VIRTUAL VICTORS 2020 Homecoming and alumni awards go digital BY JEAN HUNT
“In a year of change and challenge, one bright spot remains constant: our new building and the exceptional academics, research, and community it represents. We’re almost HoMe.” That message capped a brief video premiering during Homecoming Week, featuring Dean Lori Ploutz-Snyder walking through the nearly-completed renovation of our new home, the School of Kinesiology Building. (You can view this video at youtu.be/O4z5P7n_syk). Because of the pandemic, we were not able to gather in person to renew acquaintances—our Homecoming was virtual. But it was still social, thanks to social media. YouTube interviews of Kinesiology alumni were hosted by Mike Stack (MVS ‘04), founder and CEO of Applied Fitness Solutions and a member of the Kinesiology Alumni Society (KAS) Board of Governors. Those interviewed included: Lexi Mossman (AT ‘15), Matt Margol (MVS/IONM ‘16), Sansara Deshpande (MVS ‘20), Grant Floto (SM ‘20), Sid Jensen (PE ‘70), and Jessica Berman (SM ‘99). You can view the playlist on YouTube at myumi.ch/VPErj.
headphones, comfy blankets, and a bakery and coffee shop on their way to the top spot. And on Instagram we posed trivia questions about our school. We threw in a ringer: Who (or what) is “Grace”? Many voted for “a 1950’s PE mascot,” but Grace is actually a sculpture Dean Emerita Beverly Ulrich purchased at the Ann Arbor Art Fair. It will soon be installed in our new building. Distance was no barrier to announcing the 2020 Alumni Achievement Awards recipients on social media. They are: Hayes Grooms IV (SM ‘06), Jessica Berman (SM ‘99), David Schueler (SM ‘92), and Sheryl Szady (PE ‘74, MS ‘75).
On Facebook, challenges and trivia questions greeted our followers every morning during Homecoming Week. On Twitter we conducted a “Kraus Commons Dream Amenity” bracket challenge, where participants voted for fantasy perks. In it, resident therapy dogs bested
| MOVEMENT | FALL 2021
Hayes Grooms IV (SM ‘06) Early Career Achievement Award
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Until June 2021, Hayes Grooms was senior talent director at MasterClass, engaging world-renowned experts to teach classes via online subscription service. He structured deals with top talent in entertainment, tech, business, culinary, sports, and more, who then share their enthusiasm and know-how with people around the world. Grooms recently joined Dapper Labs as head of athlete marketing. Described by Fast Company as “one of the 10 most innovative gaming companies of 2021,” Dapper describes itself as using “the power of play to deliver blockchain-based experiences and digital collectibles that are made for you and ready for the real world.”
