DANSILVIA.COM
A BLOG ABOUT OMAHA & NEBRASKA
Dr. Leland Barker earned his bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science at Creighton University in 2010, followed up with a master’s degree in Kinesiology from Cal State-Fullerton in 2013, and then… joined the circus. Following his time at Fullerton, Barker moved to Las Vegas, the hometown of his now-wife Aurora, a Creighton graduate herself. He was looking for an opportunity to put his degrees to work. In Las Vegas, the circus is always in town and those high-flying acrobats, dancers, and athletes of all sorts could benefit from the knowledge of an exercise expert. Barker joined the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil as a Performance Scientist and later served as a Strength and Conditioning Coach for the organization. Now, he is bringing that experience into the classroom as an Assistant Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at his alma mater, Creighton. Circus Act Barker had been academically accepted into the Ph.D. program at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, but had to wait for funding to become available. His mentor at UNLV, Dr. John Mercer, suggested getting involved with some community organizations, collaborations the University was trying to foster as well. A fortuitous text from a friend alerted Barker to an internship opportunity with Cirque Du Soleil. Soon, he was helping performers propel themselves into the air in shows like KÀ, Mystère, and O. “It allowed me to get my foot in the door and do things that were aligned with what I wanted to,” Barker said. “I applied and they liked me enough to give me the gig. I worked 10 to 20 hours a week, helping them with the performance science projects that they were running.” The internship helped establish a connection between the UNLV program and Cirque Du Soleil. A relationship that has become a difference maker for the school. “Through Dr. Barker’s effort, the relationship between UNLV and Cirque was amplified,” Mercer said. “Having the ability to connect with Cirque Du Soleil allows students an opportunity to work with elite athletes in unique performance settings. This gives the student a new perspective in issues related to sports performance.” Barker helped collect data and manage project logistics over a four-to-five-month period, but Cirque did not have additional funding for the position beyond that. Barker brought Mercer and the leadership at Cirque together to find a solution. “They were able to get me state funding to do my Ph.D.,” Barker said. “So, I continued to work with Cirque in roughly the same capacity. I also started all my duties with UNLV, teaching and research.” At that point, Cirque Du Soleil was operating eight different shows in multiple casinos along the Las Vegas Strip. “Cirque is just different because there's no off-season. They're just working nonstop,” Barker said. “I tried to keep the volume of training down a little bit, so they're not getting too beat up. We focused more on fundamental skills and building habits. I tried to make sure they were not too tired, make sure that they could still do their show safely, and feel good about what they're doing.” Eventually, Barker moved to a position working almost exclusively with O, the featured show at the Bellagio. One of Cirque Du Soleil’s longest-running shows, the company’s website describes O as a show that “pays homage to the magic of theatre - from simple street performances to extravagant operas - where all is possible, and life’s drama unfolds before our very eyes. World-class acrobats, synchronized swimmers, divers and enchanting characters demonstrate their aquatic prowess in, on and above the water resulting in an extraordinary experience.” “That was my favorite show,” Barker said. “I got to meet people from all around the world. It's such a global company. Artists are coming from all over the place. Getting to work with Europeans, Russians, South Americans. It was a really cool experience to work with people from such different cultures.” Running with the Rebels Barker may have picked up some juggling tips from his acrobatic friends as he balanced his work with Cirque with his responsibilities as a Ph.D. student at UNLV. “Even though it's a lot to juggle, the experience really prepared me for a full-time professor position,” Barker said. “It's not always smooth sailing. Trying to figure out dissertation stuff is a bumpy road.” Barker authored and co-authored numerous articles during his time at UNLV and had several published in the Journal of Applied Biomechanics and the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research among others. Titles included “Acrobatic Trampoline Act: A Description of Acceleration Profiles in Training and Shows Using Wearable Technology” and “Relationships Between Countermovement Jump Ground Reaction Forces and Jump Height, Reactive Strength Index, and Jump Time.” “Dr. Barker is very thorough in critically evaluating data, being innovative in developing methodological approaches, and generating new questions from the research conducted,” said Mercer, who collaborated with Barker on several articles. “He is very open in discussing ideas and adapting when presented with new information or information from a different perspective.” In addition to his work with Cirque Du Soleil, Barker had access to the NCAA Division I athletes at UNLV, which he used to conduct experiments and collect data. “That was always nice, because we could get access to a whole team and collect data in a day,” he said. “I was looking at deceleration strategies, movement strategies related to jumping. We did a lot of jumps, a lot of loaded jumps. Because of the nature of biomechanics, we can collect a ton of data. The big challenge is figuring out what kind of data I want to use for a specific question.” While Barker gained experience as a researcher, he also developed his skills as an instructor, teaching classes in each semester of his Ph.D. program. “The UNLV Ph.D. program was pretty young at the time, so we had a nice small group of students,” he said. “We had a lot of opportunities. Not every Ph.D. student can say, "I taught every semester in addition to doing my research." Back with the Bluejays Following the completion of his Ph.D. program, Barker continued to teach part-time at UNLV. He and Aurora were comfortable in Las Vegas, and she had a solid job as Admissions Director at Bishop Gorman High School. That allowed him to look for the best opportunity rather than simply the next opportunity. His interest was piqued when an opportunity became available at Creighton. “I had attended a few conferences and had an inkling that there might be a position opening up,” he said. “My wife loved her job. We loved our home. It had to be a special opportunity. We made the decision within a day or two. She has some family here in Omaha as well. That made the decision easier.” Barker started his job at Creighton in August 2019. Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic struck just two months into his second semester on the job. “It was definitely a challenge, but Creighton made some excellent adjustments,” he said. “That first half-semester required a lot of adaptations on the fly. A lot of people worked their tails off -- faculty, administrators, students -- to make this past year pretty solid.” Barker, who attended high school at Mounds Park Academy in St. Paul, Minnesota, can relate well with his students having been in their shoes just a few years ago. He made his college choice based largely on the influence of the parents of a high school friend, both medical doctors, who spoke highly of their experience at Creighton. He considered Pre-Med initially, but gravitated toward Exercise Science as his academic career progressed. “I just kind of fell in love with Exercise Science,” he said. “I loved sports and I loved the human body -- trying to make it better and learning how to do that.” Barker credits Dr. Joan Eckerson, a professor during his undergraduate studies and now the Chair of the Exercise Science and Pre-Health Professions program, who helped him identify his academic and career path. “She’s a great friend and mentor to me,” Barker said. “She helped me recognize that I had a knack for this kind of thing. That really planted the seed.” Eckerson recalls Barker as a bright, engaged student with a high aptitude for math and statistical reasoning. Like a lot of students, he was searching for a career path that would allow him to pursue his passion. “He was trying to figure out what he wanted to do -- like most of our students. He had intentions of attending professional school as a freshman, but his heart just wasn’t in it and, to his credit, he listened to his heart,” Eckerson said. “As he took more and more courses in the major, he developed a strong interest in strength and conditioning. As graduation neared, I told him I thought he’d enjoy academia as a profession and that I would be happy to write him a strong letter of recommendation.” When a position opened at Creighton, Barker’s credentials made him a perfect fit. “We were specifically looking for a Ph.D. trained biomechanist; therefore, his academic preparation was ideal for the position,” Eckerson said. “Lee’s certifications in strength and conditioning and experience working with Cirque Du Soleil and USA Snowboarding definitely set him apart from our other candidates. He has the ability to adjust his approach based upon what each athlete needs because of his experience.” Barker and some of his colleagues from the Department of Physical Therapy are currently working with some of the athletic teams at Creighton with a long team goal of developing a ‘Bluejay Sports Science Institute’ that would foster interdepartmental collaboration and career development opportunities for Creighton students. “It’s that kind of passion and vision that makes Lee special and we’re glad to have him back ‘home’,” Eckerson said. Barker enjoyed his Creighton experience outside the classroom as well, claiming a couple of intramural basketball championships. He and his teammates were then recruited by Creighton women’s basketball coach Jim Flanery to form a practice squad to match up against the Bluejay team. “They’re great because you need to be able to simulate more quickness or athleticism sometimes,” Flanery said. “It also gives our players a chance to practice against somebody different. That can bring a different level of competitiveness.” Barker would frequently find himself matched up against all-Missouri Valley Conference point guard Chevelle Herring. “Now that he is a doctor, you understand why he was a good practice player,” Flanery said. “So much of being a good practice player is following directions. He guarded Chevy a lot in practice. Chevy was all right hand, so we tried to have him sit on her right hand to make her go left. Thise types of things are important, being able to run an opponent’s offense to simulate game play.” Home Front
Barker may have scored his biggest win at Creighton in a different sport - ultimate frisbee. It was through that participation that he met his future wife, Aurora Driscoll. “I was at a party put on by one of the upperclassmen. She was there,” he said. “I wasn’t smooth or anything, but I just wanted to talk to her and thought she was cute. I sat down, probably really awkwardly, but we just made a little connection, and it went from there.” The couple were married in the summer of 2013 and welcomed their first child, Felix, in the winter of 2020. While arriving during a pandemic might not be ideal, Felix did have the benefit of having both parents at home for a time. “It was actually a good time to be pregnant and have a baby,” Barker said. “Aurora was amazing with labor and everything leading up to it. She’s tough and a champ. Felix let us off the hook a little bit. He’s been sleeping great ever since he was six weeks old. He’s had a couple of teething nights, but those have been rare. He eats well. He’s just a good-spirited baby.” While the new school year will certainly bring its share of challenges, the Delta variant among them, there is no doubt that Barker, his family, and his extended Creighton family will have the flexibility to handle it.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI am a professional communicator with experience in journalism, public relations, marketing, advertising, and technical writing. I strive to tell the great story regardless of the medium. Archives
April 2022
Categories |