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Dr.
Ralph A. Vernacchia, Ph.D.
Department of Physical Education, Health, and Recreation
Director,
Center of Performance Excellence,
Western Washington University
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Ralph
Vernacchia, Ph.D. directs the undergraduate and graduate programs in sport
psychology at Western
Washington University,
as well as WWU's Center for Performance Excellence. He has presented
extensively on variety of sport psychology topics throughout the nation and
co-authored four sport psychology textbooks, including “Inner
Strength” which was published in 2003. He is a fellow and
certified consultant of the Association for the Advancement of Applied
Sport Psychology (AAASP).
Dr.
Vernacchia serves as a performance consultant to the Western Washington
University Athletic Department and is a former Chair of the Sport Psychology Academy
of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and
Dance (AAHPERD). He is also Co-Chair of the USA Track and Field
(USATF) Sport Psychology Sub-Committee and has traveled internationally as
a performance consultant with several USA
track and field teams, including the 2000 USA Olympic Track and Field Team
that competed in Sydney,
Australia.
He has been inducted into the Western
Washington University Athletic Hall-of-Fame in honor of his accomplishments
as Western's cross country and track and field coach from 1973-1987. Dr.
Vernacchia served as the distinguished visiting professor in the department
of physical education at the United States
Military Academy,
West Point, NY for the 2003-04 academic year.
He was also inducted into the National Association of Physical Education
Hall of Fame in 2005.
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Kelly A. Jones , Graduate Assistant
Department of Physical Education, Health, and Recreation
Student Coordinator,
Center of Performance
Excellence,
Western Washington University
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Current Sport
Psychology Graduate Students
Kaylee M. Gardner
Kaylee was born and raised in Bellingham,
WA and completed her undergraduate work at
Washington State University
in 2007. She majored in
Kinesiology and minored in psychology, while competing on the varsity track
and field team for four years for the cougars. She is now attending graduate school
at Western Washington University
(WWU), and working towards her masters degree in Sport Psychology under Dr.
Vernacchia. Kaylee is in her
second year as the men's and women's jumps coach for the WWU track and field
team. She has also been working
as a personal trainer (ACSMcPT) since 2007 at the Bellingham Athletic Club. She works with individual clients,
teaches a gravity class, super senior fitness class, and weights for
women. Kaylee is also currently
helping to coordinate and implement the faculty and staff wellness program
at WWU. In 2008, Kaylee went
back to her alma matter, Bellingham High School,
and coached the sprints and jumps for the men's and women's track and field
team for a season. Kaylee's future
plans include graduating with her masters degree in the spring of 2011, and
becoming a certified consultant through the Association for Applied Sport
Psychology. She then hopes to
work with athletes and coaches at all different levels of sport.
Catherine
Rasnack
Catherine is
currently attending Western
Washington University
as a graduate student getting her masters in Human Movement and Performance
with a concentration in Sport Psychology. She currently works as a graduate
assistant in the Physical Education department instructing 100-level
Physical Education classes.
Catherine is focusing on life skills education for student athletes
entering college and hopes to go on to get her Ph.D in the future.
Brian Zuleger
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