Athlete Perspective: The Value of Mentorship
SIRC’s Athlete Perspective series provides insight and recommendations on key issues from an athlete’s perspective. The collection of blogs and SIRCuit articles profiles Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes and taps into their lived experience. Success isn’t accomplished alone. It takes a balance of hard work, open mindedness, and most importantly, mentorship. As long ago as…
Patient Evidence
An editorial in the International Journal of Athletic Therapy & Training discusses three sources of evidence-based practice: the therapist’s experience, scientifically proven practice, and, used less frequently, patient evidence. The authors argue for closer collaboration between athletic therapists and patients to ensure that factors unique to the patient, their environment, and their social setting are…
Hazing Research
Hazing is defined as “an event created to establish a team’s social hierarchy by humiliating, degrading, abusing and/or endangering newcomers regardless of a person’s willingness to participate in order to reinforce their social status on the team.” Research shared at the 2017 SCRI Conference revealed that many athletes did not report hazing events because they…
Talent Identification Issues
A short-term focus on winning can influence talent identification and team selection practices, and create a protectionist and isolationist culture within sports. However, these practices are a disservice to athletes, failing to assess long-term potential and restricting multisport experiences that could enhance development. Learn more about the ins and outs of early identification and selection…
The Implications of Cannabis Legalization for Athletes
The legalization of cannabis in Canada will have significant implications on the Canadian sport system, ranging from anti-doping policy, to athlete and staff safety and wellbeing, to risk management for organizations. In conjunction with its partners, SIRC will be providing insight and resources to support sport organizations in navigating the many issues. This SIRCuit article,…
Issues in Athlete Identification and Selection: Are We Compromising Talent?
Despite some important ethical and developmental concerns, early identification and selection is the modus operandi of high performance sport. Most sport systems internationally have limited resources for high performance athlete development and, as a result, have to make predictions about who has the greatest likelihood of future success. Notions of talent also play critical roles…
Taking Athlete Development to a New Level: Understanding the Value of a Trauma-Informed Approach
Increasing attention in research and practice has focused on the physical and psychological impacts of trauma and violence, for example from living in conflict zones or experiencing family violence. In North America, such work has led to an increased understanding of the prevalence and impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). These include childhood physical, sexual…
The Development of Executive Functions and Social and Emotional Learning Skills Through Sport
One of the biggest stories coming out of the 2018 Winter Olympics was the success of the Norwegian Team, who topped the overall medal count with 39 medals (7.33 medals/million population), compared to Canada’s third-place standing with 29 medals (0.81 medals/million population). In team rooms and in the media, everyone was asking “How did such…
Happy birthday? How your birthdate contributes to success or failure due to the “relative age effect”
Have you ever stopped to wonder the difference a day can make? Say, being born December 31st or January 1st? This small 24-hour window could be the difference between competing in elite vs. recreational sport, or being identified as “gifted”, or (mis)diagnosed with a learning disability in school. Many youth development systems (e.g., sport and…
Lessons from the Start Line – Applying Sport Experiences to a Future Career as a First Responder
I was born in 1995 which means I fall under the very prestigious title of a millennial. Not only are we known for the extensive technological integration into our lives, but also for our high unemployment rates and decreased job satisfaction. This pushes many to stay at home with their parents and continue post-secondary education…