Wildfires and outdoor sport
Wildfire smoke contributes to poor air quality, which can negatively impact the health of outdoor sports participants. In the event of a wildfire, it is important to limit outdoor physical activity. Some best practices include rescheduling activities to a later date or, where possible, moving activities indoors.
Bike safety
Biking is a convenient and healthy way to travel, however, it can pose a risk of injury. Proper safety strategies can prevent bike-related accidents. Some bike safety strategies include wearing a helmet that fits properly, regularly checking your bike’s breaks and following the rules of the road.
Safe sport for equity-deserving athletes
Research shows that demographic groups including athletes with disabilities and 2SLGBTQI+ athletes are disproportionately affected by maltreatment in sport. This is why researchers are advocating for more organizations to become educated on topics like racism, ableism and sexism in their sport, and incorporate them into Safe Sport initiatives.
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…