Orlick (1992) proposed a "Model of Human Excellence," which was comprised of seven mental skills, including commitment, belief, full focus, positive imagery, mental readiness, distraction control, and constructive evaluation. Twelve individuals who had played the quarterback position at a high caliber of competition participated in a standardized interview to determine if this model accounted for their mental strategies for training and competition. The sample was divided into university (n = 9) and professional (n = 3) sub-groups. Structural, qualitative analyses were conducted on each transcript. Individual differences with respect to the use of mental skills appeared to be related to the level of play, with the best players in both sub-groups having the most comprehensive mental approaches and practices. The most marginal mental skills for the university quarterbacks were positive imagery and constructive evaluation.

In-depth, open-ended interviews were conducted with 16 expert Canadian coaches from the team sports of basketball, volleyball, field hockey, and ice hockey. The purpose of the interviews was to better understand the perceptions of expert team sport coaches regarding the characteristics, knowledge, and strategies that operate within their profession, and then to conceptualize the relationships between these various elements. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and the unstructured qualitative data were analyzed inductively following the procedures and techniques outlined by Cote, Salmela and Russell (1995b). This process allowed the meaning units of the interview transcripts to be grouped into 79 tags and then regrouped into 22 properties. Six categories emerged from the analysis: coach-centered processes, organization, training, competition, athlete-centered processes, and contextual factors. The coach-centered processes category included the coaches' characteristics, knowledge, and strategies about personal growth and development, and ways of nurturing this process through continuous learning. The tasks of organization, training, and competition were central to their profession, with organization representing the point of departure of the other two categories since it was the foundation for training competition. These coaches were more than just efficient organizers, they were also highly motivated individuals who understood the magnitude of effectively outlining a global perspective to their team and then having the players comply with this mission. Training was based upon coaches' characteristics, knowledge, and strategies in physical, tactical, and technical training. Competition was a continuation and testing of the training process and the coaches played an active, integral role during each component of pre-, during-, and post-competition. Athlete-centered processes related to how the coaches perceived and dealt with athletes in such areas as empowerment and personal development, and how they chose athletes whose characteristics were compatible with the team mission. Contextual factors, such as level of competition and job conditions, also altered the organization, training, and competition categories of coaching. This research shed insight on the pedagogical strategies of expert teachers in sport by demonstrating how their characteristics, knowledge, and strategies drove the other processes of coaching.

The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of varsity team sport coaches roles and responsibilities within the university setting. In-depth interviews were conducted with eight full-time varsity basketball and volleyball coaches from four universities in Ontario, and inductively analyzed following procedures similar to Cote, Salmela and Russell (1995a). Three major categories emerged from the analysis including the athletic, educational and professional roles. The athletic role described the activities of the coaches concerning the athletic performance of their athletes and organization of their varsity programs. Within the organizational property of this category, planning competition and administrative tasks emerged as important coaching responsibilities. The educational role included the reported activities of the coaches regarding academic pursuits and personal development of their student athletes. The coaches assumed active roles in the academic lives of their athletes and facilitated the educational process by placing academics as a priority. The personal development property represented the roles of the coaches as counselors and parental figures, and teachers of life skills and priorities. The professional role described the obligations of the coaches towards the development of their sport and the coaching profession, as well as the conditions of working within an educational setting at the university level. While consistent with earlier research on the role of coaches in the skill development, academic achievement and the development of life skills, the results illustrated an athlete-centered approach associated with coaching within an educational setting. The findings provided new directions for future research.

The purpose of this study was to examine how young female ice hockey players, their coaches, and their parents perceived the learning opportunities provided in women's ice hockey. Learning opportunities constitute one part of the overall participation and withdrawal motives cited by young athletes, and include factors related to optimal practice and playing time, as well as instruction and feedback from the coach. Focus group interviews were conducted with three groups of female competitive ice hockey players aged 12 to 15 years (n = 33), two groups of coaches (n = 7), and three groups of parents (n = 30). The focus group forum allowed participants to discuss what they felt the players liked and disliked about women's ice hockey using their own descriptions and perceptions.Comparisons were made to determine how accurately the perceptions of the parents and coaches coincided with what players reported they liked and disliked about ice hockey. Results indicated that the coaches' and parents' perceptions were very similar to the players' perceptions. The players, coaches, and parents of the present study all reported that factors related to learning opportunities were important to players. Participants cited that players enjoy improving and learning new skills, well organized practice, and instructive, corrective, and positive feedback from coaches. The findings in this study provide support for existing literature regarding the importance of numerous participation motives of female athletes. The current study contextualized many motives into factors players like and and dislike specifically about practice and competition. The present study also revealed additional participation motives specific to women's ice hockey, such as young female ice hockey players enjoying playing against boys' teams. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

This project attempted to develop an accurate portrait of one case of intramural ice hockey officiating because a better understanding of this phenomenon was needed. Various sources of evidence were utilized over a 2 year period, including: semi-structured interviews, stimulated recall interviews, non-participant observation, a systematic observation instrument, document analysis and validation interviews. The depth and completeness of the results was directly attributable to the novel methodology which was used. The findings revealed both congruencies and contrasts to the existing literature on sport officials. This research supported previous findings related to the role of the official, invoking the spirit of the rules, and using discretion. Among the discrepancies, the most striking difference was related to the stress often attributed to sport officiating which was not revealed in this case. This research revealed the multidimensional nature of intramural ice hockey officiating and also exposed the difference between officiating theory and reality.

Abstract not available.

The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a ten week relaxation/stress control program for elementary school children. Two hundred and eighty children from kindergarten to grade six were involved in the study. Various stress control techniques were taught as well as ways to apply the techniques in the children's daily lives. Significant effects were found in the experimental group with respect to the children's capacity to lower their heart rates, across the school overall. Children in the experimental group also successfully utilized the relaxation/stress control skills in a variety of settings to help reduce stress in their daily lives. The results of this study were encouraging, especially with respect to children's capacities to learn and apply relaxation/stress control skills in their daily lives both inside and outside of school.

Abstract not available.

Abstract not available.

Abstract not available.