Role model moms
“My daughter once told me, ‘Mum, you do everything for us. You should do something for yourself,” recalls 4-time Paralympian Ina Forrest, reflecting back on the early days of her wheelchair curling career. Over the years, Forrest has come to appreciate how her involvement in sport has modeled important values for her children, including how…
Achieving accessibility
People with disabilities face more than 200 barriers to physical activity participation. As a result, children, youth and adults with disabilities are up to 62% less likely to meet the World Health Organizations physical activity guidelines than the general population. While the Paralympic Games have the potential to inspire sport participation, serious action and investments…
Commonwealth Day
Today is Commonwealth Day, an annual celebration of the Commonwealth nations. This year, the XXII Commonwealth Games will take place in Birmingham, England, from July 28 to August 8. The Birmingham 2022 competition schedule features a fully integrated Para sport program and, for the first time in Commonwealth Games history, more medal events for women…
Athlete recovery in Para sport
Recovery from training can help athletes reduce injuries and enjoy longer careers, but very little is known about athlete recovery in Para sport. According to new research, collaborating with athletes, trusting athletes’ expertise about their bodies, and individualizing recovery strategies are important considerations for practitioners working with Para sport athletes.
Increased concussion risk for Para athletes
Para athletes are frequently exposed to concussion risk, particularly in high-speed and impact type sports such as Para alpine skiing, Para ice hockey and wheelchair basketball. They’re also exposed to concussion risk in sports where the risk to the non-Para athlete would be considered low, for example, in track-wheelchair racing, where crashes happen often.
Athlete development in Para sport
Athlete development pathways in Para sport can be varied and complex, research shows. Different classification systems, disability-specific characteristics, and individual athletes’ histories can all impact development pathways. Researchers conclude that Para sport needs its own development models that account for the complexity of Para athlete experiences.
2021 year in review: How SIRC embraced the “new normal”
After 2020 surprised us all with a global pandemic, many of us looked to 2021 with hope for a gradual return to our pre-pandemic “normal.” And with the widespread rollout and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines across the country, the activities that we put on hold as the pandemic unfolded, from social gatherings to travel, began…
Performance tracking
In wheelchair sports, wearable sensors present an opportunity for para-athletes to assess and analyze their gameplay and training statistics, such as wheelchair speed and acceleration. Wearable sensors can be used to measure electrical signals in muscles, allowing athletes and their support teams to assess training and performance in nuanced ways.
One size doesn’t fit all
For Para athletes, existing concussion assessment tools, like the SCAT5, can be useful, but may require modification. In its first position statement, the Concussion in Para Sport Group address adaptations for concussion assessment, management and return to sport for Para athletes. For example, the Wheelchair Error Scoring System (WESS) can be used with the SCAT5…
Beijing to Birmingham: Thinking outside the Para sport classification box
The Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympic Games are in the books, with the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games (Beijing) and Commonwealth Games (Birmingham) just around the corner. Our 128 Canadian Paralympians competed in Tokyo, bringing home 21 medals. Canada’s team joined 4,275 high performance Para sport athletes from 62 countries for 12 days of competition in 22 Paralympic sports. Despite the unprecedented challenge of hosting…