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Athletic Training Program Goes to Taiwan for Study Abroad
The University of Georgia Athletic Training Education Program in association with the National Taiwan Sport University (NTSU) offered its 2nd study abroad experience specifically designed for athletic training students. The program was lead by Mike Ferrara and Bud Cooper from UGA and Dr. Michael Huang from NTSU who was a visiting scholar at UGA for the 2008-09 academic year.
The program was from May 17-June 5, 2009. There were 11 students who participated with 6 students from UGA and others from University of Michigan, University of Toledo, University of Northern Colorado, and University of North Carolina-Wilmington.
The academic program focused on traditional Asian therapies to include acupressure massage, pain relief techniques, acupuncture, herbal medicine, rehabilitation techniques and pain point therapy. The classes were taught by physicians and practitioners from Taiwan and all classes were in English or translated to English. The students also gained clinical experience with Asian sports (i.e. Judo, Taekwondo, WuSu) and traditional sports (i.e. baseball, basketball, gymnastics, track and field) working alongside NTSU athletic training students. Students also visited the Taiwan Nation Sports Training Center in Kaohsiung, where all of the top Taiwan athletes are housed for international training. Students were also given a tour of the newly constructed stadium complex that will host the 2009 World Games Festival.
The students also participated in a myriad of cultural activities including visiting various temples and museums which included the National Palace Museum and Taipei 101, the world’s tallest building. The group also hiked Toroko Gorge, one of Taiwan’s national treasures along with taking the bullet train to Kenting Beach in the southern most part of the country. The students also learned Tai-Chi, a Chinese martial art practiced with the aim of promoting health and longevity.
One of the many highlights of the trip was the buddy system between NTSU and UGA students. Each student was assigned a buddy to help with local culture, language and food. All the students commented on the great experience they had and the relationships they formed with their peers and the NTSU students.
The study abroad program will go to Taiwan again in 2010 and information about the program can be found at http://www.coe.uga.edu/atsat/index.html
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