University professor Bonnie Berger is tackling a job on a national scale as president-elect of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology.

Berger has taught exercise and sport psychology at the University for 10 years, and recently stepped down from her position as director of the School of Human Movement Sport and Leisure Studies to take the helm of the largest sport psychology organization in the world. Berger will start her new job sometime in the middle of next September.

‘I really like the University and that’s why I’m staying to teach, as well as take a step up into this position,’ Berger said.

Berger was chosen as president-elect from a total of 739 participants and 296 papers accepted for the position. Explaining the size of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, she said 1,300 members from 28 different countries attended the organization’s last conference in Salt Lake City.

‘They had what is called the parade of flags showing every flag involved with the organization,’ she said.

Next year marks the 25th anniversary of the organization and Berger said she is eager to get started.

‘As president, I would like to stress three things: continuing to do what [the organization is] doing well, addressing our weaknesses and exploring new frontiers,’ Berger said.

She said a major strength would be merging the interests and needs of researchers and practitioners within a single organization, which will enhance the strength and impact of both the discipline and profession.

Berger has made an impact on not only with the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, but also with fellow professors at the University.

‘Dr. Berger has done some innovative work in exercise psychology and has helped the program grow. She has been a mentor for me,’ professor David Tobar said. ‘She also deals with people’s enjoyment of exercise and how it can affect the psychological aspect of people’s exercise habits.’

The idea of sport psychology is a mixture of research, sport and exercise.

Berger said there are three major ideals. Performance enhancement and mental toughness are the mental skills that help a person do his or her best. She said health psychology is building mental health, the psychological benefits of exercise and includes a range of population from athletes to regular exercisers. The last aspect is the social psychology of exercise, which deals with group cohesion and experiences children have in sports and how that will affect them throughout the rest of their life.

Berger’s interim successor for the director job at the University, Lynn Darby, said she believes Berger is the right choice to lead the national organization.

‘Bonnie is a well-known researcher in her field of sport psychology and is highly qualified from serving as the director of our school. [She’s] also a very strong leader,’ Darby said.