Two students in Western Colorado University’s Exercise and Sport Science (ESS) program are headed to the national stage after they won the Student Bowl during the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Rocky Mountain Regional Conference, held April 11-12.
Sam Burke and Graydon Walker, both fourth-year students in Western’s 3+2 High Altitude Exercise Physiology program, went head-to-head with teams from across the region in a Jeopardy-style quiz competition that tested their knowledge in biomechanics, nutrition, performance enhancement, special populations, and physiology, among other things. And, with only two people available to compete against the three-person teams, they didn’t even plan to participate.
The duo, who named their team “Snow Brains,” entered the competition on a whim at the urging of assistant professor Dr. Michelle Conway. “We went in with low expectations but held our own throughout the competition,” Graydon said.
Going into the final round, they were in fourth place and decided to bet it all that they knew the answer to the last question. Lucky for them, the question was about High Altitude Pulmonary Edema, or HAPE, a condition that many people living at altitude are familiar with. “To my surprise, we were the only team that got the question right,” he said. “It worked out perfectly.”
Their unexpected win earned them the regional title and an all-expenses-paid trip to the ACSM National Conference in Atlanta this June. There, they’ll join other regional winners to compete for the national Student Bowl title
“It was a wonderful surprise to take the win and sort of upset the favorites,” Sam said. “Coming away from the competition experience, I am grateful to the ESS department here at Western for the knowledge and opportunity I have been provided with.”
Dr. Christina Buchanan, director of the HAEP program, said it was great to see the students’ knowledge and confidence on display. “The national and regional ACSM chapters will cover their flights, registration, and hotel,” Buchanan said. “It’s a pretty awesome opportunity.”
Before entering the competition, Sam and Graydon had gone to the event with purely professional objectives in mind. In addition to a full slate of presentations from fellow researchers and the opportunity to learn about the work other researchers are doing in the region, they got a sense for what it will be like to present their own research at the conference next year.
Buchanan and a group of staff attend the ACSM’s regional conference every year with students to network with other programs, see the research being done in the region, present their own research, and compete in the Bowl.
Two second-year students, Emily Jauch and Alex Alvarez, each presented their research at a poster session on the first night of the event, where they were able to share their findings with a new audience. “The poster session is a good chance to have them go and talk to people about their research before they defend their theses the following week,” Buchanan said.
Learn more about the program
3+2 High Altitude Exercise Physiology
Author Credit: Seth Mensing
Photo Credit: Courtesy
