As athletes make their way overseas for the Olympics, a University professor is making the same journey but with a different purpose: education.
Rita Culross, professor of gifted education and women’s and gender studies, will make her first trip to England to participate in the Oxford Round Table from July 22 to 26 at the Harris Manchester College in the University of Oxford.
The Oxford Round Table is a non-profit organization that encourages art, education, religion, science and charity through publication and academic conferences.
This Round Table’s theme is sports and culture. The speakers will discuss “the nature and influence of sports on nations and their institutions,” according to the Round Table’s website.
Culross will present a paper titled, “Talent Development and Talent Enhancement of the Olympic Athlete.”
In her paper, Culross explores misconceptions about talent development in Olympic athletes and components in an athlete’s psychological development.
She argues that talent doesn’t simply happen; it is a product of various factors and strategies.
“What I really like about conferences is what I learn from other participants,” Culross said.
This Round Table will feature topics ranging from the economy of sports to sports medicine.
Speakers at the Round Table are chosen from a pool of nominations.
Former speakers nominate invitees, and speakers are chosen based on the courses they teach, publications and their involvement in a related field, according to the Round Table’s website.
Culross said she doesn’t know who nominated her, but she was first contacted to speak three or four years ago.
However, she said she never had the right project, until now. For 35 years, Culross has studied gifted students and gifted education programs.
She said about five years ago she became interested in athletic talent development because of the upcoming Olympics.
The Round Table ends right before the start of the Olympics, but Culross isn’t staying in England for the games.
With the influx of tourists into England, Culross said she is keeping her fingers crossed that her journey goes well and the lines at customs aren’t too long.
Culross said the one attraction she wants to visit is a church in Oxford that was used as a model for a scene in the Harry Potter movies.
The Oxford Round Table won’t be Culross’s only conference this year. She said she will be presenting a follow-up study of a gifted education program in Wisconsin at another conference this fall.
Contact Marylee Williams at [email protected].