ROGERS UPDATES

Newberry College is located 44 miles northwest of Columbia, South Carolina. Their 2016 football team became the 16th team in the 42-year history of the South Atlantic Conference to win the conference title by going undefeated in league play.

One of the best kept secrets of their recent success is their dynamic Strength and Conditioning Coach Erik Schwager. Erik a graduate of Lock Haven University has a Master’s in Exercise Science from California University of Pennsylvania. Erik has coached at Princeton, South Florida, Michigan State, Hartford and for baseball's minor leagues. Bringing these experiences and his personal drive to Newberry has helped shape the entire athletic department's fitness programs in a positive direction.

Having a Master's in Exercise Physiology is commendable and is a measure of one's knowledge, yet adding to one's resume a Master of Barbecue is an entirely different story! Each year Erik puts on a strength and conditioning barbecue at his home for coaches around the USA. The idea is to meet one another, enjoy the afternoon in a relaxed atmosphere and talk shop. Because it is conversational all coaches and athletic trainers in attendance have input. Everything is low key and the interchanges are filled with experiences, coaching techniques and the latest research in exercise science.

The food ranges from pulled pork, ribs, brisket, barbecued drumsticks, burgers, to special salads.  Erik without question is a great coach and without question the number one 'Strength Coaching Chef' in America. Whether you love coaching or not, try to get to the Schwagger barbecue for at least the dining. It is hard to discern which is better the learning experience or the food.

This year 18-20 male and female coaches from Florida, Michigan, North Carolina and South Carolina attended and discussed head, neck and jaw training, the mechanics of running form relative to physics and limb weight, zero velocity and it's effect on the muscle-tendon junction as well as the art of coaching.

A few of the coaches and athletic trainers hanging out in the backyard before getting ready to overeat.

Information flow in social settings has been studied for decades. We go to particular places for various reasons and end up sharing information, when we speak others add to the discourse and build upon it. Though this seems intuitive, it has led to 'information grounds theory' and the scholarly study of 'Information Behavior.'

Information behavior researchers have aligned 'Place' as relative to learning and identified that location, space, and culture are fundamental to information sharing. In 1989, Ray Oldenburg published the Great Good Place, usually a required reading if you are in a college enrolled in the School of Information. Reading Oldenburg helps you understand the significance of hanging out with good company and the transformation that occurs learning in this environment.

 Erik Schwager has developed the social setting for constructive dialogue so watch for this event next summer and don't miss.