Vern Nicholas proposes an innovation called I Am International Athlete (IAIA) to improve athletic ability and fitness understanding for students at the American School Foundation in Mexico City. The program integrates technology, dynamic warmups, speed and agility drills, and fitness testing into physical education classes from K-12. Students would use Nike+ watches to track performance metrics. Teachers would collect standardized test results in areas like running, jumping, and strength. This data would be compiled and allow students to monitor their own progress, as well as compare results internationally online. The goals are to motivate students through personalized goals, technology, and competition, and to maximize their athletic potential.

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Final Project Innovation Proposal
I Am International Athlete Innovation
Vern R. Nicholas
MIEA 503 Endicott College

2. VERN NICHOLAS: FINAL INNOVATION PROPOSAL 2
ABSTRACT
The year is 2012, the future is now. Today’s athlete is bigger, faster and stronger due to
the cutting edge research and improved training principles developed. “If I only knew then what
I know now!” Over the past several years, former high school athletes must have repeated this
line a several hundred times to friends and fellow athletes as they witness the advancement of
training practices. They would revisit the glory days and ask for one more wish to go back to
high school and go through sports with the knowledge and techniques that have been acquired
over the past 10 years. The truth is, people only go through this experience once and the students
have to make it count today!
BACKGROUND
Far south of the Texan border, which produces some of the best athletes of our time, lies
Mexico City which sits 7350 feet above sea level; making distance running a struggle from lack
of oxygen. The American School Foundation in Mexico City has close to 2,600 students which
consist of approximately 60% students from Mexico, 28% from the United States and the
remaining from other foreign countries. As an IB World School with PYP and MYP programs,
innovative practices have been widely accepted in the learning culture.
The school field’s a strong soccer and American football team. The other sports offered
are basketball, volleyball and swimming, which struggle to fill a complete roster. The overall
skill level in sport is very poor with the exception of soccer which is played religiously among
the student body. Basic athletic skills involving running styles, jumping and coordinated
movements are lacking in all grade levels K-12. Currently, students are not able to see their

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athletic development progress from year to year. Many students expressed they would like to
compare their abilities to those in other parts of the world.
PROPOSAL
In our world of technology and the use of best practices, then it is our responsibility to
bring the latest techniques to the classroom. The innovation of creating the program, I Am
International Athlete, brings technology and the latest training techniques to the Physical
Education classroom. The initiative turns a PE classes at ASF into a Health and Exercise
Sciences class for grades K-12. This proposal is geared to progressively improve the overall
athletic ability and fitness understandings in the classroom and apply it to the field of play.
Students will incorporate technology, science, math and health into their Physical Education K-
12 integrated curriculum. Hopefully this will lead to an increase in student motivation for
physical education classes and create lifelong learners of health and fitness.
METHODOLOGY & DESIGN
The methodology of the proposed innovation referred to as IAIA is comprised of three
components. The first area of focus is the development of the body through dynamic warm up
techniques and SAQ (Speed Agility Quickness) drills. The next step is incorporating technology
into the classroom with the use of the Nike + fitness program which monitors individual running
pace, distance and calories involved. The data is collected and processed with their software
program included in Nike Plus products. The final component of IAIA, is collecting and
comparing data. The students will be assessed with clear measureable fitness testing that is
individually based in the areas of strength, endurance, speed and quickness. The students will be

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able to see their progress from one year to the next and eventually compare their performance
results to other international students across the globe.
The Physical Education teachers are the program initiators, but it is the students who will
eventually take ownership of their progressive athletic development and health fitness profile.
Teachers will need a brief training course in the basic concepts of dynamic warm ups, SAQ drills
and the use of the Nike Plus training concepts and software.
The innovative fitness program can be implemented in the first 15-20 minutes of each PE
class. Starting in kindergarten with small progressive steps and finishing as seniors in advanced
strength & conditioning classes offered at ASF, students will have the opportunity to maximize
their athletic potential. The methodology can be broken down into greater detail with the
following program design module.
The dynamic warm up gets the class off to a great start in developing a comfortable,
smooth and effective running style while warming up the core of the body. Brown & Ferrigno
(2005) also recommend that the more stream line and consistent the body parts move, the faster
you will get from start to finish. Races are won and scholarships are offered by just being a split
second faster than the person across from you.
After a good core dynamic warm up, with the sweat beginning to form, is a perfect time
to go into a basic speed or agility activity that is set up with either the speed ladders, mini hurdles
or agility cones. Good technique is always stressed in every drill; and the quickness, tempo of
the drill comes later with practice at all levels. Remember, to become faster, one must train at
the fastest levels possible so the body is forced to adapt to the new stimulus. These SAQ drills
can vary from day to day and the list of drills provided is endless. Developing proper running

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style, improving coordination and converting fast twitch muscles from slow twitch fibers is the
first key component of the IAIA program.
The second component involves integrating technology in the classroom with the Nike
Plus fitness program. Purchasing a class set of the Nike Sportband running watches, which
includes software to be shared within the department, is exactly what Dillon (2008) describes in
her research of incorporating technology in Physical Education. The program will track your
data including distance, pace, route and calories burned which enables the students to have a
clear visual to reach their fitness goals. The program also allows you to compete against other
classmates and compare results!
The final component is data collection from measurable fitness testing. The students will
be assessed a pre-test and post-test in endurance, speed, agility and strength in grades K-12 every
year. The endurance test consists of the mile run while the test for speed is the 40 yard dash
(36.58 Meters). The agility test is the 5-10-5 yard pro agility run in which the student starts in
the middle and moves to his right five yards and then back to his left for 10 yards finishing in the
middle for the last 5 yards. The student is trying to get the quickest time. The final test of the
four areas of fitness is the leg strength test, which is measured by a standing broad jump for
maximum distance. All of the tests are clear, measurable data eliminating room for error like
previous tests in physical education.
Student testing results in the four areas of athletic assessment would initially be entered
by Physical Education teachers K-12 on an excel spreadsheet. The data base would be sorted by
grade level and accessible as a read-only file by all students with their personal identification
number used as their ID on the school web site. This data could also be used by the students in

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their respective science and math classes making the connection that is clearly described by
Prensky (2010). The author describes the need for students to make the relationship from one
topic in curriculum to something applicable in the real world.
The next step for IAIA to become truly worldwide would be the program expansion into
other International Schools. Imagine students being able to compare their mile times at ASF in
Mexico with a student in Ghana or another in the Philippines. With an online data base, the
technology and subject integration is unlimited. Colleges and Universities with athletic
programs could also use this data since they are always looking for the next best student-athlete
to improve their sports teams.
STAKEHOLDERS
First and foremost, the students are the largest benefactors of the progressive athletic
development innovation. By kicking off the IAIA initiative, the students can begin to take
ownership of their body and treat exercise as a science. Like Prensky (2010) reveals in research,
students can become more passionately connected if learning is made more real and applicable.
Dillon (2008) follows up and states that the use of technology in physical education helps
motivate students and increase awareness of their body composition. PE becomes more than just
lining up and playing ball, it takes on a life of its own on computer screens.
The other immediate beneficial results from the innovation are increasing the student’s
self-esteem, confidence and self-image. Students are more likely to participate in a sport or
activity if there coordination and athletic ability was improved.

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Teachers and coaches are also direct stakeholders that will benefit from IAIA. For a
teacher, it is much easier to monitor progress and development when one can compare data
month to month or from year to year in a data base. Having clear measurable assessments also
helps a teacher analyze the efficiency and quality of their fitness program. The PE department
can integrate with the Science and Math departments and create cross-subject lessons and fulfill
PYP and MYP requirements. By implementing this particular innovation, well trained teachers
would have the opportunity to show their findings and speak of the IAIA results at International
School conferences. Coaches can review the data in physical education classes and look for
potential athletes to fill their programs. With the progressive athletic development component,
students across all grade levels will improve athletically raising the bar for performance in sport.
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS
At first glance, the problem of proper training for staff to demonstrate and incorporate the
drills in class might be difficult. Professional development by knowledgeable staff, partnering
with those unfamiliar in the training concepts would help alleviate the gap which is supported by
Prensky (2010).
Funding could also be a deterrent of financially hindered schools. The cost of a class set
of watches and SAQ equipment for an average of 20 students would cost approximately $1,400.
The money could also come from the athletic budget since they would be able to share the SAQ
ladders and mini hurdles after school.
The other factor which could pose a problem is teacher buy in to the innovation which is
defined by Davidovich, Nikolay, Laugerman and Commodore (2010). The authors recommend

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letting others bounce around the idea until it strengthens, or if the resistors eventually change
their field of perception and let go of old behaviors and methods.
REPORTING RESULTS
The program evaluation results should be shared and summarized by the entire physical
education department K-12 and discussed with the heads of school. Data can be compared and
contrasted from grades K-12. The success of the program can be determined from this data and
evidence of learning established.
Additionally, the report will define the general fitness and strength levels of the students
attending ASF physical education classes. These can be compared from year to year and
graphed in relation to national standards.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, giving students ownership to build their own virtual athlete from personal
hard work and achievement on the field and through technology is revolutionary for physical
education. The use of iPhones, iPads and laptops can now be integrated with performance
assessment and goal setting in the health and fitness classroom. Students can monitor their
progress from year to year in basic athletic tests while comparing their results with other
International students across the globe.

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References
American School Foundation. Mexico City, Mexico. Retrieved by
http://asf.edu.mx/Institutional/AboutASF/MisionAndValues.html
Brown, L.E., & Ferrigno, V.A. (2005) Training for Speed, Agility, and Quickness-2nd Edition.
Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Davidovich, R.D., Nikolay, P.M., Laugerman, B. & Commodore, C.A. (2010). Beyond school
improvement: The journey to innovative leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Dillon, Naomi. (2008 March) Phystech: Schools are turning to technology to improve student
health and wellness. American School Board Journal 32-35.
Nike plus. (2012). Retrieved by http://nikeplus.nike.com/plus/
Prensky, M. (2010). Teaching digital natives: Partnering for real learning. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Corwin Press.
Sallis, J., McKenzie, T., Alcaraz, J., Kolody, B., Faucette, N., Hovell, M. (1997). The effects of a
2 – year physical education program (SPARK) on physical activity and fitness in
elementary school students. American Journal of Public Health, 87 (8), 1328 – 1334.
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