Our Athlete Interest Inventory and Next Play Pro Assessments have been completed by more than 10,000 athletes at various levels of competition – high school, college and professional – to help with major selection, career exploration, and identity transition. Last year, we announced the launch of our proprietary Assessment Certification Program, which is offered to all existing Game Plan customers and provides information on how to facilitate conversations on assessment results with athletes.
“I’m thrilled to continue offering our Assessment Certification Program to administrators at Game Plan partner organizations,” said Dr. Tayler Onion, Game Plan’s Head of Curriculum Development. “This program reflects our dedication to investing in those who guide the athlete journey, and our spring cohort came prepared to engage in conversations to learn how to better serve their athletes.”
In January, Game Plan certified its second cohort of administrators in the program. Over the course of two sessions, participants were educated on the history of the Athlete Interest Inventory and Next Play Pro assessments, as well as typical talk tracks for discussing results with athletes. Participants also took part in scenario-based learning to better understand how to create dialogue with athletes based on their results, major, career aspirations, and more.
Since its launch in 2022, Game Plan has certified 25 administrators in its proprietary assessments. Information for the next Assessment Certification Program is slated to be announced later this year.
Spring 2023 Cohort Roster
Sonny Baladuco, Assistant Director of Student-Athlete Development at the University of Washington
Sophia Bates, Learning Specialist and Academic Advisor at Boston College
Jeff Diskin, Director of Professional Development for the Kansas City Royals
Erjaam Hayes, Player Development Program Director for the NBA
Spencer Kennedy, Student-Athlete Development Coordinator at the University of Washington
Hannah Mitchell, Student-Athlete Development Counselor at the University of California, Irvine
Brittany Root, Director of Career and Leadership at the University of Wisconsin
Emily Santonocito, Senior Manager for Strategic Initiatives at New York University
Cassaundra Thorpe, Assistant Director of Career and Leadership at the University of Wisconsin
Jonny Wangrin, Compliance and Academic Success Coordinator at UNC Asheville
Jon Wolf, Manager of Player Development at the NBA
ABOUT THE ASSESSMENTS
The Next Play Pro Assessment was created exclusively for Game Plan in 2015 by Dr. Nathan Wiita and his team. After a two-year research period where Dr. Wiita and his team examined the athlete identity transition, they were able to create the Next Play Pro assessment. The assessment aims to provide personalized insight regarding the most difficult aspects of the post-athletic transition and includes potential strategies to effectively adjust to life and work after an athletic career.
Through their research, the team identified eight categories that athletes identify most strongly with their athletic experiences. Those categories include Identity, Structure, Support, Status, Stewardship, Camaraderie, Competition, and Feedback.
The Athlete Interest Inventory is based on the RIASEC framework, developed
initially by Dr. John Holland. Dr. Holland’s theory has been used in career development since the 1950s, and it is widely used to categorize personality types, work environments, and fields of study. The theory states that:
Game Plan’s Athlete Interest Inventory codes personalities based on interests and suggests potentially satisfying college majors, career fields, work environments, and job titles.
ABOUT GAME PLAN
Game Plan’s comprehensive software platform integrates mobile-first eLearning as well as virtual mentorship and career services, uniquely designed for athletic organizations. Game Plan has over 300 athletic organizations with over 240,000 courses completed yearly. Our eLearning courses provide student-athletes ultimate access and flexibility while equipping both athletics departments and the conference office management tools and insight to ensure outstanding experiences and outcomes. To learn more about Game Plan, please visit wearegameplan.com.
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