• wellness without walls ™

  • IDEA WORLD CONVENTION
    Dates and Info available at www.ideafit.com/world

    Purpose: to afford the opportunity to attend a professional continuing education fitness conference to someone who otherwise would definitely not be able to attend that year for financial reasons. This Scholarship is open to any personal trainer, group ex instructor, or club manager with a strong commitment to continuing education in the fitness/wellness market.

    Description:
    WHY start the BISCONTINI SCHOLARSHIP?
    When I began traveling for fitness on an international level over a dozen years ago, I met so many talented and promising instructors and personal trainers from various countries like Ankie Feenstra in Greece (who won the IDEA Biscontini Scholarship 2006), Doreen Rakowski in Pennsylvania (who won it for 2007), Bam Mogato in the Philippines, Fatih Senturk in Turkey, and others. I know that they would take full advantage of the opportunities for personal growth that fitness events offer us in the USA because they are hungry for knowledge without being able to afford visas and travel-related expenses, not to mention the hefty convention prices themselves. In many places, including cities in the USA and countries outside of the USA, it’s still not uncommon for facilities to pay under US $15.00 for a 90 minute yoga, Pilates, or core conditioning class, making attending a USA convention impossible. I think that many of us who attend events year after year have come to take for granted the amount of education at our disposal, so I just want to try to make a small difference by enabling individuals to attend my favorite conventions.

    HOW does the BISCONTINI SCHOLARSHIP run?
    After I won a few Instructor of the Year awards, I decided that my next goal was not going to be a career goal for myself but to enable a career goal for someone else. I put my time, energy, and money into creating a special bank account that would generate funds to make the Biscontini Scholarship possible each year. The Biscontini Scholarship will continue to exist as long as this proves feasible, and we appreciate donations of cash from individuals & companies as well as donations-in-product from fitness-based product companies like Power Systems and Power Music. The Biscontini Scholarship also is able to work because of the cooperative generosity of Carol and Gary Scott at ECA, and their respective teams, Peter & Kathie Davis at IDEA, and Sara Kooperman and her staff.

    My peer team of FG2000 faculty reviews each application that is complete and together we decide on the most deserving candidates for the Biscontini Scholarship for any given year.

    Eligibility: This award is appropriate and available for:

    1. Persons who strive to inspire the world to fitness as a group fitness instructor or personal trainer.
    2. Persons who spend at least 15 hours per week in a professional career providing motivational, professional, and effective interaction with members and/or students.
    3. Persons who are financially “in need” and would be unable to attend the convention without the benefit of this grant.
    4. Persons who are not a professional presenters in a home country or abroad.
    5. Persons who are available for travel to the event the day prior to the convention and return the day after of the convention. Applications must be complete and are not transferable.

    Rules:
    Applications that do not follow this application precisely are disqualified. Only electronic submissions will be processed.

    All applications must be submitted in English.

    Applications after deadlines will be accepted, but applied towards consideration for the following year.

    Process:
    WHAT is the BISCONTINI SCHOLARSHIP?
    It’s like my answer to the “Make-A-Wish” foundation for fitness. It’s a Scholarship that gives the most deserving applicant each year (land or aquatic group fitness instructor, personal trainer, both) a chance to attend an internationally-acclaimed fitness convention with all expenses paid, including transportation, hotel, meals, and convention educational expenses. It’s a chance for a fitness professional who otherwise would not be able to attend to immerse himself or herself in current trends, techniques, and talents of the fitness world, at NO individual cost.

    My mission is “wellness without walls,” and the Biscontini Scholarship takes this mission to a deserving applicant in the hopes to touch the lives of the applicant and his or her clients and classes.

    I’m making it possible for an individual a year to attend major, international conventions for continuing education: IDEA WORLD/INNER IDEA.

    INSTRUCTIONS:

    1. STEP 1: CUT AND PASTE THE REST OF THIS PAGE ONTO A BLANK WORD OR NOTES DOCUMENT.
    2. STEP 2: ANSWER EACH QUESTION AS DIRECTED IN 250 WORDS OR LESS.
    3. STEP 3. PASTE A PHOTOGRAPH OF YOU ONTO THAT DOCUMENT AND SAVE THE DOCUMENT AS "YOURLASTNAME.SCHOLARSHIP.IDEA" AND EMAIL TO SCHOLARSHIP@FINDLAWRENCE.COM.
    4. IF YOU ARE ON FACEBOOK, FRIEND LAWRENCE BISCONTINI AND SUBSCRIBE TO HIS UPDATES TO BE KEPT ABREAST OF POSTINGS.

    Please cut and paste this application page into a Word Document and answer in 250 words or less the following sections:

    Dear Biscontini Scholarship Committee,

    I am applying for the Biscontini Scholarship to the IDEA Convention.

    1. Why would you like to receive the Biscontini Scholarship? Which SPECIFIC SESSIONS would you take and WHY? Please answer in 250 words or less.

    2. What do you currently do in fitness? Are you full-time or part-time in fitness? 3. What is your current weekly teaching or training schedule? At which fitness establishments do you work or, where do you practice (e.g.,parks, churches)? Please answer in 250 words or less.

    3. Please be honest about your financial situation. Why do you qualify for this award? Note that we give preference to those who have NEVER attended professional fitness continuing education conferences.

    Email your answers to scholarship@findlawrence.com with a current photograph of you (not a professional photograph, just a photograph!).