Survey Supports Values-Based Sport
In a survey of Gymnastics Canada members and stakeholders, 100% felt adding the True Sport Principles to the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) courses would be an effective strategy to provide coaches with education and training to deliver quality sport experiences. This supported the creation of a new e-Learning course developed to reflect Gymnastics Canada’s…
Mental Health Considerations of the Athlete Transition out of Sport
Eat, sleep, train, recover. It is a familiar pattern for elite athletes who dedicate days, years, and even decades to their sport and the pursuit of excellence. But at some point, no matter the successes and failures that have occurred, the athlete’s sport career comes to an end. This transition out of sport can trigger…
Supporting Leadership Learning: From Classroom to Boardroom to Playing Field
There are as many definitions of leadership as there are people writing about it. To me, a leadership learning facilitator and teaching faculty member, leadership is a body of skills and behaviours which enable the positive holistic development of people and performance. I have been told countless times that leadership is learned in sport, and…
A True Sport Journey: Gymnastics Canada’s new Values-Based Coaching Module
“Build the foundation. Create champions. Inspire the nation.” Although Gymnastics Canada’s (GymCan) mission statement refers to the sport of gymnastics, it could also describe their new project with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) to create a True Sport e-learning course for coaches. What is True Sport? If you’re involved in community sport,…
Employee Appreciation
Regular check-ins, productive feedback, schedule flexibility, and professional growth opportunities are a few simple ways to express gratitude to your employees. Research has shown that when employees feel appreciated, they are more productive. Similarly, teams perform better when members believe their colleagues respect and appreciate them.
Six Keys to Gold Medal Governance
Unlike the young athlete who dreams of becoming a champion, few of us grow up dreaming about joining a board of directors. Many people join a board out of a sense of duty to an organization with which they have been involved, or because they thought it time for new leadership, or were recruited for…
Virtual Volunteering
Virtual volunteering is a novel way to engage volunteers during persisting COVID-19 restrictions, but it doesn’t need to stop post-pandemic. Online opportunities can help sport organizations build their pool of volunteers, attract volunteers with diverse skill sets, and become a more flexible and inclusive organization.
Tips for aspiring leaders – You don’t have to be “born with it”!
This blog is the second installment in a series in collaboration with Queen’s University. As an assignment to build knowledge mobilization skills, Dr. Luc Martin, Associate Professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, tasked students in his third year team dynamics course to write a SIRC blog. The top five were submitted to SIRC, and will…
Experts in the House – Q&A with Warren Weeks on “The Art of the Great Presentation”
With audiences spending more time online due to the pandemic, sport and physical activity organizations have an opportunity to deliver stronger presentations in new ways. On July 15, SIRC hosted a webinar – The Art of the Great Presentation – led by media expert Warren Weeks, designed to help participants deliver better presentations online and…
OSC Concussion Initiative
The Ottawa Sport Council’s (OSC) Concussion Education Initiative offers free education sessions for Ottawa-based sport organizations. Aligned with the SIRC Headstrong campaign, this initiative is just one way the OSC is increasing awareness about concussion management and prevention at the community sport level.