Knowledge Nuggets

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...

Whether relating to abuse and harassment, or systemic doping, you may wonder how some issues remain open secrets in organizations where multiple stakeholders know about a problem or a concern, but no one publicly brings it up. Research reported in the Harvard Business Review describes a “bystander effect” whereby people stand on the sidelines as...

The immune system declines by about 2-3% a year from our 20s, which is why older people are more susceptible to infections, conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer. However, research from the United Kingdom has found that high levels of physical activity can stall the shrinking of the thymus gland. The thymus gland produces T...

New research from Nipissing University examined the characteristics parents/guardians use to judge unknown youth hockey coaches. The findings reveal that parents/guardians determined the coach to be less suitable if they’re perceived to lack competence, whereas a perceived lack of warmth did not have similar consequences. Read more about the findings and what they mean for...

For ringette, putting a values lens on the issue of concussions made decision-making simpler – preventing concussions as much as possible and ensuring athletes recover properly are priorities. When pressure to return to play comes from athletes not wanting to miss out, or parents pushing to have their child back on the ice, clear protocols...

To address abuse and harassment in sport, the Coaching Association of Canada is leading a consultation process to explore the creation of a pan Canadian code of conduct and associated sanctions. To complement a series of in-person consultations, an online survey has been launched to increase the reach of the process. To share your thoughts...

“Intellectual humility”, often related to open-mindedness, is linked to four key leadership characteristics: respect for other viewpoints; not being intellectually overconfident; separating one’s ego from one’s intellect; and willingness to revise one’s own viewpoint. However, philosophers argue the most effective leaders have one additional characteristic – “openness to experience”, which makes them curious enough to...

Facing elimination, do teams elevate their performance or stumble under the pressure? A study of NBA games from 33 seasons revealed that most teams “choked”. Findings suggest coaches should refrain from deliberate building of high-pressure environments with hopes of achieving performance enhancement effect among their teams.

Parents and other adults can place restrictions on the unstructured play of children, reducing child independence and limiting them to “boring” play spaces. Increasing access to outdoor, unstructured play promotes physical and mental health; improves social skills, creativity and team work; improves learning and attention at school; and improves resilience and risk management skills. Download...