Katie Coast, President--SPT
As president of the San Marcos Sports SIG, it is my goal to provide a space for students across all of St. Augustine’s campuses to learn and grow from some of the leaders in sports rehabilitation today. I started playing softball at an early age and played competitively throughout my life until I decided not to play in college due to a series of concussions. However, physical fitness has always been important to me, and I quickly became interested in resistance training, pilates, and tennis. I enjoy bringing friends and family to exercise with me and have found that sports play an integral role in bringing people together throughout the lifespan. I went on to receive an undergraduate degree in Neuroscience from the University of Arizona and have a special interest in concussions in sports. I believe that sports rehabilitation encompasses any clinician who treats an athlete, and it is important to familiarize ourselves with all aspects of physical therapy that an athlete may require. I look forward to bringing a wide variety of clinicians with experience in treating athletes to share their expertise and help us all become well-rounded clinicians.
Brandon Joyce, Vice President--SPT, CSCS
Having been a three-sport athlete in high school and collegiate football player, sports have influenced and shaped my mindset. Upon graduating from St. Olaf College with a degree in Exercise Science, I became a personal trainer and took an athletic approach to helping people improve their fitness levels. Integrating athletic style training into programs gave clients an opportunity to explore their physical capabilities in new, rewarding ways. I believe that everyone has athletic potential, and different sports are merely windows to go through to explore movement. I believe that physical therapy for athletes transcends sports and can be implemented into all arenas of physical therapy. As the Sports SIG Vice President, I look forward to learning from leaders in the Sports PT field, as well as helping to facilitate a valuable learning experience for all SPTs.
Lizzy Moyer, Communications Coordinator--SPT
I am looking forward to being a part of the sports SIG here in San Marcos because of all the growth opportunities it will provide from the sports community and various sports professionals. I grew up playing outside from dawn to dusk: neighborhood games, soccer, tetherball, basketball, hiking, and anything outdoors to keep me moving. My main passion, however, is soccer, and I have also love surfing since being near waves. I received my Bachelor's in Kinesiology from Point Loma Nazarene University here in San Diego. While there, I founded and captained the Women's Futbol Club where we were able to play tournaments and games through the West Coast Soccer Association in various states. I take this passion with me everywhere I go. In 2019, I was exploring possible graduate career options and took a volunteer position in Ecuador for Public Health and traditional medicinal healing. While I was there, I noticed how natural it was for me to bring people together through sport, soccer specifically. I now currently coach youth girls in soccer, the sport that has taught me so much about life and joy. It would be a dream one day to both start a soccer non-profit and a clinic where it is partially outdoors and I can rehab my patients alongside them doing their recreational activities. Currently, I enjoy surfing, playing music, traveling, dancing, laughing with my nephews and, of course, playing soccer with various adult teams. I am in my 2nd year of the DPT Flex program at the San Marcos Campus. Serving alongside this group of fellow classmates motivates me to recruit professionals with cutting edge research and various backgrounds to share their knowledge and ideas with the students of St. Augustine. I also look forward to making advances on campus to help promote sports PT and our sports SIG.
Sam Potts, Treasurer--SPT, RBT
As Treasurer/Secretary of the San Marcos Sports SIG, I am very excited to help students gain knowledge in the field of sports rehabilitation. I was a three-sport varsity athlete in high school playing soccer, basketball, and lacrosse and that passion for sports has followed me all through adulthood. I attended The Pennsylvania State Univeristy as an undergraduate student, where I was the Strength and Conditioning Manager for the Women's Lacrosse Team. I was in charge of the Catapult System, the world leader in sports technology, which tracks players’ heart rates, distance traveled, etc. to observe athletes' fitness levels. Another passion of mine is volunteering with Special Olympics, where I have coached fitness classes for the Special Olympics of New Jersey and helped organize the annual Summer Games for the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania. I was a Physical Therapy Aide at RWJ Sports Physical Therapy for 3 years and am currently a Registered Behavioral Technician for children with autism. I am very eager to bring together other students throughout all USA campuses to discuss the importance of proper rehabilitation in the athletic and active population.
Faculty Advisor- Heather Disney, PT, DPT, MTC, OCS. hdisney@usa.edu