SHAPE MT 2026

This session is designed to demonstrate how physical educators can incorporate concepts like connection, trust, creativity and energy into their curriculum. Additionally this session will provide participants with strategies, activities and games focused on developing teacher to student and student to peer relationships for their students. This session will also include an overview of the SEL competencies, and how they are related to the physical education standards.

Tired of traditional kickball where most students just stand around? This high-energy session introduces innovative kickball variations designed to get everyone moving! With unique rule twists, multiple balls in play, and non-stop action, these games boost engagement, teamwork, and fun. You'll leave with creative, easy-to-implement ideas that keep students active, involved, and excited for PE. Come ready to play and discover how to transform kickball into an inclusive, fast-paced experience that works for all skill levels!

Whether you're working in a small gym, a classroom, or anywhere in between, this session is packed with engaging, adaptable, high-impact games no matter your constraints. Limited space, limited to no equipment, or both? No problem. Walk away unstoppable — with ready-to-use activities for any teaching environment and any circumstance. 

Description Coming

For coaches, PE teachers, and youth leaders committed to developing the whole athlete -not just performance, but resilience, focus, recovery, and leadership. Learn how brain function, nervous system regulation, breath, and movement directly impact response time, decision-making, choice, emotional balance, confidence, and athletic performance. Explore the science behind brain chemistry and peak performance, including dopamine for motivation and drive, serotonin for well-being and composure, adrenaline for quick response under pressure, and acetylcholine for learning, coordination, and muscle memory. Equip your athletes with tools that strengthen the brain–body connection to support success in sports, school, and life.

This  session introduces a comprehensive, student-centered approach to physical education and weight training through the “Creating Your Fit” framework. Grounded in the 2024 SHAPE America High School Standards and aligned with the NHSSCA (National High School Strength Coaches Association) curriculum, this presentation redefines fitness as a multidimensional concept that includes physical performance, emotional readiness, and cognitive understanding.
Participants will explore how the Movement Menu (Mild–Medium–Spicy) model empowers students to self-select appropriate intensity levels based on their individual needs, goals, and daily readiness. This approach is paired with a Daily Tracker and Reflection Table, allowing students to monitor progress, build self-awareness, and make informed decisions about their fitness journey.
Through real-world classroom examples, educators will see how this framework increases engagement, promotes inclusivity, and supports differentiated instruction without sacrificing rigor. The session highlights how integrating strength and conditioning principles with standards-based physical education creates meaningful, transferable learning experiences that prepare students for lifelong health and fitness.
Attendees will leave with practical tools, implementation strategies, and assessment ideas that can be immediately applied in both PE and weight training environments.

There are many Traditional games of the Montana Tribal groups and this training will provide knowledge of the game Rock in Fist and the game Run and Scream.  Teachers will be able to play the games to gain confidence to teach their students.
Traditional Games provide a cultural connection for Indigenous students and a tie to Indian Education for All for all students. This helps provide a connection between school and the cultural significance of the location.
Traditional Games are rooted in character development by learning the traditional stories that embed each game. In addition, the stories and games teach citizenship and sportsmanship. Essentially developing those who play to be better community members.
Additional training will be required at another time to learn how to make other games.

Teen female athletes are not just “smaller versions” of adult athletes—they are navigating rapid physical, hormonal, and emotional changes that directly impact how they move, train, and perform. During puberty, girls experience shifts in strength, coordination, body composition, and the introduction of the menstrual cycle, all of which can influence energy levels, recovery, and injury risk.

This presentation explores why training female athletes requires a more intentional and informed approach during these critical years. We’ll break down how puberty affects movement patterns, why injury risk (especially knee injuries like ACL tears) increases, and how coaches can better support their athletes through these changes.

More importantly, we’ll focus on solutions. Attendees will learn practical strategies to:

Build strength, stability, and proper movement mechanics
Support athletes through their menstrual cycle with awareness and flexibility
Create a training environment that fosters confidence, body awareness, and long-term athletic development

By shifting the focus from performance alone to education, empowerment, and sustainability, we can help female athletes not only perform better—but feel stronger, more confident, and more in control of their bodies.

Fumbalya is a football based game that involves a lot of catching, throwing, running, strategy, tactics, chasing and fleeing.  It can be played indoors or outdoors.  It can be played with 5-12 people per team.  With 2 to 4 teams on 1 big court or 2 smaller courts.  Equipment requirements are 2 to 4 footballs, pinnies, and cones to mark goals.  The presentation would involve a throwing, running, and catching warm up.  A rules of the game walk-through.  And game play.  Fumbalya can be adapted to any court or field size.  Essentially there are no out of bounds.  I would prefer to present inside, but if court space is limited we can move outside.

Will start in the classroom and then head to the outside.

Hurling and Gaelic Football are the national sports of Ireland, with history going back over 2,000 years. You will learn the rules and some history of the sport, as well as the way these sports are a huge part of Irish culture to this day. Learn how you can integrate these sports into your PE rotations this year with minimal set up or equipment.

Looking for ways to make health content stick without sacrificing movement time? This session brings health concepts to life through active PE games that reinforce nutrition, wellness, body awareness, and healthy decision-making. Designed for elementary learners, these activities help students review key concepts while naturally building understanding through movement, teamwork, and fun. Expect practical ideas, active participation, and games you can immediately bring back to your gym.

Come learn how to implement the Sports Education Model in your gym!

Need a quick activity that works when plans change, time is short, or energy needs redirecting? This session features favorite instant activities shared by future physical educators from Rocky Mountain College and proven PE favorites that require little to no equipment. These are the go-to games teachers keep ready for warm-ups, transitions, brain breaks, and high-engagement moments. Expect active participation and plenty of ideas you can use immediately.

Get ready to move, connect, and be inspired! In this session, participants will experience Let’s Make Salsa!—ten lessons that blend physical activity with meaningful social-emotional learning. Each salsa ingredient represents an SEL concept, creating a fun and memorable metaphor students can easily relate to. You’ll actively engage in lessons tied to each ingredient, exploring strategies that build student grit, goal setting, and dignity. Active lessons will conclude with reflective journal practices and final project. Discover how one school uses this creative approach to bring SEL to life, fostering positive relationships and student engagement. Leave with fresh ideas, ready-to-use activities, and a recipe for making SEL as irresistible as salsa!

You may know the traditional game, but what about all the "extra" games??  Come learn a few of the extra games!