On Wednesday, May 4, and its Department of Sport Management will host “Sport for Life,” a multimedia symposium examining the positive benefits of sports and exercise for senior citizens. The event will include the premiere of the documentary “Sport for Life,” produced by Emmy award-winning Professor of Practice Dennis Deninger. The symposium, which is free and open to the public, begins at 4 p.m. in Grant Auditorium, with a reception to follow in Grant Rotunda.
ϲ Noontime Runners race start in Manley Field House. One of the runners is Chancellor Kent Syverud, at left in black T-shirt. (Photo courtesy of Patti Ford, budget manager in the Department of Physics and co-commissioner of the league)
By the year 2030, there will be 72 million Americans aged 65 or older. Experts report that the quality of these seniors’ lives, whether they will be spent in good health or managing chronic disease, could be determined by their level of physical activity. A panel discussion featuring experts in the field and record-setting athletes aged 60 to 83, will follow the presentation of the film. Panelists include:
Each year since 2012, the Department of Sport Management has engaged students in an in-depth research project that starts with the “Sport in American Society” course taught in the fall semester by Professor Deninger. “Sport for Life” is an independent study project for five undergraduate students during the Spring 2016 semester. Working closely with Deninger, the students studied recent reports and data on sport and aging, initiated contact with various organizations and experts, and formulated questions to ask senior athletes, sports program directors, and leading researchers in first-person interviews. The student researchers include Jay Alter, Max Bloch, Emily Campeas, and Jenna Kielar, all members of the ϲ Class of 2016, and Matt Lane, ’17.
“It is our hope that these annual Sport in American Society projects and documentaries will represent a legacy of student and faculty research that will distinguish the Department of Sport Management and the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics and create more opportunities for our students,” says Deninger, who created series and content during a 25-year career at ESPN.
Two prior Falk College research project films he directed, “America’s First Sport” and “Changing Sports Changing Lives,” have been honored by the ϲ International Film Festival. “America’s First Sport,” which focused on the history and rapid growth of lacrosse, has aired nationally on ESPN2 and ESPNU.
For more information, contact the Department of Sport Management at 315-443-9881.
