Cultivating a mastery climate in youth sport

A mastery motivational climate is one in which the success of an athlete is determined by their own perception of skill development and satisfaction. An ego motivational climate emphasizes winning, with success being defined by who is the best. The benefits of a mastery as opposed to ego climate in youth sport include: decreased feelings…

Protecting young athletes’ mental health

Youth elite athletes are under-researched despite being faced with the challenges of puberty in addition to pressures to perform in high performance contexts. New research advocates that intervening early is critical to promoting mental health among youth elite athletes.

Why early childhood educators are key to developing children’s physical literacy

Early childhood is the foundational stage for developing physical literacy (motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge and understanding) needed to participate in sport and other physical activities throughout life (Whitehead, 2013). During early childhood, children are developing the foundational skills that can develop into sport and activity-specific skills (Barnett et coll., 2016; Robinson et coll., 2015)….

Starting young to protect elite athletes’ mental health

Youth elite athlete mental health is complex. Being young is a time of transition and can leave young people vulnerable to mental illness. Meanwhile, elite athletics often involves high pressure situations and intense training. These two experiences combined leaves youth elite athletes especially vulnerable. Researchers are calling for more attention to early mental health intervention.

Pre-Game safety huddles

Safety huddles bring together both teams before the start of a game for coaches to discuss the importance of speaking up if a concussion is suspected. A study with youth soccer teams found that safety huddles increased the likelihood of athletes reporting concussion symptoms. This may be a promising low-resource option to improve concussion safety…

Brad Donohue ( bradley.donohue@unlv.edu ) @ 05/23/2023 12:55 pm

Supporting physical activity among young people diagnosed with cancer

Most Canadians know that being physically active is important for overall health. But did you know that physical activity may be particularly important for young people diagnosed with cancer? Children, adolescents, and young adults diagnosed with cancer experience many negative effects, like fatigue and pain, and are at greater risk for chronic health conditions and…

Enhancing sport and physical activity for Canadians with disabilities

The Canadian Disability Participation Project (CDPP) is a cross-sector network of partners working together to enhance community participation among Canadians with disabilities. Since 2014, the CDPP sport and exercise team has created over 100 resources, including the “Blueprint for Building Quality Participation in Sport for Children, Youth and Adults with a Disability,” and the “Blueprint…

Parenthood, childhood and organized youth sport in rural and small-town British Columbia: An ethnographic study 

Project summary  This study explores how parenthood and childhood are enacted within the context of organized youth sport in one rural and small-town British Columbia region. Studies of organized youth sport, childhood, and parenthood have primarily emphasized the experiences of (sub)urban dwellers. This has resulted in limited knowledge on how where one lives informs experiences…

Parent behaviour in sport

Parents play an important role in creating positive sports experiences for their children. Through interviews with athletes, researchers have learnt what behaviours children look for from their parents at competitions. Preferred behaviours included having parents show respect to others in sport, focus on their child’s effort rather than outcomes, and provide positive yet realistic post-competition feedback.