Knowledge Nuggets

The Fall 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: Increasing Distinction in Para Sport Event Management MATCH: Spotlight on a Canadian Study on Sport Participation Is There a Role for Weight Training in the Physical...

The development of physical literacy is essential to life-long participation in sport and physical activity. Learn how teachers and parents (and program leaders, coaches, and others!) can be allies in ensuring students develop the “motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge and understanding to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activities for life” in the...

Research from the Université de Montréal found that children with low or no participation in organized sport from ages 6-10 showed higher emotional distress, anxiety, shyness, and social withdrawal at age 12 than those who participated regularly. The authors suggest that emotional skills learned through sport can help youth successfully navigate the transition from primary...

Hockey Canada recommends a ratio of two (or more) practices for every game played — claiming that one efficient practice will provide a player with more opportunities for skill development that 11 games combined. This article from The Conversation explores how the competition-oriented structure and win-at-all-costs culture of minor hockey limits opportunities for players to...

Physical literacy is a central component of physical education curricula across the country. But the concept may be unfamiliar to many parents. Today’s SIRC blog helps demystify the concept so parents can be allies with teachers in supporting student success.

Most ultimate frisbee games are played without officials, relying on the “Spirit of the Game” which places responsibility for fair play on the athletes. At the highest levels of the sport, an “observer” provides a neutral perspective for dispute resolution or objective rules.

Interested in updating your workout regime with the latest strength and conditioning science? A new massive open online course (MOOC) from McMaster University launches today, designed to provide insight and practical tips to apply evidence-based techniques to achieving your health and fitness goals. Learn more about Hacking Exercise for Health.

While sport is often used to teach lessons about commitment and overcoming adversity, sometimes it makes more sense to quit.  According to Psychology Today, parents can help their children navigate this decision by helping them assess their goals and motivations, reframing quitting, and encouraging them to explore alternative pursuits.

Integration of para sport with able-bodied sport is often assumed to be the preferred participation model. But what do para athletes think? Today’s blog disrupts this assumption, calling for more research into the merits and pitfalls of integrated vs. “distinct and separate” sport from the perspective of the athletes.

Number 91 from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action reads: We call upon the officials and host countries of international sporting events such as the… [Arctic Winter Games] …to ensure that Indigenous peoples’ territorial protocols are respected, and local Indigenous communities are engaged in all aspects of planning and participating in...