After 44 years of community service to the Morgantown area, the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences is saddened to announce that it will conclude its Lifetime Activities Program at the end of the fall 2019 semester.

Lifetime Activities has served more than 50,000 people in the Morgantown community through its year-round programming in a wide variety of classes. Lifetime Activity physical activity classes have included aquatics, martial arts, gymnastics, horseback riding, fencing, adventure sports, tennis, bowling and ballroom dancing.

In recent years, overall registration in this program has declined sharply due to the addition of similar programs offered in the community, along with the impact of the area’s changing needs. With increased options in the community, reduction of program space such as Stansbury Hall and the closing of the pools in the Natatorium and E. Moore Hall and overall budget restrictions, the College has reexamined its ability to continue offering Lifetime Activities. Faced with a difficult decision, the college has decided to discontinue offering these programs.

CPASS will continue community programing through group and individual mental training, performance enhancement and wellness services. Other College initiatives include the Center for Active WV, the Russell “Bud” Bolton Center for Sports Ethics and the Center for Applied Coaching and Sport Science.

Historically, Lifetime Activities has been a successful and beneficial program for the community, providing physical activity classes for area youth and adults. Specific children’s classes provided opportunities for kids to stay active through a partnership with the National Inclusion Project to employ its “Let’s ALL Play” program model. This unique arrangement created an environment where children with and without disabilities could play and learn together. Although funding was eventually discontinued following the three-year partnership, CPASS has continued to provide mentors for children with special needs.

CPASS strongly believes in serving the community, WVU family, the state and beyond. The College’s ongoing research and partnerships illustrate the depth and commitment of CPASS faculty, staff, students and researchers to the health and wellness of the area.

For instance, the Morgantown-based Friday Morning Clinic offers weekly developmentally appropriate physical activity programming to school-aged children with disabilities and provides hands-on experience for WVU physical education and kinesiology and coaching and performance science majors. Meanwhile, the West Virginia CARDIAC Project is a children’s health surveillance and intervention initiative, in collaboration with the WVU School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics.

The College acknowledges key influencers such as Dr. Pat Fehl who originated the Lifetime Activities initiative, with a vision to provide physical activity programming to the community. Other vital leaders include Dr. Linda Carson, creator of Kinderskills and Choosy Kids; Dolores “Dee” Jamison Ware and Alfred “Al” F. Ware, benefactors in the development of Stansbury Fitness and Wellness Center and Nancy Naternicola who managed the Center; Marshall Decker who introduced Martial Arts, along with Masters Toney Artice and Allan Embrey; Bruce and Janet Wilmoth who coordinated the popular dance program and other community members who helped ensure the program’s success for over four decades. 

Lifetime Activities has been a part of the fabric of CPASS for many years and means a great deal to all of us. The decision to discontinue this program was prompted by many factors. It was a difficult decision to make and one that was associated with substantial sadness. We greatly value our strong connections with the community and wish to continue them through other programs.

Please feel free to contact me with questions. Thank you in advance for your understanding.

Best,

Jack Watson
Interim Dean and Professor