One of the eight key factors underlying Long-Term Development in sport and physical activity for organizations is Appropriate Specialization.
This factor recommends that, except in early specialization sports, athletes should not over-specialize until their early teens. Before then, they should participate in a wide range of sports and activities to build a high level of physical literacy and well-rounded sport skills.
And yet, it seems the sport system—and those working with pre-teen participants—are creating increased opportunities for early specialization.
Join Christian Hrab and Alyssa Cox to discuss and explore this reality, and possible ways forward.
PRESENTATION DETAILS:
Alyssa Cox is a long-time athlete and coach in Winnipeg’s basketball community. She graduated from the University of Winnipeg in 2016, where she played five years for the Wesmen women’s basketball team while pursuing a degree in Education, majoring in Kinesiology and Applied Health. She completed her Master’s thesis research in the spring of 2022.
Her coaching career has included two appearances as Head Coach of Manitoba’s provincial team at the Canada Summer Games, and six years as an assistant coach with the University of Winnipeg’s women’s basketball team. This spring, Alyssa was named head coach of the women’s program.
Alyssa Cox will present a summary of her recent research findings on “Sample or Specialize? Exploring Youth Sport Coaches’ Perspectives and Practices Regarding Sport Specialization and Sport Sampling”.
Moderator:
Christian Hrab is a member of the Sport for Life Quality Sport Advisor Team and was responsible for introducing a new coaching education program to Canada Snowboard, which incorporated the Long-Term Athlete Development model. From 1994 to 2010, he was an athlete, coach, and director of the Canadian National Snowboard team. As a coach, he has led numerous athletes, both able-bodied and para, to World Cup, World Championship, and Olympic gold medal performances. As a performance advisor, Christian has worked with numerous summer sports at Taekwondo Canada and at the National Sport Institute in Montreal. He is also the Executive Director of Canadian Adaptive Snowsports (CADS).