Knowledge Nuggets

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...

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...