President’s Message November 2019

As 2019 draws to a close, it’s time to reflect upon the first two years of this four-year term for the International Society of Sport Psychology. There is much to be enthusiastic about, and yet there is a strong and clear path that lies before us. Among the steps in the correct direction, the second call for ISSP Fellows has now past, and several applicants were nominated, each with important credentials and contributions to this organization. The ISSP Fellows adjudication is being led by Past President Dr. Gangyan Si, with support from Dr. Dieter Hackfort and Dr. Sidonio Serpa, both former ISSP Presidents. These people are hard at work examining applications. I wish to thank the adjudication committee for their diligence and support of this recently launched membership benefit for those seeking to become ISSP Fellows.

The International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, ISSP’s flagship journal, continues its ascent as a world class peer reviewed journal. The journal is classified in SCOPUS (ESCI), and with a mock impact factor of 1.73, and steadily climbing, it will shortly reach the threshold of 1.8 and its own impact factor. Equally promising, the IJSEP is benefiting from increased submissions with each year at the rate of within 15-20% growth each year. Consequently, as of 2020 the journal, which was recently increased to five installments per year, will now be printed in six installments per year. Additionally, as we complete our negotiations to remain with Taylor and Francis, in what has become a wonderful longstanding relationship, the publisher has kindly agreed to develop a PDF and online supplement of abstracts that will accompany each ISSP Congress. The intention is for presenters to have their abstracts published in the Web of Science – yet another membership benefit.

This past October, the ISSP was fortunate to have a local partner for its ISSP Think Tank on Athlete Mental Health. The think tank was locally hosted in Colorado Springs by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Dr. Sean McCann was the local organizer, and he worked closely with Dr. Kristoffer Henriksen from the ISSP Managing Council. The think tank focus was “Athlete Mental Health Through an Olympic Cycle”. Representatives were in attendance from FEPSAC, AASP, ISSP, the NBA, and the USOPC. The benefit from this think tank will be in the form of an invited open access publication in the International Journal of Sport and exercise Psychology, as well as white papers and practical interventions, brought forth from those in attendance, into their respective agencies and societies. The pattern of ISSP Think Tanks will continue in 2020, this time in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The International Society of Sport Psychology Registry is also now nearly finalized, with application information available at the ISSP.org website in a distinct drop down window. The first round of applicants, denoted as fast track, will be able to apply as of March 01, 2020. We look forward to piloting with these inaugural applicants with enthusiasm. For those interested, please begin to develop your applications.

Also found within the website, there is a drop down window where international events are identified, and especially, the ISSP Congress of 2021, to be hosted in Taipei, July 01-05. The Scientific Committee recently reached out to our membership with a new membership survey regarding favored topics. From this survey, we gained a 30% response rate, with feedback directing us to subject areas and foci that are more than ever before, membership driven. Presently, we are hard at work generating a successful candidate for each possible topic. Keynotes will be secured by early 2020, well in advance of the congress. We promise that the quality of keynotes, invited lectures, symposia, and panels will be of exceptional world class quality, focused on bridging research to practice in sport and exercise psychology from as many  corners of the world as is possible.

Finally, our membership is steadily growing from where it was four years ago. With the increased membership benefits, people are beginning to find further value in the ISSP annually. These benefits also include, and will continue to include, opportunities for you, the membership, to gain access to ISSP Committees as a “committee member”. Membership in our committees is especially important to succession planning as you become more familiar and engaged with this society. We encourage you to visit our website and examine our organizational chart. Membership engagement is something this society seeks and welcomes with enthusiasm. Have a wonderful last few weeks of 2019 and a blessed start to 2020.

Robert Schinke

President – International Society of Sport Psychology