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The following excerpt was written by Kevin Brockway, staff writer, Gatorsports.com and ESPN.com

GAINESVILLE, Fla. —

Renowned sports psychologist Spencer Wood isn’t ready to take credit for Florida’s early improvement at the free-throw line.

“It’s a small sample size,” Wood said. “It will be interesting to see if by the middle of the season those percentages can continue to hold.”

Icebox Athlete works with University of Florida Softball to win back-to-back National Championships!

The following excerpt was written by Chris Harry, senior writer with Gatorzone.com

OKLAHOMA CITY — Winning the first national championship a year ago didn’t just prepare Tim Walton and his Florida Gators for the journey and grind of chasing another.

With as much traveling and speaking as Icebox Athlete founder Spencer Wood gets to complete in a given year, it is understandably rare that he is ever at a loss for words.  Such was the occasion on Saturday May 9th, 2015.  A few months earlier, Spencer had been invited to deliver the commencement address to the Bluefield College graduating class of undergraduate and graduate students at the 91st annual graduation for Bluefield College to be held on May 9, 2015.  Just prior to delivering the commencement speech, Spencer was presented with an Honorary Doctorate Degree of Humane Letters for “Outstanding contributions to his field of sports performance and sport psychology and services to society” by Bluefield College President Dr. David Olive. The Doctor of Humane Letters compliments Dr. Wood’s existing PhD. in psychology with a research emphasis in sport psychology.

“I was truly at a loss for words” Spencer commented later.  “It (an LHD Doctorate of Humane Letters) is one the highest honors and designations that can be conferred by a university…it was completely unexpected.  To be honest, it is the type of award and recognition you might dream of receiving one day toward the tail end of a career vs. at a mid-point, and I really feel that I am at somewhat of a mid-point.”

The Bluefield College Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, and students, in addition to the entire staff at Icebox Athlete, join in congratulating our founder, Spencer Wood for receiving this distinction.

 While a quick view on a map or globe gives the appearance that Trinidad and Tobago is a relatively small nation by land mass, the heart and soul of the nation is certainly ‘larger than life.’ That has been the recent experience of Icebox Athlete President Spencer Wood after he was contacted by Olympic Secretary General Brian Lewis to deliver a series of mental skills workshops for the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee and Program.

Said Spencer Wood: “The beauty and warmth of the people, climate and geography will stay with me for quite some time….Trinidad and Tobago also have a proud and noteworthy Olympic history and the number of world class athletes that are nurtured here is extraordinary relative to their general population….I am honored that Icebox has been invited to enhance this development.”

Virginia Commonwealth head coach Shaka Smart says some of the credit for his team’s success in the NCAA tournament should go to a mental toughness coach.

As one of the nation’s preeminent mental toughness coaches, the 39-year-old from England has played a significant role in building the Big Dance’s biggest bracket buster

They have the most dominant record in the history of women’s lacrosse with ten national championships to their name and more NCAA tournament victories than any other program. And yet remarkably, since 2001, the most storied program in all of women’s lacrosse had been in a national championship drought. A Final Four appearance in 2009 was as close as they had come to bringing the national championship trophy back to College Park. Instead, a new power had emerged…Northwestern Women’s Lacrosse had won the last five consecutive national championships. 

The NCAA Champs Life Skills program is an NCAA initiative to provide athletes with critical skills for success both on and off the athletic courts and fields. As a long time NCAA registered speaker, Spencer Wood, President of Icebox Athlete was this year’s choice of speakers for the NCAA Champs Life Skills program for the athletes of Boston College. Speaking on practical steps to increase poise under pressure, putting a mental skills training plan in place, critical aspects of leadership development and the key components of championship teams, Wood was well received by the student-athletes and coaches present.

NCAA Champs Life Skills Director Alison Quandt commented: “Spencer and his staff were the utmost prof

Sylvia Crawley, head coach of Women’s Basketball at Boston College added: “Prior to working with Spencer, we had a team of perfectionists who had a fear of failure. The Icebox training helped our players focus more on the process rather than the outcome. We are now ready to “put our self esteem on the line” and set a goal to be ACC Champions! I am AMAZED at the immediate difference in the mentality of our players!!” essionals throughout the weekend. We received great feedback from our student-athletes and coaches on Spencer’s presentation; his delivery is engaging and the message he has for student-athletes is eye opening for many of them who haven’t considered the role that mental toughness and preparedness play in their specific sport. His teachings can be put into practice immediately. We look forward to working with Spencer in the future.”

Following their dramatic victories in the World Cup qualifying rounds and their qualification for the World Cup Finals, the Trinidad and Tobago national U20 men’s soccer team became a team that now generates a healthy level of both respect and fear from opponents across the globe. Combining a world class level of athleticism and iron clad mental toughness, the team emerged from a very tough qualifying pool to land the ultimate prize – a place in the World Cup Finals.