Importance of physical activity for post-secondary students
University or college can be a stressful time. Trying to balance academics, a social life, physical and mental health can be challenging. Students often find themselves having to sacrifice one thing for another, which can negatively impact their health. This blog will illustrate why physical activity is important for the mental health of post-secondary students,…
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.
Canadian sport system faces officiating crisis
“They’re not yelling at you. They’re yelling at your shirt,” is the refrain that Nicole Pagliaro, a Harassment Officer for the Huronia District Soccer Association, repeats to her young referees, so that they’re armed with mental defenses for dealing with abuse. But fewer officials young and old are feeling like the positives of the job…
Effective Cheering
Did you know that cheering for runners is more than just words? Research reveals that providing instructional and motivational support is appreciated by runners, but its effectiveness depends on factors like the runner’s condition and course feedback accuracy. While support is usually uplifting, it can also create pressure. Experts suggest using the “IMPACT” approach (Instructional,…
How youth athletes can support their own life skills development
While coaches often play a critical role in supporting athletes’ development, it is also important to consider how athletes can support their own development. This blog provides 3 strategies to help athletes take ownership of their own life skills development through sport participation.
Supporting positive parental decision-making in sport
Parents and guardians have significant influence on their children’s sporting experiences, as well as broader sport culture. As such, their decisions can have long-lasting impacts on their children’s sport enjoyment, performance and long-term participation. Parents must decide when to start or end a child’s participation in a sport program, how many sports to do at…
Protecting the accessibility of school sport
The financial cost of sport participation is frequently cited as a barrier to access for low-income families in Canada. School sport is often the most accessible form of sport programming, however schools are increasingly adopting pay-to-play models that restrict access. Canadian researchers conducted a study to understand the extent to which school sport supports low-income…
Using life skills to promote social justice: Youth sport as a vehicle for social change
Sport can serve as a setting for addressing social justice. By expanding the meaning of life skills, seeing life skills through a sociopolitical lens, and teaching life skills that address youth’s social realities all stakeholders in the sport system can work together to progress the positive development of youth and evolve life skills. An important…
Building mental health
Canadian research found that building mental health in the off-season can help varsity athletes maintain their well-being during their sports season. Some strategies athletes can use to help build and maintain their mental health include making time for friends and family, building social networks outside of sport and taking a break from training for their…