Hello SSSP SLB members (past and present!), Happy New Year!  I hope this New Year finds you well and for those of us in academic positions- that your semester is off to a great start! Just a few reminders and brief updates:   1. If you have not yet done so, please renew your membership to SSSP and be sure to register for the SLB division.  We are one of the smallest in SSSP and are at risk of losing the division if we do not sustain a strong and active membership.  There was some discussion at the last meeting about the sustainability of the SLB division.  Luckily we have a small, but very passionate base and a number of supporters. However, without your active involvement (renewing your membership, submitting abstracts to the conference, organizing panels, running for Division Chair, volunteering for the newsletter, volunteering to be on the graduate student paper committee, and so on), the Division cannot reach its potential and may be at risk.  Please get involved and encourage your students to get involved by becoming a member, submitting papers to the conference and student paper competition and attending the business meeting at the conference- where you can become involved with organizing panels, and joining the leadership of the division. I appreciate that membership is expensive, but SSSP is a great organization and is a wonderful, welcoming space for all disciplinary perspectives, theoretical persuasions and methodological proclivities! If you must chose one sociology professional organization to join, I hope you chose SSSP. 2. The deadline to submit abstracts and/ or papers to the Sport, Leisure and the Body graduate student award competition is Jan. 31, 2013.  I strongly encourage you all to submit papers to the interesting sessions we’ve organized for the upcoming conference.  There are several great sessions including ones on gender, sexuality and sport and youth sports, as well as a critical dialogues session. You can find more information on submitting papers online. 3. We also need to hold an election for the 2013-2015 Division Chair. Please contact me as soon as possible if you are interested in running for Division Chair.  This is a great way to become more involved with the organization and meet folks across the divisions.   4. Submissions to the winter/ spring newsletter.  Please submit any announcements, short essays, CFP’s to our newsletter editor, Giovanna Follo by Feb 15. Warm wishes from cold and windy Indiana! Cheryl SSSP Sport, Leisure and the Body Division Chair, 2011-2013. -- Cheryl Cooky, Ph. D. Assistant Professor Department of Health & Kinesiology and Women’s Studies Program Department of Sociology, courtesy appointment American Studies Program, affiliated faculty Purdue University 800 W. Stadium Ave. West Lafayette, IN 47907-2046 (765) 494-2503 Campus office: 114 LAMB