LaVoi describes parents' role in youth sport on ice skating website
May 2, 2013

Dr. Nicole M. LaVoi, teaching faculty in the School of Kinesiology and associate director of the Tucker Center, explains what sport can afford youth in "Be a Winning Parent: 3 Tips for Parents of Young Athletes," a piece that appeared on Riedell skates' blog. LaVoi states that youth sports should be a place where young people have fun, socialize, develop, and strive for success. Further, she notes that adults have a large role and need to be conscious of their actions.

Ivanhoe Broadcast Television features LaVoi in Fall 2013 "Smart Woman" segment
April 26, 2013

This fall, Dr. Nicole M. LaVoi, teaching faculty in the School of Kinesiology and associate director of the Tucker Center, will appear in a television show produced by Ivanhoe Broadcast News, a syndicated television news-gathering organization. The segment is based on the 2007 Tucker Center Research Report, "Developing Physically Active Girls: An Evidence-based Multidisciplinary Approach," and appears as part of Ivanhoe's "Smart Woman" syndicated series. Ivanhoe provides TV stations with news segments offering viewers health solutions with the latest breakthroughs in science and medicine, tips on staying healthy, and advice from women for women. Ivanhoe reaches 11 of the top 20 television markets including Rochester, La Crosse, and Eau Claire (though not the Twin Cities) reaching an audience of 80 million households.

LaVoi in two AAHPERD research symposia
April 24, 2013

Dr. Nicole M. LaVoi, teaching faculty in the School of Kinesiology and associate director of the Tucker Center, is part of two research-based symposia at the annual American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) Conference in Charlotte, NC:

• "Conducting Research on Female Athletes: Strategies for Success," is a session organized by the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS). The purpose of this session is to provide a multi-disciplinary overview of research related to female athletes and share strategies for conducting research with female athletes.


• LaVoi and Tucker Center Affiliated Scholar Dr. Cindra S. Kamphoff, Minnesota State University-Mankato, will present their national database findings, "Females in Positions of Power Within U.S. High School Sports." This session is part of the Research Consortium Grant Findings.

Postdoctoral Research Award presentation to be given by Thul
April 11, 2013

Dr. Chelsey Thul, recent graduate and Tucker Center Affiliated Scholar, will give a Postdoctoral Research Award presentation, "Disparities in physical activity among Minnesota adolescents of Somali, and other Non-Hispanic African American and White race," at the University of Minnesota's 7th Annual Pediatric Research, Education and Scholarship Symposium to be held Friday, April 19, 2013 from 11:45 - 5:00 PM in the Coffman Union Campus Club.

LaVoi comments on female coaches in the Daily Chronicle
April 8, 2013

Dr. Nicole LaVoi, teaching faculty in the School of Kinesiology and associate director of the Tucker Center, weighs in on why there has been an increase in females that participate in sport but a decrease in females coaching.

In the article titled, "As more girls play sports, fewer women have coaching jobs," LaVoi notes, "When jobs become more desirable and they become better-paid, the men will start infiltrating those jobs and that's exactly what we've seen with coaches of specifically girls basketball." LaVoi continues to explain that in order to change stereotypes there needs to be more women in powerful positions such as head coaching.

LaVoi quoted in ESPN article
March 20, 2013

Dr. Nicole LaVoi, teaching faculty in the School of Kinesiology and associate director of the Tucker Center, comments on the controversies surrounding Brittney Griner in the article, "What Brittney Griner says about us."

"We disparage female athletes so we don't have to make room for them," notes LaVoi. "People can't just say, 'Wow, Brittney Griner is a great athlete.' We need to have a caveat: 'She plays like a guy, she looks like a guy, she must be a guy.' These qualifiers marginalize what Brittney has done and serve to keep the current pecking order in place, whereby men's sports are more valued, more culturally relevant -- the norm."

Griner, center for Baylor University's women's basketball team, has won numerous awards throughout her basketball career and continues to break collegiate records. For more on Griner and her statistics read here.