Canadian Para Nordic skiers on multi-sport and athlete transfer
Robbi Weldon, Christina Picton and Cindy Ouellet have a collective 10 Paralympic appearances between them. All 3 women are multi-sport athletes from childhood and all 3 have represented Canada in Para nordic skiing. On the surface, their experiences with the Canadian Para sport system may seem similar. But what their stories show is that there…
Demographics of Canadian strength and conditioning coaches
New research on Canadian strength and conditioning coaches has shed light on demographics. The study found that the mean age of coaches was 34 years. 77.% of participants were male and 90.7% did not identify as a visible minority. This demographic data can inform future targeted recruitment and mentoring within the field.
Challenges and opportunities of dual sport participation
Not many athletes can claim both summer and winter Paralympian status. Liam Hickey is one of those rare athletes. He represented Canada at the 2016 Paralympics in wheelchair basketball and the 2018 and 2022 Paralympics in Para ice hockey. Ultimately, financial pressure and time constraints compelled him to focus solely on Para ice hockey. The…
Cultivating a mastery climate in youth sport
A mastery motivational climate is one in which the success of an athlete is determined by their own perception of skill development and satisfaction. An ego motivational climate emphasizes winning, with success being defined by who is the best. The benefits of a mastery as opposed to ego climate in youth sport include: decreased feelings…
Multicultural common spaces: A study of Canadian hockey arenas and social integration
Project summary The research objective was to assess whether the game of hockey, and its associated social spaces, contributes to the social integration of immigrants and racialized minorities in Canada? This research assesses whether the game of hockey provides for multicultural common spaces where interactive pluralism occurs and enables a sense of Canadian identity and…
Beyond food as fuel: Exploring women athletes’ relationship with food
Athletes’ relationship with food can be complicated. This is especially true for women in sport, who tend to have higher rates of disordered eating. The role of sport participation in athletes’ relationship with food is not straightforward. Some studies suggest that sport participation itself can make disordered eating more likely. Other research highlights the many…
Safe sport jobs increase as Canadian sport sector responds to community
Safe sport and safeguarding in sport have become top priorities for the Canadian sport sector. Prevalence studies have revealed that athletes across different levels of sport frequently experience maltreatment (Alexander et coll., 2011; Vertommen et coll., 2016; US Center for SafeSport, 2021; Willson et coll., 2022). Equity deserving athletes experience more harm in sport (Burdsey,…
Assessments in physical education
Physical education (PE) can play an important role in promoting activity and lifelong sport participation amongst youth. However, there is debate regarding how teachers should best assess students in PE. This study explores students’ attitudes towards different areas related to assessment in PE, including curriculum, grading, teachers, and fitness testing.
Positive sport experiences of gay men
Sport participation has many benefits for one’s well-being. However, sport is not always a welcoming environment for LBGTQ+ people. Research consistently demonstrates that homophobia can be pervasive in sport contexts like gyms, arenas, and locker rooms (Anderson, 2017; Cleland, 2018; Frederick et al., 2022; Hartmann-Tews et al., 2021). In this blog, researchers from Brock University…
Pre-Game safety huddles
Safety huddles bring together both teams before the start of a game for coaches to discuss the importance of speaking up if a concussion is suspected. A study with youth soccer teams found that safety huddles increased the likelihood of athletes reporting concussion symptoms. This may be a promising low-resource option to improve concussion safety…