Taking a person-first approach to high performance sport in Canada
At the Canada Summer Games 2022 in Niagara, an event for up-and-coming athletes, the power of sport to transform lives was on full display with stories that showcased the pure joy, excitement and fun sport can offer. Teenage wrestler Eekeeluak Avalak became Nunavut’s first ever gold medalist in the Games and an emotional video clip…
Family sport culture impacts participation
In modern times many of us lead busy lives and it can be difficult to encourage youth to find time to participate in sport. Recent research shows that family sport culture has a consistent influence on young people’s sport participation.
Canada Soccer announces Men’s U-17 squad for Brazil series in São Paulo
Canada Soccer have announced their Men’s U-17 squad for the upcoming two-match friendly series with the South American champions Brazil. As part of preparations for the upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup Indonesia 2023, Canada will face Brazil on Friday 29 September and Sunday 1 October in São Paulo. “We have a two-match series against Brazil,…
Weight cutting detrimental to muscles
Weight cutting or rapid weight loss is a widespread practice in sports that have weight requirements, such as combat sports and rowing. A recent study done on Judokas finds that significant muscle damage was induced by rapid weight loss.
What parents and guardians need to know to create positive youth sport experiences
In Canada, youth sport is often coupled with incidences of poor parent or guardian behaviour. News reports of parent or guardian arrests and verbal as well as physical altercations around their children’s youth sporting events are, unfortunately, common (Bell, 2020; Crosier, 2022; Kaufmann et coll., 2019). Further, for many young athletes, dealing with pressuring, loud,…
Building the “we” in teams
Athlete leaders who strive towards building a shared sense of “we” and “us” appear to improve not only the whole team’s performance but also individual athletes’ well-being. Researchers have demonstrated that empowering athlete leaders is a great way to reveal a team’s full potential.
Wildfires and outdoor sport
Wildfire smoke contributes to poor air quality, which can negatively impact the health of outdoor sports participants. In the event of a wildfire, it is important to limit outdoor physical activity. Some best practices include rescheduling activities to a later date or, where possible, moving activities indoors.
Group Cohesion in Sport
Group cohesion in simple terms is ‘the glue that helps teammates to stick together’. Cohesion is important for not only group sports but individual sports as well. To help teams become more cohesive, coaches, sport psychologists, and athletes can use team building activities. Team building activities may include games played with teammates, puzzles the team…
Self-compassion in sport
Body image concerns are one of the reasons that many girls decide to drop out of sport. Research shows that improving self-compassion, or self-kindness, can improve girls’ body image. Encouraging girls to engage in activities to build their self-compassion, for example, through writing exercises or self-compassion podcasts, may help more girls stay in sport.
Coaching Wellbeing
Coaches face unpredictability and stress that can impact their well-being. A sport culture that emphasizes masculinity often leads coaches to keep their thoughts to themselves, causing isolation. A study used soccer documentaries to uncover how top European league coaches experience well-being, revealing that identity struggles and intense work involvement can affect both coaches and their…