Historically and contemporarily the Black male experience has stimulated and provoked meaningful discussions in the realms of sport and academia. Black males are uniquely situated in American society, as they inhabit a liminal existence that oscillates between love and hate. Ladson-Billings (2011) expounds that Black boys are loved in the narrow niches of sport but are often abhorred in academic settings. The majority of research on the athletic and academic identities of Black student-athletes is conducted at the collegiate level in the revenue sports of basketball and football, and the research asserts that the collegiate sport atmosphere renders the two identities as mutually exclusive (Edwards, 1984; Harrison et al., 2011; Singer, 2008). There are studies occurring at the middle school level; however, these studies combine all male athletes into one group and do not distinguish the research participants according to their specific sport participation or racial background (Alfone, 2013; Fuller, Percy, & Bruening, 2013; Gorton, 2010). The few studies that distinguish between race and sport participation are somewhat dated (Mahiri, 1991, 1998; Nasir, 2000, 2008). This study addresses a gap in the literature by focusing solely on elite Black male middle school student-athletes to discover what leads to the seemingly incompatible athletic and academic identities that surface during college. I employed an instrumental case study grounded in Critical Race Theory which investigated and examined the experiences and perspectives of seven elite Black middle school club basketball players. Themes were generated by coding the interview data of all relevant stakeholders such as coaches, players, and parents as well as a thorough analysis of field notes, artifacts, and focus group data. Five themes emerged from the data, Academic Recognition, Athletic Recognition, Career, Racial Expectations, & Time Devoted to Sport and Intellectual Endeavors. This study is significant because it contextualizes the racial, athletic and academic climate of Black male athletes at a crucial time in their identity development. It contributes to the current literature by providing insight and furnishing essential information for parents, coaches and educators in order to bolster and enhance the academic identity and attainment of young Black male basketball players.

Over the last three decades, the sports research community has demonstrated a growing interest in the process of sport retirement. The majority of the sport retirement research has focused on male professional athletes, traditionally those in the popular spectator sports. Yet, the process of leaving sport applies to thousands of individuals, both male and female, who engage in competitive sport. To date very little consideration has been given to the retirement experiences of female athletes. Three separate studies have been undertaken to address this identified gap in the literature. Studies One and Two aimed to explore the experiences of sport retirement for elite female athletes in Scotland, using a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. In Study One questionnaire data was collected from 92 former Scottish elite female athletes. Questionnaire sections were designed to examine what were felt to be the major elements of the Taylor and Ogilvie (1994; 2001) conceptual model of adaptation to retirement from sport, in order to explore the applicability of this model to female athletes in Scotland. The results of the study provide support for the use of this model to assist in our understanding of the retirement transition. The findings highlighted the importance of athletic identity, reason for retirement, and perceptions of control in predicting the level of difficulty and adjustment that an athlete may experience upon their retirement. The most significant finding was the effect that athletic identity had on the retirement process, with those identifying strongly with the athletic role reporting significantly higher levels of difficulty, emotional adjustment, and social adjustment. 29 of these athletes participated in an in-depth interview within Study Two, enabling a more in-depth analysis of their retirement experiences. In this study particular attention was paid to the effect of athletic identity on this transition. In support of the findings of Study One, athletes with a strong and exclusive athletic identity were found to be more likely to experience difficulties when they retire. In comparison, athletes with lower levels of athletic identity generally experience some mild negative emotions after initially retiring, followed by a relatively smooth transition into their life after sport. The second part of this thesis examines formal programmes available to support female athletic retirement in Scotland. Study Three provides an evaluation of the Performance Lifestyle programme offered by the Scottish Institute of Sport, focusing in particular on the services related to preparation for life after sport. The perspectives of a number of different groups with an interest or involvement in the programme were examined and comparisons made with the delivery of Performance Lifestyle to other athlete groups in Great Britain. The results show that Performance Lifestyle is a very valuable source of support for athletes who are part of the Institute Network. The programme does deal with the issue of the end of the career, but it is definitely a weaker aspect, largely due to lack of resources. Performance Lifestyle in Scotland compares favourably with programmes offered by the Institute Network in England and by Welsh Rugby. However other professional sports are currently offering superior programmes due to higher levels of investment and resources.

Recent research suggests that adding protein (PRO) to a carbohydrate (CHO) supplement can have substantial benefits for endurance exercise performance and recovery beyond that of CHO alone. CHO+PRO supplements are often commercially available formulations consisting of carbohydrates (dextrose, maltodextrin) and whey protein. The effects of a supplement containing moderate protein and a low-CHO mixture on endurance performance has not been investigated. Also, the effects of CHO+PRO supplementation in the form of a natural food, flavored milk, on measures of recovery from acute endurance exercise, as well as on chronic aerobic exercise training adaptations, have not been characterized. Therefore, in this series of four studies, the effects of CHO+PRO supplementation on the following areas of endurance exercise performance, recovery, and adaptation are investigated: acute endurance exercise performance, inflammatory and muscle damage markers, muscle glycogen resynthesis, activation of signaling proteins involved in the initiation of protein synthesis and degradation, subsequent endurance exercise performance, and chronic aerobic training adaptations (maximal oxygen consumption, oxidative enzyme activity, body composition, immune cell levels, and inflammatory markers). Study 1 demonstrated that a supplement containing a low-CHO mixture plus moderate protein significantly improved aerobic endurance when cycling at or below the ventilatory threshold, despite containing 50% less CHO and 30% fewer calories relative to a higher CHO beverage. Study 2 demonstrated that CHO+PRO supplementation in the form of chocolate milk (CM) is an effective post-exercise supplement that can improve subsequent performance and provide a greater intracellular signaling stimulus for protein synthesis compared to CHO and placebo. Study 3 found that post-exercise CM supplementation during 4.5 wks of aerobic exercise training improves the magnitude of cardiovascular adaptations more effectively than isocaloric CHO or placebo, while the fourth study demonstrated that post-exercise CM supplementation during 4.5 wks of aerobic training improves body composition more effectively than isocaloric CHO or placebo. The fourth study also demonstrated that 4.5 wks of training does not appear to perturb resting immune cell concentrations or markers of inflammation and muscle damage. Taken together, the results of this research series suggest that CHO+PRO supplementation extends endurance performance, improves recovery, and increases training adaptations more effectively than CHO or placebo. / text

This item contains the agenda, minutes, and attachments for the Faculty Senate meeting on this date. There may be additional materials from the meeting available at the Faculty Center.

Aktualumas. Didžiausia dalis mokslinių, metodinių publikacijų nagrinėja suaugusių boksininkų rengimą ir mažai analizuojama jaunųjų boksininkų atrankos, technikos mokymo, treniravimo, varžybinės veiklos problemos (Cтрелников, 2000; Полиевский и др., 2002; Морозов, 2004). Šiuolaikinė praktika rodo, kad būtent ankstyvojo rengimo etapais (pradinio rengimo, sportinių įgūdžių ugdymo, pradinės specializacijos) būtina formuoti racionalią judesių techniką, atsižvelgiant į jaunųjų boksininkų greitumo, jėgos—greitumo kaitos dėsningumus (Суслов, Холодов, 1997; Новиков, 1999; М��розов, 2004). Mažai nagrinėjama ir aktuali problema jaunųjų boksininkų atletinis ir specialus fizinis parengtumas pradinio rengimo etapu. Tyrimo tikslas — ištirti 14—16 metų boksininkų atletinio ir specialiojo parengtumo kaitos ypatumus per metinį pradinio rengimo ciklą. Uždaviniai: 1. Išnagrinėti boksininkų rengimo vyksmo struktūrą ir turinį per pradinio rengimo vienų metų ciklą. 2. Ištirti pradedančių boksininkų kūno sudėjimo rodiklių kaitą per vienų metų rengimo ciklą. 3. Ištirti boksininkų atletinio parengtumo kaitą per vienų metų pradinio rengimo ciklą. 4. Ištirti boksininkų specialiojo parengtumo kaitą per pradinio rengimo metinį ciklą. Tyrimo metodai: teorinės analizės ir apibendrinimo, treniravimo planų analizė, testavimas, matematinė statistika. Tyrimo organizavimas. Buvo atlikti trys testavimai: pirmas testavimas — 2005 10 14 — 2005 10 25 dienomis; antras testavimas — 2006 01 30 — 2006 02 07 dienomis... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Topicality of the research. The majority of scientific publications and teaching materials devoted to methods of research deal with training of adult boxers. Little attention, however, is given to selection of young boxers, their training and teaching the technique of boxing, problems of competitive activities included (Cтрелников, 2000; Полиевский и др., 2002; Морозов, 2004). Current practice shows that it is in the early stages of training (elementary training, the period of developing sports skills and primary specialization) that the technique of rational movements with respect to the dexterity of boxers and the regularities of changes in force — dexterity complex should be formed (Суслов, ���олодов, 1997; Новиков, 1999; Морозов, 2004). Insufficient attention has also been given so far to the athletic and special physical preparedness of young boxers during the stage of initial training. The aim of the research — was to study the peculiarities of changes in the athletic and special physical preparedness of young boxers during the yearly cycle of initial training. The tasks set were as follows: 1. To investigate the structure and content of the training process of boxers during the one—year cycle of initial training. 2. To study the changes in the indices of body composition of beginners boxers during the one—year cycle of initial training. 3. To study the changes in athletic preparedness of boxers during the one—year cycle of initial training. 4. To study the changes... [to full text]

In this thesis, I examine the use of Twitter by NHL athletes to determine how and in what ways professional hockey players’ personal and professional identities are shaped by their use of this medium. I explore the current cultural moment surrounding the lives of NHL athletes, focusing on the increasingly blurred line between their private and professional identities. By grounding my analysis of their Twitter use in a new labour context that is academically situated betwixt the literatures on media studies, celebrity culture and identity presentation, I show that participation in this medium allows both athletes and fans to actively reshape their own and each others’ identities, constructing a new set of standards for professional hockey players that takes into consideration the heightened demand for access to the behind-the-scenes of their lives. The ability of professional hockey players to interact with fans and media on Twitter is also creating new types relationships and producing new discourses for the typical hockey player identity, and the labour this career involves. Finally, through interviews with NHL players, I draw out their motives for using Twitter, their understanding of the impact of their interaction with fans on the perceptions those fans have of their professional identity, and their desire for work-life balance as their professional and personal identities seemingly merge on Twitter in a postmodern labour context fuelled by heightened celebrity culture. / Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-27 14:50:32.902

This exploratory, qualitative study focuses on the transition from junior-to-senior sports. The purpose of the study was to outline the temporal structure of this transition. The aim was to do this by achieving the following three objectives: (1) to develop a working model showing transitional phases in the transition from junior-to-senior sports, (2) to examine demands, resources, barriers, coping strategies, and outcomes within each of the four transitional phases in the working model, (3) to validate the working model through external validation, i.e. through asking the study’s participants for their opinion on the model. There were 10 male participants in this study consisting of active ice hockey players, ice hockey coaches, and a former ice hockey player; preparation phase (n=1), orientation phase (n=1), stabilization phase (n=5), junior coach (n=1), senior coach (n=1), dropout (n=1). Seven instruments were used in this study, including six interview guides and one working model. Initially a working model, depicting four transitional phases, was developed, based on theoretical frameworks and personal experience. A total of 949 raw data units were extracted from the interviews, categorized as either demands, resources, barriers, coping strategies, or outcomes within a transitional phase, and then arranged into category profiles representing each transitional phase in the working model. Furthermore, an empirical model was developed based on the working model and the category profiles. The results are, among other things, discussed in relation to theoretical frameworks and previous research. / Denna undersökande, kvalitativa studie fokuserar på övergången från junior-till-senioridrott. Syftet med studien var att kartlägga denna övergångs tidsmässiga struktur. Målet var att göra detta genom att uppfylla följande tre delmål: (1) att utveckla en arbetsmodell som visar transaktionella faser i övergången från junior-till-senior idrott, (2) att undersöka krav, resurser, barriärer, coping strategier och utfall inom var och en av de fyra transaktionella faserna i arbetsmodellen, (3) att validera arbetsmodellen genom extern validering, d.v.s. genom att fråga studiens deltagare om deras åsikter kring modellen. Det var 10 manliga deltagare i denna studie bestående av aktiva hockeyspelare, hockeytränare och en föredetta hockeyspelare; förberedelsefasen (n=1), orienteringsfasen (n=1), stabiliseringsfasen (n=5), junior tränare (n=1), senior tränare (n=1), dropout (n=1). Sju instrument användes i studien; sex intervjuguider och en arbetsmodell. Inledningsvis utvecklades en arbetsmodell, föreställande fyra transaktionella faser, baserad på teoretiska ramverk och personlig erfarenhet. Totalt extraherades 949 rådata från intervjuerna, som sedan kategoriserades som antingen krav, resurser, barriärer, coping strategier eller utfall inom en transaktionell fas, och därefter ordnades de i kategoriprofiler som representerar varje transaktionella fas i arbetsmodellen. Vidare utvecklades en empirisk modell baserad på arbetsmodellen och kategoriprofilerna. Resultatet diskuteras bl.a. i relation till teoretiska ramverk och tidigare forskning.

This thesis examined the relationships of the conceptions of sport ability, achievement goals, and intrinsic motivation in Physical Education. Studies 1 and 2 investigated the psychometric properties of the Conceptions of the Nature of Athletic Ability Questionnaire (CNAAQ), a measure of sport ability beliefs. Results showed that the revised version of the scale possesses sound psychometric properties in assessing sport ability beliefs among children and youth. In addition, the relationships between ability beliefs, goal orientations, perceived competence, and behavioural indicators (intentions and amotivation) were also examined in the first two studies. An incremental belief predicted task orientation, whereas an entity belief predicted ego orientation. Intentions to be physically active were predicted by goal orientations indirectly through perceived competence, and directly by task orientation. In addition, amotivation was predicted directly and indirectly by ability beliefs and directly by achievement goals. Specifically, entity beliefs directly predicted amotivation, task orientation negatively predicted amotivation. Study 3 examined the interrelationships between ability beliefs, achievement goals, perceived competence, behavioural regulation, and arnotivation using cluster analysis. Five distinct clusters were identified based on these motivational constructs and these profiles were found to be related to perceived physical self-worth and levels of sport participation. Study 4 experimentally manipulated sport ability beliefs and examined their causal influence on achievement goals and motivation patterns when faced with failure. The causal link between ability beliefs and goals was supported. Ability attributions for failure were stronger for entity theorists compared to incremental theorists. However, hypotheses predicting differences on effort attributions, affective reactions, and behavioural markers were not supported. Study 5 examined the effects of goal involvement on enjoyment and intrinsic motivation under positive feedback. The results suggested that task-involved and ego-involved participants did not differ in self-reported enjoyment and free-choice behaviour measure. However, the free-choice behaviour of the ego-involved participants may not be fully intrinsically motivated. In addition, autonomous communication increased the positive effects of task and ego involvement on intrinsic motivation and enjoyment, whereas controlling communication had an undermining effect. Overall, results show that high incremental beliefs and high task orientation facilitate adaptive motivational patterns. Autonomy-supportive contexts also enhanced students' task motivation compared to controlling contexts.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2005. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 2010.