Assessing youth sport programs’ facilitation of positive youth development
Background / Context / Objective With growing societal concern for youths’ healthy development, extensive literature suggests organized leisure activities serve as optimal contexts to foster positive youth development (Larson, 2000), and sport has consistently been found to be the most popular organized activity among youth (Hansen & Larson, 2007). While youth’s involvement in sport is…
Giving Due Deliberation to Masters Athletes: The Time has Come
Paradoxically, Masters sport is equally celebrated and ignored. Masters athletes are celebrated because they are motivated, goal-oriented, and determined to thrive at ages when sport participation has traditionally waned – they defeat stereotypes and allow us to rethink possibilities. Yet Masters athletes (MAs) can also be an “after-thought” in sport organizations, receiving scarce attention. Our…
Self-Compassion in Sport 101
If you have been involved in the coaching or administrative side of competitive sport, chances are you have seen athletes experience emotionally difficult setbacks. These setbacks can range from devastating performance failures (e.g., “choking” during an important competition), to facing harsh, negative evaluations by others (e.g., spectators, teammates, competitors, parents) and/or themselves (the self-critic is…
Supporting Podium Dreams – Paralympian Search and RBC Training Ground
To support the identification and development of future Olympians and Paralympians, two Canadian programs have been developed to fuel the Canadian pipeline of future hopefuls. RBC Training Ground and the Canadian Paralympic Committee’s Paralympian Search are athlete identification programs designed to assess participant aptitudes in various sports, and connect athletes with sport opportunities and development…
Winter 2021 SIRCuit
The Winter 2021 SIRCuit is now available! For many, the new year presents an opportunity to set new goals, refine behaviours, or let go of something that is holding them back. This edition of the SIRCuit provides takes a deep dive into self-compassion, athlete identification, relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S), engaging masters athletes, and social learning…
Happy New Year
Welcome to 2021! The SIRC team is looking forward to an exciting year of keeping you informed with the latest news, research, and jobs from the sport community across Canada. Be sure to follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. In case you missed it, be sure to check out our Looking Back – 2020…
Trickle down effect? Exploring the influence of the Olympic Games on preschooler sport participation and development
Background / Context / Objective The benefits of sport participation among youth are well recognized, yet little work has focused on understanding sport participation among very young children, despite growing participation at increasingly early ages. The first objective of this project was to explore sport participation and development among preschoolers. Findings suggest that while parents…
Subgroups vs cliques
Worried about the subgroup dynamics within your team? Subgroups represent those “good” groupings that show prosocial behaviours, and can be leveraged to positively influence the team culture. Cliques are debilitating, excluding or ostracizing teammates, lowering self-esteem, and promoting antisocial and unethical behaviours. Coaches should be proactive in addressing the negative impact of cliques.
Looking Back – 2020 SIRC Content Highlights
Although 2020 was a challenging year, it was rich with learnings and silver linings for the Canadian sport and physical activity sector. Featured below are highlights of SIRC’s top content from the last 12 months. Whether you’re looking for insightful reading during a quiet moment over the holidays, or a quick video to get your…
Community parasport – The experiences of female youth
The upcoming Tokyo Paralympics will be an opportunity to inspire the next generation of Canadian Paralympians. However, without strong development pathways, young Canadians may not have the opportunity to pursue their dreams. An important first step along any development pathway is a positive introduction to sport through grassroots community programs. There is a persisting gap…