ability to perform under pressure. I was immediately drawn into the television, and the rest was history.

What is your educational background and future aspirations?

I am currently a junior at the University of St. Thomas where I am studying psychology and exercise science. I plan on attending graduate school for sport psychology, and I have aspirations to own a sport psychology practice.

Premier Sport Psychology is excited to welcome one of our Summer 2018 interns, Mehvish Safdar!  Read below to learn more about Mehvish.

Let’s start with a fun fact about yourself.

I am the only one in my family of five to have been born in the United States. My mom was born in Africa, my dad was born in Pakistan, my two sisters were born in England, and I was born in the United States.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I would want to go to Australia. It is one of the continents I have never been to and Melbourne, Australia hosts one of the four grand slam tournaments, the Australian Open! I have been to the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open, but I have not yet been to the Australian Open, which I hope to have the opportunity to experience one day. (Also , who doesn’t love an Australian accent!! )

What is the best show you’ve watched on Netflix?

The best show I’ve watched on netflix is One Tree Hill. I watched it in high school and became far too invested and emotionally attached to the show and characters. Also, after watching the show, I developed a major celebrity crush on Sophia Bush!

What is your favorite song? Favorite artist?

My favorite song is “She Will be Love” by Maroon 5. My favorite artist has always been and will always be Avril Lavigne (what better songs to karaoke to than Sk8er boy and Girlfriend).

You are being sent to a deserted island you can bring one person and one item, who and what would you bring, and why?

I would bring my childhood best friend because we can make it a good time anywhere doing anything. If I could bring one item, I would bring my tennis racket and a tennis ball (I think that counts as one item) because I have been entertaining myself with a tennis racket and tennis ball for nearly 21 years so I think I could entertain myself with those items for a little while longer.

If you could have one superhero power, what would it be?

If I could have one superhero power, it would be to read minds, because I love  trying to understand people, but we all know that can be difficult at times.

When you were in Kindergarten, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a journalist because I have always had a passion for writing!

What is one thing that scares you?

One of the things that scares me the most but also provides me with great excitement is fear of the unknown. Not knowing what lies ahead of me and what the future holds is probably one of the scariest feelings but also one of the most adrenaline-filled feelings.

Favorite sport to play? How about to watch?

My favorite sport to play and watch is tennis (shocker!).

What is your experience with sports?

I grew up playing a multitude of sports but I decided early on that I wanted to focus on pursuing tennis. I was practically “born with a racket” and I have grown up playing at the national and international level. I also played Division I college tennis at the University of Minnesota and just recently graduated.

What has drawn you to the sports psychology world?

As a competitive athlete, I quickly learned that there is another very critical component to sports aside from the technical and tactical aspect- the mental side of sports. I have learned that attending to this mental side of sports can greatly optimize athletic performance. This area has often been overlooked in the past, but I am happy to say that I have experienced and witnessed the growing demand and prioritization of mental skills training and the field of sports psychology which I hope to contribute to.

What is your educational background and future aspirations?

I am a recent graduate of the University of Minnesota, attaining a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in Neuroscience. I will be attending the University of Denver starting this fall in pursuit of a Master’s in Sport and Performance Psychology. Once I complete graduate school, I plan to attain a PsyD or a PhD to put me on track in becoming a sports psychologist.

 

Premier Sport Psychology is excited to welcome one of our Summer 2018 interns, Michael Hinckley!  Read below to learn more about Michael.

Let’s start with a fun fact about yourself.

I am the middle child of 7 with 3 brothers and 3 sisters.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I would love to visit some of the sights in the Austrian/Swiss Alps region.

What is the best show you’ve watched on Netflix?

Black Mirror.

What is your favorite song? Favorite artist?

Favorite song right now 1985 by J. Cole but favorite artist in Kendrick Lamar.

You are being sent to a deserted island you can bring one person and one item, who and what would you bring, and why?

I would bring with me Edward “Bear” Grylls because he would know how to survive in the most comfortable way on top of serving as a pretty interesting person to live with. The item would be a photo album of every person and every place that I love back at home because it would provide me with the emotional connection to my past life that I would desperately need.

If you could have one superhero power, what would it be?

Invisibility. I would love to get to experience a number of things without people/animals knowing I was present.

When you were in Kindergarten, what did you want to be when you grew up?

NBA player. Most likely not happening at this point, but I always keep my phone on during Draft Night.

What is one thing that scares you?

I am very afraid of drowning. The feeling of almost drowning makes me extremely uncomfortable.

Favorite sport to play? How about to watch?

I actually love playing soccer and felt like I enjoyed it more than basketball at times in high school. I love watching hoops, but more so NCAA and the Olympics than the NBA.

What is your experience with sports?

I grew up playing every sport I possibly could, ranging from basketball to swimming to tennis, among others. I was a serious soccer player before I transitioned to devoting more of my efforts to basketball around the start of high school. I played soccer, basketball, and lacrosse (2 years) in high school and eventually committed to Dickinson College for basketball. I love the aspect of competition that a sport brings and I’ve always naturally craved the feeling of winning in anything, whether it’s a league championship or a game of checkers. Also, as I’ve gotten older I’ve come to appreciate and enjoy the relationships and closeness with others that a team sport fosters. My best friends from high school and college are, for the most part, teammates of mine who share all the positive, negative, and challenging experiences of playing on a team together.

What has drawn you to the sports psychology world?

I became interested in psychology in general after I took a social psych course my freshman year of college, and then I first heard about sports psychology during an internship panel the following year. I began reading more books about the subject and contacted various sports psychologists to ask about their careers and the field in general, and then eventually began to believe that I could be successful in this profession. Once I became aware of sports psychology issues, I began to see that I had some level of performance anxiety/nervousness, and also noticed a lot of other issues in my teammates and peers. I know of some athletes that had to take time off from school because of mental health issues, and so I have seen there is a clear need for mental health professionals to work with student-athletes. It is very encouraging to see some of these top athletes coming forward and acknowledging their personal struggles with mental health, which helps to normalize others’ experiences and show that everyone, at any level, is susceptible to mental health issues.

What is your educational background and future aspirations?

I will be graduating from Dickinson College in 2019 with a degree in Psychology and Economics. I plan to attend a master’s program in Sports Psych immediately following graduation, and then am hoping to enroll in a doctoral program following that. I would love to become a licensed psychologist and be able to work in either a college athletic department setting or a private practice setting much like Premier. From all accounts, it seems as though the field is growing quickly now and there is rapidly becoming more and more acceptance and promotion of providing mental health services and performance enhancement counseling to athletes at all levels. It is encouraging both from a future employment standpoint and from a mental health destigmatization perspective.