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ESS Majors Present Senior Projects


At the close of the fall semester, three exercise and sport science majors presented their senior projects to a classroom of fellow students, staff, and faculty. Niki Rougier, Luis Hernandez, and Kelly Johnson gave lectures about their respective topics. Each senior in the ESS program is required to complete an intensive study on the topic of their choice. Presentations are given at the close of their last senior semester and reflect upon their final grade.


Niki Rougier
Niki, a senior ESS major from Jacksonville, chose to research the reaction time of athletes vs. non-athletes in sports that rely on hand-eye coordination. "I chose this topic because I am an athlete and played basketball for CCC," she said. "I was curious to see if reaction time in athletes was greater than in non-athletes, even on our level of college sports." Niki's research will be used by other students in the ESS program after she graduates. Niki will most likely continue coaching middle school girls' basketball next semester and plans to pursue athletic training at USF in the fall.


Kelly Johnson
Kelly, a senior ESS major from Clearwater, chose to research the effect of feedback on the performance of the soccer kick. As a middle school soccer coach, she observed first-hand the positive effects of feedback in her instruction. "I am going to take my master's in sports psychology and am fascinated to learn about how the brain has an effect upon performance of sports at all levels." Through her research, Kelly learned the right and wrong ways of conducting research and plans to take this experience into sports psychology. "I want to continue to review research articles and use my experience to shift through  

Luis Hernandez
the reliable and not-so-reliable information that is available to my field, hoping to find more truth to help shape the field for the future." As a busy mom, Kelly hopes to continue publishing books, continue serving in mission work for Africa and Haiti, pursue a graduate-level degree in psychology, and eventually teach at the college level. "I want to give back what professors at CCC have so graciously given me," she said.

Luis Hernandez also presented a report on the effect of bilateral transfer of skill from the non-dominant foot to the dominant foot while dribbling a soccer ball.