Vince Lodato, MSW, LCSW

Vince Lodato, MSW, LCSW

Vincent A. Lodato, MSW, LCSW is a clinician and therapist who holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from Florida State University and a Certificate in Sport and Fitness Psychology from California State University-Dominguez Hills. He is a licensed therapist who works as a consultant to professional sports teams including three Major League Baseball organizations providing services on both the Major and Minor league levels for over 11 years.

Vince is a professional member of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) and is involved with their Youth Sports Special Interest Group. He has been in private clinical practice for over 20 years, and working in professional sports and in private practice, he has been active with youth athletes, coaches, and parents to enhance both their performance and enjoyment of sport.

Ignite Performance Group

www.igniteperformancegroup.com

Ignite Performance Group is the leading mental performance group based in North Texas with clients nationwide. Ignite's mission is to increase our athletes' mental conditioning using innovative approaches and a values based foundation. We strive to fully develop the inner spark each athlete has within and be the catalyst that drives performance to the highest level.

Ignite’s clientele has included numerous elite adolescent athletes and several college athletic teams. They are partnered with community non-profit organizations to provide educational workshops primarily based on positive impacts of sport psychology in youth sport. Ignite’s head performance consultant, Glenn Pfenninger, M.S., is a Certified Consultant by the Association for Applied Sport Psychology.

The Extra Gear

www.theextragear.com

Dana Blackmer, Ph.D., CC-AASP is a sport psychologist and founder and owner of The Extra Gear. He is a certified consultant with the Association for Applied Sport Psychology and listed in the USOC's Registry of Sport Psychologists. He has had over twenty years of clinical experience, and has also worked as a university instructor and speaker to professional groups across the United States. He is an adjunct faculty member at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Sport Leadership Center and has also taught continuing education classes at the University of Richmond. He is a member of the American Psychological Association’s Division of Exercise and Sport Psychology and the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. In addition to being an avid cyclist, Dana is also a certified USA Cycling coach. He has coached amateur and professional athletes of many different sports across the United States.

Organizations

Florida Sports Performance Institute

www.flsportsperformanceinstitute.com

The Florida Sports Performance Institute possesses the finest array of performance improvement training programs and services offered in Florida. Their programs are focused exclusively on the player and/or team seeking to elevate athletic performance to elite levels. The Florida Sports Performance Institute represents an innovative approach to the organization and delivery of comprehensive performance training solutions which have been tested and applied at the professional and collegiate levels.

Clients, players and teams alike, are unique in that they understand and recognize that the achievement of state-of-the-art elite performance must emphasize all three facets of development:

1. 1) Technical skills of the specific sport;
2. 2) Optimization of athletic capabilities such as speed, strength, mobility, agility, etc; and
3. 3) Integration of the emotional, psychological, and intellectual components of competition.

Due to recent research and experiential results, the degree of sophistication associated with player development has increased exponentially. Consequently, the Institute is applying the learning accumulated from the experiences with professional and collegiate athletes at the high school and middle school levels. Adopting and applying these training techniques and methodologies gives our clients the edge so necessary in competing and succeeding at elite levels.

USA Athletics Softball

www.usaathleticsgold.com

Located Southern California, the USA Athletics 18 Gold Softball Team is a diverse group of student athletes whose common goal is to compete at the highest level. Their other goals are to guide, teach and motivate - emphasis is placed on preparing players to perform to their full potential. Success is measured not only by wins and losses, but also by softball skill and progress. Players are trained to be successful in all aspects of the game of softball.

Clubs

Jersey United Spartans Soccer Club

AS&K Sports evaluates Jersey United athletes on the ten mental skills that predict success in important situations on and off the soccer field with the MSA.

Jersey United Spartans Soccer Club (formed in 2004 under the name of Jersey United Soccer Club) is a full service nonprofit youth soccer organization based in Morristown and Hillsborough New Jersey. The club recently merged with the PSG Spartans to form one of the most comprehensive soccer clubs in the Mid Atlantic Region.

Learn more about Jersey United at their site.

Since the club's founding in 2006, the Tampa Bay Fire has established a national reputation as one of the premier elite lacrosse clubs in the South. As the only elite lacrosse team serving the West Florida region, the Tampa Bay Fire provides a challenging learning environment for elite lacrosse players that accelerates skills development, game knowledge, field sense, and attitudes about competition and sportsmanship. Tampa Bay Fire players skills are showcased at select competitive tournaments and national college recruiting events. The club has helped place dozens of it's players in college lacrosse programs and is the home for the first High School All-Americans in West Florida.

Learn more about the Tampa Bay Fire at their site.

Universities/Colleges

Athletes from the following universities and colleges have participated in our pilot study, contributed to our norms and/or are users of the MSA:

	Morristown High School	Tampa Catholic High School