Complex decisions in sport

Competing objectives, such as increasing grassroots participation and selecting the top athletes for high performance programs, can complicate the work of national and provincial/territorial sport organizations. Data-driven decision-making allows sport organizations to solve complex issues in more innovative ways instead of relying on “how it’s always been done.”

Opportunities for mental health promotion in Canadian university sport

a woman in a locker room deal with mental health.

Highlights If you’re reading this article, chances are you’re passionate about Canadian university sport. And why wouldn’t you be? University sport provides students with opportunities to connect and enhance their confidence through building skills. It also gives students something to look forward to that they feel good about doing. All these things can help build…

Psychological skills training

Psychological skills training can help athletes enhance performance, self-satisfaction, and enjoyment in sport. For this reason, researchers at the University of Windsor developed a free, online psychological skills training program for para-athletes. This evidence-based program provides training to support skills such as goal-setting, concentration, and relaxation.

Less is more: Programming interval training for endurance performance

two athletes skiers move in cross country skiing

More isn’t always better. This couldn’t be truer than when it comes to designing an interval training program geared to maximize endurance sport performance. At least that’s the conclusion of our most recent meta-analysis. This blog discusses findings from our recently published meta-analysis, which describes the effect of manipulating various interval training program characteristics (such…

Multi-sport collaboration

Compared to early specializers, youth who participate in multiple sports early in their development often experience fewer injuries, enhanced movement skills and a greater likelihood of long-term sports participation. But in Canada’s North, sport participation opportunities for youth can be few and far between. Discover how table tennis and hockey came together to enhance player…

Let them lead: The benefits of shared athlete leadership

In its inaugural season, the Las Vegas Golden Knights, a team of so-called “misfits” patched together from 30 other National Hockey League (NHL) teams, reached the Stanley Cup finals. One reason for their success was that they didn’t assign traditional on-ice captains. Instead, the team philosophy was that there were “23 captains.” According to Golden Knights forward…

Process of change

The Safe Sport journey involves a cultural change in sport. Such a change can challenge traditionally accepted assumptions and practices, such as having coaches share hotel rooms with athletes to save costs or using exercise as punishment. For sport leaders, understanding the process of change and associated emotions (i.e., denial, resistance, exploration, commitment) is important…

Perfectionism

Many top performers experience perfectionism, the need for their performance to always be perfect. While striving for flawless performance may seem like a good thing, research shows that perfectionism positively predicts burnout among competitive athletes. Burnout is also more prevalent among athletes who perceive their coaches as perfectionistic.

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…

Understanding your role in sport and why it matters

Hockey coach talking strategy with his girls hockey team

When talented athletes come together to represent a nation, some must inevitably accept different roles than they have on their respective league teams. This was the case when Steve Yzerman, the architect of Canada’s 2014 Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey roster, based role assignments of selected athletes on positional need, player style and teamwork, rather than…

Help us, help you by completing SIRC’s new annual survey!

As Canada’s national Sport Information Resource Centre (SIRC), we’re here to support those involved in sport at all levels in Canada with the latest insights and resources. We want to know what you find most valuable about SIRC in our new survey!

Through your answers, we hope to learn the best ways to support you by providing the latest insights and resources that have the most impact.

Sign up to Our Newsletter

News travels fast. Stay connected to sport and physical activity-related knowledge, news, jobs and resources through SIRC’s daily newsletter — The Canadian Sport Daily — delivered straight to your inbox.

"*" indicates required fields

Groups*
Skip to content