September 15, 2006 Source: :
http://www.mta.ca/news/index.cgi?id=1097 Internationally renowned sport psychologist to speak at Mount A, Sept. 19 New York Rangers. New York Knicks. Basketball great Isiah Thomas. Canadian Olympic gold medalists. Just what do all of these world-renowned icons of athleticism have in common? Since 1998, they have all, at some time, trained, learned, and worked with Mount Allison alumna and sports psychologist extraordinaire, Dr. Kimberley Amirault (’95), who will be returning to her alma mater on Tuesday, September 19, to deliver a talk entitled, "Commitment to Elite Performance." The presentation, starting at 8 p.m., in Brunton Auditorium on the Mount Allison campus, will be open to everyone, but will be most valuable to those individuals who are hoping to improve and maximize their athletic performances, physically and especially mentally. Amirault is the world’s only female sports psychologist who worked full time with two professional men’s sports teams. Most recently, Kimberley returned from the Turino Olympics where she was the sports psychologist for Canada’s Olympic speed skating team (which included Olympic multiple medal winners Clara Hughes and Kristina Groves), and cross country skier and Olympic multiple medal winner Beckie Scott. A former Nova Scotia resident and a competitive alpine skier, Kimberley says, "I knew very early in life that I wanted to be a sports psychologist. The values I learned at Mount Allison laid the foundation for the rest of my life. It challenged me, yet supported me, and it taught me to be true to my heart. I hope I can pass that on to my athletes." Passionate about her psychology program and working with people to help them achieve their highest potential, Kimberley found making a difference in people’s lives was a rewarding experience. While working with the women’s gold medal Olympic hockey team was one of her life’s sporting highlights, her proudest moments have been shared with those athletes she has helped to achieve their highest potential, conquering fears, and rising to their best performances in life and sports. Over the last four years, Kimberley’s busy schedule had included commuting from her current home in Calgary to New York City every two weeks to work with the Knicks and Rangers. While she has given up her New York connection, she is now full-time Director of Sport Psychology at the Canadian Sport Centre in Calgary, and is also an adjunct assistant professor in the Division of Applied Psychology and the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary, and is a provisional chartered psychologist. Dr. Amirault completed her PhD in counseling psychology, specializing in sport psychology at the University of Calgary, obtained her master’s degree in sport psychology at the University of Ottawa, and graduated from Mount Allison with an undergraduate honours degree in psychology. Over her post-graduate years Kimberley maintained a 4.0 GPA and received numerous national scholarships. Currently an international keynote speaker and performance consultant to corporations and sport organizations internationally, she has published referred and non-referred articles, is a course conductor for the National Coaching Institute and the Canadian Hockey Association, and is currently training for a fitness competition. Dr. Amirault’s presentation is sponsored by the department of external relations. —30— For further information, please contact: Sue Seaborn, sports information director, Mount Allison University, tel: 364-2362 (sseaborn@mta.ca).
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