Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Changing? The Culture of Sport Hazing in the 21st Century-January 2018
Hazing is a complex issue that is entangled in the culture and tradition of Canadian University sport. 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. Anecdotal…
Sports Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Athletes
This study aims to gain a better understanding of the sports experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) athletes. There is very little Canadian data so far on the reality of LGBT athletes. However, all existing studies on the subject look at the difficulties faced by LGBT athletes, such as rejection by peers, harassment,…
Exploring Developmental Factors for Overcoming Relative Age Effects in Ice Hockey
Relative age effects (RAEs) are developmental advantages experienced by those born in the early months of the year relative to an age-defined cut-off date (Barnsley et al., 1985). In sport and educational settings, RAEs tend to endure, resulting in an accumulated advantage that could affect youths’ overall development (Murray, 2003). This research program investigated the…
Mindfulness for Peak Performance
Being an athlete is rewarding in countless ways, but there are also times it can be stressful. From experienced world-class athletes to young children in sport, athletes can be under immense external and internal pressure. To promote peak performance, as well as continued enjoyment of sport, mental skills training should be included within the training…
How Can You Adapt Your Exercise Plans to Your Travel?
Be it for business or for pleasure, travelling often shakes up your normal schedule. Meals, sleep, and fitness routines change to accommodate meetings or activities. Travel doesn’t need to set you back from your fitness goals, though. There are several strategies you can use while on the road to help you stay in shape without…
Can Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation Improve Athletic Performance?
Omega-3 fatty acids are associated with various health benefits, affecting heart and brain health, learning, and cholesterol levels. Its anti-inflammatory properties have led researchers to explore how omega-3 supplementation could mediate the effects of exercise-induced muscle damage. What implications does omega-3 fatty acid supplementation have for athletes and their performance? Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) often…
Being Smart about Concussions
Concussion continues to be a very hot topic in sport these days. In fact, the Governor General spent a full day in December 2016 hosting a conference with former professional athletes, Olympic and Paralympic athletes, the medical community, and the sport community at large, discussing concussions in sport and how we can do better for…
Need to Know Facts about Concussions
A concussion is a common head injury, also known as a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI). It is an injury that is caused by the brain being shaken around inside the skull after a direct blow to the head, or a sudden jerking of the head or neck when the body is hit. There is…
A Strong Knowledge Base: The Difference Maker in Athletic Success
How do experts differ from novices? In sport, success in both low-strategy sports and high-strategy sports relies on having a solid knowledge base: knowledge may be what determines who is a true expert when athletes have similar skills and experience. As coaches and parents, the importance of knowledge bases give us a clue of how…
HIITing the Gym: The Science of High Intensity Interval Training
Key Points: For sedentary populations, HIIT is the most time efficient – not necessarily the best – training type to increase aerobic and anaerobic capacity Elite athletes can include HIIT training to improve their lactate response and improve performance even after hitting a VO2max plateau There remain many questions about how HIIT works, best practices,…