Knowledge Nuggets

A focus on winning at all costs has created sport programs in which building psychological, cognitive, social and emotional skills are largely ignored, yet these are essential ingredients for successful high performance athletes. Today’s blog provides an overview of the development of executive functions and social and emotional learning through sport.

While many people have strong friendships with work colleagues, eventually everyone will be required to work with someone they just don’t like. To focus on effective collaboration, reflect on the cause of the tension and your reaction to it, work to understand the other person’s perspective, become a problem solver rather than a competitor, and...

The legalization of cannabis in Canada in October 2018 remains a hotly debated topic. In the Spring 2019 SIRCuit, the Honourable Martha Deacon – educator, coach, Director of the Canadian Olympic Committee, and member of the Canadian Senate – shares her reflections on voting “yes” for Bill C-45 “The Cannabis Act”.

When many of us are trying to put down our phones and get off the couch, why did ParticipACTION create a mobile app? With over 88% of Canadians subscribing to cell service, the opportunity to directly influence the health behaviours of Canadians was too good to pass up! Get the inside scoop on the development...

Fear of injury and kidnapping, and a belief in the superiority of structured activities, have reduced the amount of time children engage in outdoor unstructured play. This infographic provides the evidence to debunk these common myths that are keeping kids at home on the couch, instead of outside playing.

In February 2019, federal, provincial and territorial Ministers responsible for sport committed in principle to developing a “strategy tailored to their own jurisdiction so that boards of directors of funded sport organizations reach [gender] parity by December 2024.” Known as the “Red Deer Declaration”, this raises the bar for national and provincial/territorial sport organizations to...

Excessive pitching is one of the main risk factors for shoulder and elbow injuries among adolescent baseball pitchers. While some organizations have policies in place that limit the number of innings or pitches, these policies may not consider the additional pitches in the bullpen or during warm-up.

A psychological contract refers to the unwritten set of expectations that govern a volunteer/organization relationship. Research from Wilfrid Laurier and Western University examined the psychological contracts of community coaches to uncover key components that may contribute to coach retention. Coaches’ expectations of themselves related to professionalism and technical administration. Coaches’ expectations of their organizations related...

Since Wheelchair Curling was included in the Paralympics as a full-medal sport, Canada is the only country to have won medals at four consecutive Paralympic events. Check out the action at the 2019 Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championships, which kicks off today in Boucherville QC.

The Spring 2019 SIRCuit is now available! Check out our newest collection of articles, providing timely and relevant research and insights relating to leadership, athlete development, and high performance sport: Cannabis and Sport: Perspectives from a Seat in the Canadian Senate A Positive Environment for Volunteer Coaches: The Role of Psychological Contract Gender Equity is...