North American Society for the Sociology of Sport :: Société nord-americaine de sociologie du sport :: La Sociedad Norteamericana para la Sociología del Deporte
** November 5-8, 2008 ** Denver, CO, USA
The information on this page was created and compiled by graduate student representatives Emma Wensing and Michelle Donnelly to assist graduate students attending NASSS for the first time. However, any first time attendee -- grad, faculty, or undergrad -- may find some of the information below to be helpful. We welcome your suggestions and contributions related to any of these topics, or on other topics/ideas that you feel are important. Please email us at grads [at] nasss.org.
The deadline for NASSS abstracts has passed for this year, but the following information might be useful in preparing for other conferences or in thinking ahead to the conference in 2009.
Writing your abstract
Now you have to decide to which session (and session organizer) you want to submit your abstract. Often, you will be able to find a session that seems like a good fit (whether you are interested in nationalism, gender, media, etc.); however, sometimes this just is not the case. If you are unsure whether your paper will fit in a session, or are trying to decide between two sessions, contact the session organizer(s).
If your paper idea does not fit clearly into any of the proposed sessions, do not panic. You may still submit your abstract to the conference organizers, and it will be considered for an open topic session. Please be aware that the paper sessions listed on the web are guideposts, and do not constitute the final program. If you have an idea for a session that is not presently listed, you still have the option of proposing it. To do so, contact conference program chair Bob Rinehart via e-mail ( rinehart[at]waikato.ac.nz).
Submitting your abstract
* If this is your first NASSS conference (and even if it is not), you might be interested in submitting an abstract for the poster sessions that are now available. More details about the poster sessions are available on the sessions page of conference site, and all poster abstracts should be submitted online to the open poster session.
Once you have been contacted by NASSS President-Elect Bob Rinehart or your session organizer to let you know that the abstract you submitted has been accepted, you will want to turn more attention to preparing for the conference. If you are not presenting but are planning on attending the conference regardless (which we highly encourage!!!) the following information will also be useful to you.
MEMBERSHIP: In order to present a paper at the annual conference, you must be a NASSS
Finally, if you are presenting, though at this time of year the conference seems a long time away, it happens at a busy time of year for many in North America, and it is best to try and avoid the last-minute rush. If you have a spare day or two before school gets underway, why not work on your paper/presentation? It might also be useful to present your paper to colleagues at your institution as a way to prepare for the conference itself.
TRAVEL: Check to see if anyone from your school or area is heading to the conference. You can do this by contacting people directly or using the message board linked off both the NASSS home page and 2008 Conference page. You may be able to get a group deal on flights, or coordinate flights so that you arrive at the airport with a group of conference participants with whom you can share taxis to the conference hotel.
The message board can also be used to connect people who are driving to the conference (if you are driving and would like to fill up your car, or if you are interested in driving with somebody, you can post your information and request on the message board). More information on transportation options can be found through the conference home page.
We strongly suggest arriving at the conference in time for the evening welcome reception. This is the first opportunity to mingle with and meet other conference participants. Arriving on Wednesday also gives you time to get settled in your accommodations before the conference proper begins (early Thursday morning!).
The annual conference officially ends late Saturday afternoon. Many people (students and faculty) elect to stay until Sunday and take advantage of one last night of networking and socializing, celebrating the end of a successful conference.
[Top]ACCOMMODATIONS: It is common for grad students to share accommodations with each other to minimize conference costs (hotel rooms comfortably fit 4 students). While staying at a hotel or location other than the conference hotel may be cheaper (and is perfectly okay), staying with a group of grads at the conference hotel will (hopefully) improve/contribute to your conference experience. The benefits of staying at the conference hotel are that you are ‘close to the action’ – you can sleep longer, the grad breakfast is just downstairs, and you can dash up to your room during the day if you need to. The conference hotel will be the hub of both academic and social activities, and this is definitely something to consider before choosing where you would like to stay. A list of potential alternative locations is listed below.
So, how do you find a roommate/roommates?
NASSS has created a message board for the explicit purpose of connecting roommates for the conference. On the message board, you will find a thread devoted specifically to grad student accommodations. This is where you should submit your posting if you are looking for shared accommodations, or if you have already booked a room and are looking for people to share the space and the cost. When using the message board to organise yourselves into groups, you may want to note if you are a late-night or early morning person so you end up with roommates who intend to keep similar schedules. Sharing your room is a great way to get to know a few other grad students and expand your NASSS social network.
A small number of rooms at the conference hotel have been put aside for grad students. So, if you have a group (of up to 4), contact us (your graduate student reps), and we will instruct you on what to do next (first come, first served). You can also book a room at the conference hotel yourself; all conference hotel information is available on the homepage conference website (be sure to tell the reservation agent that you are booking with the NASSS conference).
You should try to finalize your accommodations before the end of September. The earlier you organise accommodations, the more likely you are to get a room at the conference hotel. If you are having trouble finding a roommate (before the end of September), email the grad reps and we will certainly try to help you make a connection with other students (but try on the message board FIRST).
Possible Alternate Accommodations
Please note that we are not recommending or endorsing these accommodations but have searched for possible alternatives based on cost and proximity to the conference hotel.
[Top]The NASSS conference is your chance to make an impression and, to this end, it is important that your conference presentation be well prepared. Check that your visual aids (especially your technical equipment) are in order prior to your session (we strongly recommend that you have backup overheads if you are using powerpoint). Also, before your session, it is a good idea to meet your session organiser (if you don’t them already). This way, they will know you are at the conference, and that you are ready to present. NASSS sessions have strict time limits (in order to fit as many as possible each day) – it is very important that you observe the presentation time allocated to you (by your session chair). You should definitely time your presentation beforehand and know what things you can cut ‘on the fly’ and/or summarize in a hurry if needed. If your presentation goes long, it takes time away from other presenters and you may be asked to stop before reaching your conclusions.
We cannot overstate the importance of planning your conference. Have a good look at the program (available on the conference web page) before you leave so you have an idea of what papers you are interested in attending. At NASSS, it is acceptable to leave a session QUIETLY after one or two papers in order to see the final papers in another session (most chairs will have presenters go in the same order as the program listing, but session ‘hopping’ is another important reason for presenters to stick to the time limits). It is disappointing to miss a paper because you didn’t look closely at the program. Six concurrent sessions means that there are a lot of papers happening at one time, and, if you know what session you are attending next, you can use the breaks during the day to ‘network’ (and to find out about papers in the sessions you didn’t attend).
NASSS aims to be a friendly and welcoming organisation. Many leading academics in the field regularly attend the annual conference, and they are open to chatting with grad students. Consulting the program ahead of time gives you an idea of who will be at the conference, and you can make a list of people (faculty and other grad students) who you would like to meet. Feel free to approach people and introduce yourself, but remember, the conference is a social/networking time for profs too. While not everyone may be free to talk with you right away, many will be willing to meet with you later in the conference (especially if you have something specific you would like to speak with them about). Alternatively, if there is somebody you really, really want to meet, you might consider contacting them before the conference and making arrangements to have lunch, a drink or coffee during the conference.
Much networking takes place during the informal social opportunities available throughout the conference. NASSS, generally, offers a friendly, open atmosphere (both academically and socially), and the executive board is working to further improve the NASSS conference ‘climate’. This year you can attend the inaugural ‘NASSS goes to the movies’ event – the first of the conference social programme. The traditional first night reception follows the film viewing. In addition to the organized social events, conference attendees tend to meet each other during breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and at the breaks between sessions.
Remember, you may have to take some initiative to meet people, but it will be well worth it. And, it is not always necessary to talk about school/academics (although that’s a good way into a conversation). For experienced NASSS goers, breaking out of an established peer-group and welcoming newcomers can be very rewarding – you never know until you try.
Many NASSS social events, both formal and informal, can involve alcohol, this is certainly not a requirement. If you are going to a bar or club during the conference, please remember to remove your nametag and be safe (make sure people know where you are). And be aware that not everyone drinks or is comfortable in an alcohol-focused environment. Engaging in a variety of social activities during the conference (e.g. going for coffee, a morning jog, etc.) can broaden your NASSS social network.
Finally, take a chance socially: go out for coffee, dinner, or to a bar with people you have just met. Spend time with people you don’t see every day. The NASSS ‘climate’ is a reflection of the membership, and ensuring (and improving) the fun and welcoming social atmosphere depends on the efforts made by all of us.
We look forward to meeting you in Denver!
Janelle and William
Join us for NASSS's Thursday Meet 'n' Eat Lunch, an opportunity to for old and new members to socialize and network. Participants will meet in the hotel lobby and lunch at a restaraunt(s) of their choice. (This is a pay for yourself event.)
