Hallmarks of a quality masters sport experience

Research on the experiences of Masters athletes identifies eight “Hallmarks of a Quality Masters Sport Experience“. These include intellectual stimulation, testing and assessing oneself, quality relationships, and feeling validated.

Getting over ‘mom guilt’

Olympic bronze medalist and former world champion mountain biker Catharine Pendrel gave birth to her first child, Dara, 6 months before she represented Canada in Tokyo for her fourth Olympic Games. In the lead up to the Games, Pendrel discovered that she’s actually a better parent when she makes time for physical activity. “It felt…

Military family support

As sport professionals, part of our support for military personnel often includes considering types of sport programming that may promote physical and mental recovery following service-related illness and injury. But military families are often overlooked. Integrating military family programming and support into sport program delivery is one way to support the healing and recovery of…

Family-friendly golf

Golf offers health benefits and opportunities for social connection, but the time commitment and cost of lessons, practice and memberships can be a barrier for moms with busy family schedules. Flexible opportunities, such as family-friendly events or playing fewer than 18 holes, can make golf more accessible to women.

Sport for newcomers

Sport participation can help welcome newcomers to their new country. Sport administrators can create more inclusive and welcoming programs by involving newcomers in program planning and implementation. Partnering with community organizations that have experience supporting newcomers can also be helpful.

The active mom

Kids don’t have to be the only ones getting active during their organized sport activities. Training sessions provide an ideal time for moms to get active too! Creating opportunities for parents to engage in individual or group exercise during their children’s sport practices is one way sport programs can enhance sport moms’ physical and mental…

Warm-up tips

Do you like to stretch before going for a run? Research shows that short durations of dynamic stretching (up to 4 minutes) are the most beneficial for running performance if there are no further warm-up activities after stretching. Static stretching, on the other hand, has no effect on performance but can reduce acute injuries by…

Independence in Safe Sport

The importance of Safe Sport and how it can be further integrated into Canadian Sport is an ever-evolving process for many sport organizations. A key question for many organizations centers on what “independence” means in the context of investigative processes related to Safe Sport. A group of researchers at the University of Toronto led by…

From one mom to another: Tips for being active after welcoming a new baby

Becoming a mother is an exciting milestone in a woman’s life. Once you welcome home a baby, nothing is ever the same again. While the transition to motherhood comes with many ups and downs, engaging in physical activity is a great way for new moms to protect their physical and mental health. For more information,…

Movement-based methods

Creative approaches to data collection can be useful for sport organizations to evaluate the effectiveness of youth programs. For example, movement-based methods use the structure or rules of a game to gather feedback from youth about their experience. They can also double as a program activity, helping to save time and keep kids on task….