“3 WINS” is awarded 1st Place (Original Project) from the Western Society of Kinesiology and Wellness (WSKW) Conference

With the theme of overcoming adversity brought upon due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Western Society for Kinesiology and Wellness (WSKW) conference provided the perfect outlet for the students of 3 WINS Fitness to showcase how they were able to pivot from an in-person setting to an online format. This conference offers four different genres of work that can be submitted. Those four being a Research Critique, a Literature Review, an Original Research Project, or an Original Project. Once a genre has been selected, it is up to the team participating in the conference to first create a 250-word maximum abstract to be submitted for approval and acceptance into the conference. Once approved and accepted, the team that submitted that abstract could then go into further detail by presenting their ideas onto a poster board which will then be presented on the day of the conference. Although each of the four genres of submissions each have their own set of criteria that needs to be followed, they all share the commonality of being awarded first place for the best work after they have all been showcased at the conference. With the luxury of having choices in the type of work that will be submitted, 3 WINS Fitness assembled their team and immediately undertook this opportunity. The evaluation of the abstract was confusing. The abstract received a failing score but was accepted for presentation. Dr. Loy suggested an inquiry and it was determined the submission was evaluated as Original Research and not an Original Project resulting in the low score. The lesson learned was to inquire when something doesn’t make sense. Don’t automatically accept information. If the correction was not made, it would have affected the overall evaluation of the submission. The next step which was turning their abstract into an eye-catching poster that highlighted all the key points that the 365 JTH virtual program provided. After several rough drafts of the posters were created and each team member created their own, the best parts of each poster were used to create one final poster which would then be sent in for revision and feedback by fellow veteran 3 WINS members. The result was a submission of the final poster presented at the conference and overall winning first place for best original project. The understanding of the importance of teamwork throughout the process was invaluable. 3 WINS Fitness is a FREE nationally recognized exercise program delivered by Kinesiology students from California State University, Northridge (CSUN) that caters to primarily underserved communities throughout the San Fernando Valley (SFV). Operating without external funding since 2011, the program has proven to be sustainable and replicable. The structure of the program is designed to give students the opportunity to apply in-class knowledge in a real-life setting. This translates to engaging participants of all fitness levels in 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) 3 days/week. In doing so, participants fulfill the current 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines (PAG) for both aerobic and muscle strengthening. Collectively, the program aims to build healthier communities and reduce population physical inactivity. When COVID-19 forced the closure of our 6 park locations, we pivoted and developed a virtual program, 365 Journey to Health (365 JTH). By creating various online resources and establishing partnerships with experts in varying fields of Kinesiology, we expanded participant engagement beyond the SFV Despite the need to interact virtually, 365 JTH has allowed for a more personable experience for everyone involved and continues to improve participants' health. Even through these changing times, the 3 WINS student-led university model has become versatile and can be adapted to take on an in-person, a virtual, or a combined hybrid approach.