SHAPE

Earlier this year the ERIC team attended SHAPE, The National Convention & Expo for the leading professional development opportunity for health and physical education professionals — from preK–12 educators who teach our country’s youth about the benefits of living a healthy, physically active lifestyle, to university professors who conduct much-needed research and teach the industry’s future professionals. SHAPE stands for Society of Health and Physical Educators, and that is exactly what we found: a community of passionate educators working together to create a better future for the youth in our schools.

The convention was in New Orleans and the team arrived a day early to set up the booth. We were immediately welcomed by fellow health advocates preparing their own setup for the big day. The convention space was bigger than a soccer stadium and hundreds of people worked fervently for the many educators that would visit the following day. ERIC partnered with EDGE (Education Disc Golf Experience) for the event, and together we promoted a united Disc Sport Brand with EDGE representing Ultimate Frisbee and EDGE representing Disc Golf. Throughout the day we met hundreds of people and started meaningful conversations advocating for cancer education and disc sports. By the end of the event, the team was exhausted but flew home with full hearts.

SHAPE 2023 is already in its planning phase and next time they expect their audience to grow even larger! It will be held in Seattle, WA from March 28 through April 1st. Of note, these are the research topics that are already slated to be presented: