Hello from the Florida Gym!

 

For the first time ever, we have a special gift for every member of our College community! No worries about it being the wrong size or color. No concerns about calories or food allergies. We won’t burden our overworked postal workers and there’s no wrapping paper to recycle. 

We’ve dodged the pitfalls of traditional gift giving by using this holiday season to premier our inaugural e-issue of  Performance . This is our latest effort to keep you abreast of activities at the College and across campus. You can expect to find a new issue in your inbox on a quarterly basis.  

In this e-newsletter, you’ll see highlights from the fall term. The Florida Gym is busier than ever. Our students are smarter and more involved, our professors continue to inspire in the classroom while making research discoveries that will change the world and our alumni continue to make us proud. Plus, you’ll get a sneak peek at plans for 2017, including an international conference on the future of tourism.

We hope you enjoy this first issue. More importantly, we hope you and your family have a bright and merry holiday season. Drop by the College in the new year and tell us about it. We’d love to see you. 

It’s no surprise that most people respond to rewards. We want rewards, we want a lot of them, and perhaps most importantly we want them now. It’s what make us choose a burger over a salad or staying home instead of hitting the gym. This innate desire for immediate gratification is often what makes it hard for humans to actually do what’s best for them in the long run. Overcoming this inclination to behave in ways that result in immediate reward with future consequences is influenced by delay discounting, and it’s the research focus of HHP’s new Associate Professor, Dr. Richard Yi.

Richard Yi, Ph.D. joined HHP earlier this year in the Department of Health, Education & Behavior. He comes to the College from the University of Maryland, College Park and previously the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Dr. Yi’s research looks to understand not only why we struggle to delay gratification but also how we can improve it.   Read More.

Batting a Thousand

Chris Gargani graduated from HHP in 1991 with a degree in Exercise and Sport Science. Since he graduated, his career path has taken him on a winding road that most recently brought him back to HHP to speak to students in the Sport Management program.  While this is not the same department he graduated from, his love for sport is what connected him to both.

Chris was an active athlete from a young age and always had an interest in working in the sport and entertainment industry. He played baseball in high school in Rockford, IL and started coaching various baseball leagues immediately after. While getting his degree at UF, he was actively involved with the University Athletic Association and the Gator Baseball program, where he assisted the clubhouse equipment manager with team operations on and off the field. He also coached the junior varsity baseball team at P.K. Yonge. Chris went on to do his student internship at the Cincinnati Reds spring training facility.

“I had a very early interest in working in the sport and entertainment industry,” says Chris. “I played a lot of sports when I was younger and as I got older started coaching and managing venues. My education through the Exercise and Sport Science degree with a specialization in Sport Management truly brought both my interests together and set me up for the professional success I have today.”

Read More.

If you walk through the stadium on a random lunch hour, you just might find an HHP student motivating a group of University faculty and staff with push-ups, burpees and other fitness drills.

Born and raised in Miami, Paggie Saintilien came to Gainesville in 2011 with several academic scholarships that equated to a full ride. While completing her Bachelor of Science in 2015 and starting her Master’s program, Paggie has also mentored students, volunteered as an HHP Ambassador and even established her own fitness company, Pegasus Fitness.

  >>> Click here to learn more about Paggie’s plans for the future, how she gives back to the UF community, and her remarkable entrepreneurial endeavors.

>>> Your gift makes a difference...consider a Year-End Gift to Your College 

When you make a gift to the College of Health & Human Performance, you support each and every student – everyday.  Click here to make a gift on or before December 31 to take advantage of tax benefits for the 2016 tax year. 

If you have any questions about philanthropy opportunities, or you'd like to volunteer your time with our students, please contact Lesley Thurston.

Thank you – and best wishes for a Happy New Year!

>>> Leave a Lasting Legacy

Personalized bricks in the Florida Gym Courtyard are the gift that lasts a lifetime. In honor of HHP's 70th Anniversary, bricks are $70 through the end of the year (normally $100). Order yours today!

>>> For more information, click here.

• New HHP website launch: March 2017
• Spring Awards Celebration: April 7, 2017
• UF Tourism Summit: April 26-27, 2017

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For letters to the editor or information on advertising in an upcoming e- Performance, email Christine Coombes,

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