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Europe Mayterm

Dear current and prospective Kinesiology majors,

I would like to give you an update on our last Europe Mayterm trip (2005) and provide tentative details for the upcoming Mayterm 2007 trip. It was a fantastic trip! Twenty students and two professors spent nine days on campus and thirty-one days traveling throughout Europe. We offered a total of eight units of credit.

Students took our Special Popluations course, International Issues in the Sport Sciences, and one unit of physical education credit. It was a trip of a lifetime for students and faculty alike. This was the third trip the Kinesiology department has directed and the culmination of a decade long dream by our former department chair, Crystal Jorden, to expose students to the top sport science facilities and faculty in Europe.

Let me give you a general feel for what was experienced on the 2005 trip. They began in England, spending time first in fascinating London and then in the surrounding countryside. They visited the British Museum, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Big Ben and the Tower of London. They took a side-trip to Cambridge on the way to visit the premier university in England in the sport sciences. I was able to host the group (since I was studying there on my sabbatical) along with Dr. Clyde Williams, an exercise physiologist known throughout Europe for his research on nutrition. Dr. Williams along with two Ph.D. students spoke to our group about their sport science research and the university’s significant contributions to sport and sports science in the UK.

They then boarded a plane to Stockholm, Sweden and enjoyed the wonderful scenery and hospitality of this far northern country. They spent a day at the oldest university in the world for physical education and movement studies. Next stop was Berlin, Germany. Berlin is a city with an incredible history, both related to sport science and German politics. This was a rare opportunity to visit a city that was once divided and part of Eastern Europe. They had the incredible honor to listen to presentations by a noted former East German sport expert and the head of the International Sport Science Association. A highlight for students was a guided walk through Berlin, learning about the amazing history and politics of this city strategically located in the center of Europe. Their travels then took them to the city of Prague in the Czech Republic, a beautiful city and then on to Salzburg, Austria.

They finished their trip in fabulous Switzerland! They spent a number of days high in the Alps, hiking along beautiful mountain paths. Can you imagine a better spot for a physical education course? Unlike the typical tourist who simply gazes at the Alps from a distance, they rode cable cars up to the highest peaks and had a perfectly clear day to enjoy these famous mountains. The students loved staying in the mountain hotel high in the Alps, away from the beaten path. The wild flowers were in full bloom and the waterfalls at their peak! Next stop was the International Olympic Training museum in Lausanne. This is the most complete collection of Olympic history found anywhere in the world. The last few days of the trip were spent at Switzerland’s premier sport science educational facility, research center and Olympic training center. Our students attended class with Swiss students, gave presentations on sport and education in the United States, and enjoyed many of the recreational opportunities available, including mountain biking and windsurfing. After an exhilarating four weeks, they returned home with pictures, memories, and a broader cross-culturally enriched perspective.

As mentioned earlier, our next trip will take place during May of 2007. Sign-ups will begin Fall of 2006. The cost of our previous trip was $5700.00, which includes airfare, living expenses and tuition costs, and is the least expensive multi-country trip to Europe that Westmont offers. I would imagine that the cost of the next trip would be similar to the same cost. The itinerary of the next trip will include some of the sites mentioned above but will add visits to Italy, Poland and Scotland. Consider joining us for a wonderful time of study with Europe as our classroom. Travel, build relationships with students and professors, and gain an appreciation for cultural differences that can be best gained through first-hand experience.

Join us May 2007!

Gregg Afman and Chris Milner