SPIRE Summer 2019

alumni

Dr. Spencer Wood Continues Partnership with Bluefield College

Millionaire Serial Entrepreneur BC Graduate Becomes

N ationally acclaimed sports psychologist and performance improvement specialist, Spencer Wood, the founder of Icebox Athlete, continues to partner with his

“Athletes at the highest level realize mental game is a big differentiator because everyone’s physical talents are the same,” said Wood. “They put a premium on mental skills. Some of the most mentally tough athletes are at their respected leagues because they are physically strong and mentally stronger.” Though it is now one of the biggest mental training companies in the business, Wood started it just three years after his graduation from BC. It started out small, with most of his clients being small colleges and camps. But, with a background in business, Wood knew the importance of building a brand and a good reputation, eventually gaining bigger clients. Wood and his team have recently trained with the University of Florida in the Florida Collegiate Conference and the MLB team, the Detroit Tigers. Other clients include USA National Shooting, USA Basketball, and Olympic athletes. He has worked with the NCAA’s Big East, ACC, SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and Colonial conferences, among others. Additionally, his clients include college athletes at Virginia Commonwealth, Kansas, Illinois, Rutgers, Maryland, Boston College, Clemson, and Florida. He also has spoken twice at the Nike Football Coach of the Year Awards program, three times at the National Soccer Coaches Association’s National Conference, four times at the Women’s NCAA Final Four, once at the Men’s NCAA Final Four, and has been featured on NBC and ESPN. “I spent the first three years of my working life pursuing a career in business consulting, but that was not my calling and not my passion,” said Wood. “After heartfelt prayer, I decided to directly pursue my passion for sports performance, exercise science, and sports psychology. “It’s easy to become good at what you do if you’re pursuing your passion,” said Wood. “Follow your passion and calling, and the Lord will open up tremendous opportunities for you.” Story by BC marketing associate Emily Carlisle

Dr. Spencer Wood ‘98

alma mater, Bluefield College.

Wood, the founder and president of Icebox Athlete, has been teaching as an adjunct professor at BC for the past three years, with a course on Mental Toughness offered as a special topics course under the Exercise and Sports Medicine curriculum. “New and soon to roll out [to BC] is the certificate program based on the video series he offers on his website. Bluefield College will be the only college to offer his program as a certificate/credit program that will enable coaches to secure a professional development documentation and/or continuing education credit,” said Dr. Marshall Flowers, vice president for academic affairs and athletics. Wood, a native of London, England, is a 1998 BC graduate with dual degrees in history and business. After graduating from Bluefield, he obtained a master’s degree in exercise science, started Icebox Athlete, and later added his Ph.D. in psychology. While at Bluefield, Wood started to understand the importance of mental toughness, saying, “It was the differentiator of those who could perform under pressure and those who could not.” Understanding the importance of focus and discipline in athletes, and having the background of business, exercise science, and psychology aided in the founding of his company, Icebox Athlete. Icebox Athlete provides insight and programs for coaches to learn ways to prepare their athletes, mentally, as much as they are prepared physically. This includes components like motivation, composure under pressure, focus, resiliency, and confidence.

I n the early 1980s, David Gardner heard from his youth pastor about a small college in the foothills of Appalachia called Bluefield College. Nearly 40 years later, he is a serial entrepreneur, writer, very early stage angel investor, and adviser for start- up companies. Gardner’s most recent success revolves around the company ArchiveSocial, a company keeping a record of all things social media. Since its start in 2011, the business has been growing so much that the Obama Administration noticed and contracted with it. On May 8, ArchiveSocial announced it had raised $53 million in investment capital from a private equity firm. Gardner, one of the early investors, has made millions from the deal. Although he has done very well for himself, Gardner has a bigger view of life, saying, “In my definition of success, if you miss ‘happy’ then you have failed no matter how much money you make.” Gardner is a graduate from the class of ’85 and launched his career with his first tech startup in 1986. Story by BC marketing associate Emily Carlisle

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