Sport Sustainability

  • Think Tank
  • Think Tank Members

The sport sustainability working group was charged with exploring the benefits of offering flexibility for Olympic sports to manage their operations in a customized, efficient and creative manner. Typically, these sports are managed by NCAA rules originating from football and basketball issues, having unintended negative consequences for Olympic- and Paralympic-sport athletes and coaches.


As part of the sport sustainability focus area, project work was conducted with the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America, the College Gymnastics Association, the men’s gymnastics sustainability committee and the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Specifically, UCCS contributed a multipronged research study across the collegiate men’s gymnastics landscape, which found the relationship between recruiting expenses and team performance was only moderate. The study also found many varsity programs leverage their club/camp structures to support varsity operational costs. Meanwhile, project work with the CSCAA leveraged existing survey data from coaches and athletes. The data reflected a strong need to modify the swimming and diving recruiting process to start after the conclusion of the junior year in high school.


As a result of the gymnastics and swimming and diving research findings, the sustainability group focused on amending existing policies to drive sport-specific efficiencies and spur sport growth.


Jeremy Fischer

Jeremy Fischer

USA Track & Field

National Team Coach


Pat Kelleher

Pat Kelleher

USA Hockey

Executive Director


Rob Mullens

Rob Mullens

University of Oregon

Athletic Director


Maddie Musselman

Maddie Musselman

University of California, Los Angeles

Olympian (Water Polo)


Chris Plonsky

Chris Plonsky

University of Texas

Chief of Staff and Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director


Jamie Pollard

Jamie Pollard

Iowa State University

Director of Athletics


Jamie Redman

Jamie Redman

Yale University

Former National Team Athlete (Rowing)


Lee Reed

Lee Reed

Georgetown University

Director of Intercollegiate Athletics


Daria Schneider

Daria Schneider

Harvard University

Head Fencing Coach and Former National Team Athlete (Fencing)


Stan Wilcox

Stan Wilcox

NCAA

Executive Vice President of Regulatory Affairs


  • Kaitlyn Verfuerth of the U.S.A. competes in the Wheelchair Tennis match
  • Kaitlyn Verfuerth, University of Arizona

    "I chose to go to Arizona because of the adaptive sports program. It taught me about who I was as a person more than any other period in my life."