Internship Experience

1. Kevin Williamson
July 22, 2016
INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE
PURPOSE: to help you reflect on and evaluate your total internship experience.
Answer each question completely in the internship section of your portfolio you may integrate
responses to these questions any way you feel is logical.
1. Review your goals and objectives for your internship and assess your internship site as it
provided a setting for achieving those goals and objectives.
Performance programming goal
By the end of my fieldwork experience, I will be able to better plan sessions optimizing sport
performance.
I will accomplish this by:
 Observing the Velocity Performance Directory and other trained and qualified personnel.
 Meeting with my preceptor to review my performance plan.
 Expanding my education through recommended readings and on-sight seminars.
Performance plan implementation goal
By the end of my fieldwork experience, I will be able to better implement sessions optimizing
sport performance.
I will accomplish this by:
 Observing the Velocity Performance Directory and other trained and qualified personnel.
 Implementing prior and acquired knowledge in supervised sessions.
 Meeting with my preceptor to review the implementation of my program plan.
Performance plan evaluation goal
By the end of my fieldwork experience, I will be able to better evaluate effectiveness of
performance plan on desired athletic outcomes.
I will accomplish this by:
 Acquiring athletes and/or parental consent to video segments of performance sessions in
order to compare pre, mid-term, and post-term performance of particular drills.
 Assessing pre, mid-term, and post-term subjective measurements including, but not
limited to, weight, body fat composition, vertical jump, 40-yard dash, squat, and bench
press.

2. Business operation goal
By the end of my fieldwork experience, I will be able to know how to conduct the business and
operations of a performance facility.
I will accomplish this by:
 Meeting with my preceptor to discuss terms of revenue generation.
 Meeting with my preceptor to discuss how relationships are properly developed to
continue proper functioning of a performance facility.
 Meeting with my preceptor to discuss how to properly plan and organize daily tasks and
desired outcomes of the business.
2. Explain and show how you achieved the goals you set.
Performance programming goal
 I achieved this goal just as I had set out to. I am a visual and kinesthetic learner.
Watching Mike Johnson at work I really got a chance to see how he puts the science into
practice and that he indeed does know the science. In order to grow in performance
programming I also met with Mike to get his take on my instruction of performance
classes be it multi-direction, maximum velocity, or acceleration before and/or after
classes.
 During my time at Velocity I also enrolled for and successfully completed the Sports
Performance coaching certification through USA weightlifting which, in combination
with the CSCS or CSCCa, is a minimum requirement for obtaining a college strength and
conditioning position.
Performance plan implementation goal
 I grew as a performance plan conductor by applying the knowledge I had in exercise
science and also through learned coursework. Knowing that a successful performance
plan, or any plan for that matter, is larger than one focus. While one part may seem to
have the most light, there are factors that work together in order for the plan to work
holistically and successfully.
 I feel I have not completely achieved this goal as I am always wishing to grow in my
performance planning because the better my programs, the better my athletes. However,
at the end of my experience I am better able to implement sessions optimizing sport
performance.
Performance plan evaluation goal
 Evaluation is a key piece of program success. I was capable of achieving this goal by one
of the most successful and long used protocol there is, film study. Visual feedback for
athletes is most effective because tactile feedback for movement efficiency can only go
so far, for an athlete to see how it is done correctly and what was done inefficiently
allows them to make necessary corrections.
Business operation goal
 I was able to achieve this goal through my previous experience in sales as a Fitness coach
and now a Fitness Manager. Being able to comfortably have conversations regarding
finances with potential investors is a big piece of the business. Breaking down pricing as
it relates to the client’s/athlete’s goals and also knowing what is necessary from a revenue
standpoint in order to be paid sufficiently and “keep the lights on” so to speak.

3. 3. Choose one project/assignment and describe it as follows: [ADULT FITNESS CLASS]
a. How well do you think you accomplished the project or dealt with the
experience(s)?
o I feel I took on and conducted the adult fitness class well. I changed things up
each class and gave the participants challenging workouts that they could all
complete.
b. What skills did you use? (e.g. writing, speaking, organizing, interpersonal,
counseling, management, research, etc.)
o I brought my experience in structured group resistance training to the table as well
as my ability to encourage and motivate. Now with proper motivation comes the
ability to speak and knowing what to say and when to say it. I feel my background
in psychology gave me a better understanding in proper communication
understanding that perception is everything in verbal and nonverbal
communication. I also used my skills in organizing in workout structure and time
management.
c. Point out your strengths and weaknesses. What would you do differently?
o Strengths: time management, interpersonal skills, exercise programming, variety
o Weaknesses: pitch, at times I did not talk loud enough, this is something my
preceptor mentioned and something I am aware of.
o What I would do differently: If I did not have a job managing another gym, I
would have promoted the class a lot more in order to get more energy. Social
support is a big piece in fitness success. I would have also done more biometric
tracking and strength re-assessing.
4. Assess your contribution to the internship site.
 Because of my existing experience, I was given a lot to take on and due to it being the
summer, our site was very busy. By my taking on a lot of the in-house classes, this gave
us a wider range off-site as a staff and company reaching more of the local high schools. I
contributed a fair amount to my internship site.
5. Has your experience changed or reinforced your career goals. Changed or reinforced
your educational goals? Could you see yourself as a professional in this field?
 My experienced has reinforced my career goals as a strength and conditioning coach. I
could most certainly see myself as a professional in this field.
6. Relate your internship experience to your academic work on campus. List at least 5
specific courses (by title, not number) either in your major or outside your major that
were useful at this site.

4.  Anatomy and Physiology: understanding the body and its components aided in
workouts
 Psychology-Human Development: understanding the body’s developmental phases and
what could be done for different age groups as well as how to connect interpersonally
with different age groups
 Body Response to Health Behaviors: nutritional information and exercise information
that can be coached in order to enhance benefits of workouts
 Determinants of Health Behavior: understanding people’s reasons for lack of or
participation in healthy behaviors in order to continue to promote behavior or decrease
the least desired behavior
 Principles of Human Nutrition
7. Were there instances at your site where the health literacy training was utilized? Explain.
 There some instances but not too many, all those that came to Velocity for the most part
were athletes so they came with the intentions of being better athletically in comparison
to commercial fitness centers. However, there were still points of coaching that the
athletes and adults were not aware of such as with nutrition. Giving them the information
needed then gave them the capacity to make appropriate decisions for their health.