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4/23/06 - Mathis selected to represent NCAA Division III athletes at FISU Forum
Heather Mathis, a recent graduate of Maryville College, was recently selected to represent student-athletes from the United States at the biannual International University Sports Federation (FISU) Forum in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
The conference began March 25 and wraps up [March 30].
�The sessions have been very interesting so far,� Mathis e-mailed the College on Sunday. �We have been talking about what it means to incorporate sport at the university level and in the lives of students. Today, we had guest speakers who were sisters from Kuwait � fencing champions.�
Mathis, who has served on the NCAA�s Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee since 2003, said the NCAA nominated two student-athletes � herself and Michael Piscetelli of Wake Forest � to attend the eighth FISU Forum, which gives people representatives of various international member universities an opportunity to �display not only their sporting talent but also mutually exchange their culture and tradition,� according to the forum�s website.
Dr. Dolly Lambdin of the University of Texas was selected as the faculty representative.
The FISU was formed in 1949 and is the international governing body of the World University Games and the World Winter University Games. Representing nearly 25,500 student-athletes from 135 different countries, FISU is also responsible for the biannual FISU Forum, which brings together students and staff from all across the globe to discuss and compare university sport programs.
The week�s agenda has included panel discussions and presentations by speakers, including the UAE�s minister of finance, the UAE�s minister of economy and planning and the UAE�s first Olympic gold medalist, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Hashir Al Maktoum, who took home top honors in the men�s double trap shooting competition in 2004.
Workshop topics have included �The Role of Women Leaders in the UAE,� �The Role of Sport Amongst Women in Different Societies and Cultures,� �Sport and Extracurricular Activities as a Way of Life at University and a Part of Individual Development� and �Sports at University in the Arab World.�
In addition to a desert safari, sight-seeing excursions have been offered to Baniyas Island and the cities of Dubai and Sharjah.
Prior to her arrival in Abu Dhabi, Mathis said she was �very honored� to be selected.
�I hope to learn a lot about sports and its importance in other cultures � how that differs and is similar to sports in the United States,� she said. �I look forward to meeting people from all over the world and discussing with them a topic we all enjoy � sports � and the role of sports at the college and university level.�
At the �Forum Fair,� Mathis, Piscetelli and Lambdin displayed a booth that represents U.S. collegiate sports. Photos of Mathis� time as a member of the women�s soccer team at Maryville College were included in the display.
Mathis is the daughter of Barry and Lynn Mathis of Maryville and a 2002 graduate of Maryville High School. She majored in political science at the College, graduating cum laude in January.
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