This study was made in attempt to assess company attitudes toward industrial recreation in order to draw conclusions concerning present and future trends in employee recreation. A survey instrument was devised with the aid of a jury of experts to validate and improve upon the questionnaire. The questionnaires were distributed through the mail to the one hundred largest manufacturing firms in North Carolina. Personnel managers were asked to answer the survey as to reflect company attitudes and not necessarily thelr own. The questions pertained to areas such as recreational opportunities, amount of participation, utilization of recreational personnel, the availability of facilities and land, future plans, and recreational objectives. Fifty-six companies responded to the surveys and returned the questionnaires to the investigator. The surveys were tabulated and data were accumulated. The survey indicated a trend toward growth in recreational opportunities and programs, but a stabilization in the area of facilities and land provided. Attitudes toward recreation were found to he positive for the most part. However, attitudes towards objectives of employee recreation were generally negative. Recommendations, based upon the analysis of the study, were made in order to allow companies a basis of comparison for the development of their programs. It was suggested, according to the findings of the study, that area in order for companies to remain competitive in the of industrial recreation programs offered, recreational opportunities should be made available to employees, a recreational director or part time director should be hired, and use of volunteers should be increased. Extensive facilities and land were not found to be essential to a competitive program. Continuation or expansion of recreational programs was recommended. An awareness of objectives of employee recreation or a set of goals for the company program is highly recommended for a successful industrial recreation program.

The purpose of this study was to investigate and identify organizational and administrative trends in university club sports. The general research design was the survey via a questionnaire distributed through the mail. The sample was limited to the 102 colleges and universities with student populations between 10,000 and 17,000 as listed with the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association Directory. The questions were developed under the general topic area headings: Departmental Supervision, Sponsored Clubs, Memberships, Departmental Financing, Budget, Budget Expenditures, Contest Arrangements, Class Excuses, Academic Standards, Locker Space, Office Space, Varsity Status, Legal Liability and Facilities. A total of eighty (78.4%) institutions responded to the survey. The collected data from these institutions revealed that sports clubs were primarily supervised by the Intramural Department; there was an average of eleven clubs per institution with an approximate membership of twenty-four participants; money for the clubs came from a variety of sources; the average budget per club was $1,736.00; arrangement for contests were primarily made by club members, coaches, or advisors; a majority of institutions did not excuse participants from class for contests; a majority of institutions did not require that club members maintain the same academic standards as varsity athletes; locker space was also available for sports clubs in many institutions; office space was too limited to be made available for approximately half of the institutions when clubs needed space; a majority of the institutions did have provisions, at least in some cases, whereby sports clubs could become varsity sports; legal liability for club members were left up to the college or university or to the club members themselves; and sports clubs came after physical education classes, varsity athletics and intramural activities for scheduled facility time.

The present study sought to determine whether or not state anxiety levels were significantly reduced when individuals participated in aerobic dance workouts of 15 minutes and 30 minutes. Undergraduate university students and faculty enrolled in an aerobic dance class were volunteers in this study. As hypothesized, subjects in the aerobic dance classes did reduce anxiety acutely following both their 15 minute and 30 minute workout as assessed by the STAI (Y-Form State Anxiety). Thus, results indicate that state anxiety may be reduced through aerobic dance with similar situations and individuals. In addition, the study also looked at the posttest state anxiety score differences between the 15 minutes and 30 minutes. The results were not significant, indicating neither length of aerobic dance workout session was superior to the other. These results contribute to a currently expanding area of research examining the relationship between anxiety reduction and aerobic dance.

This thesis demonstrates the importance of basketball as a form of soft power and a diplomatic asset to better achieve American foreign policy, which is defined and referred to as basketball diplomacy. Basketball diplomacy is also a lens to observe the evolution of American power from 1893 through present day. Basketball connects and permeates foreign cultures and effectively disseminates American influence unlike any other form of soft power, which is most powerfully illustrated by the United States’ basketball relationship with China. American basketball diplomacy will become stronger and connect with more countries with greater influence, and exist without relevant competition, until the likely rise of China in the indefinite future. As a result of basketball diplomacy, Chinese culture has internalized American influence, likewise for many other countries, which will positively benefit the United States as China possibly challenges American hegemony.

This dissertation will focus on how the bicycle industry dealt with a period of dwindling popularity for their product how the bicycle found redemption—as a child’s toy. The central question that will serve as the driving force of this dissertation is: Why did Americans lose interest in cycling and what can this tell us about American culture and societal ideals? By examining industry practices and American consumption of the bicycle, this dissertation will seek to understand this question by mapping changes in American culture that occurred from the 1880s-1960. It examines why Americans lost interest in cycling and what this tells us about American culture and American’s self-perceptions, as individuals and as a nation. It interrogates how Americans used the bicycle to demonstrate ideals of race, class, age, and gender and how the bicycle’s role as a status symbol changed over time. This study also considers how larger historic changes, such as urbanization, suburbanization, changes in the economy, war, and political decisions regarding the built environment affected cycling. Shifts in social and cultural norms instigated changes in the symbolic nature of the bicycle and the public’s use of it to attain and affirm socially constructed ideals. Attempts to manage the image of the bicycle in reaction to cultural changes—as well as the societal contestations and negotiations arising in response to those attempts, what they teach us, and how those lessons can be applied in a contemporary setting—drive this dissertation. This examination of cycling in the U.S. will argue that the manner in which the bicycle was marketed and designed as well as the manner in which it was consumed both relate directly to alterations in American culture. As bicycle production increased and prices fell the bicycle lost the interest of its target market—white middle-class males—and manufacturers began a series of attempts at redefining the bicycle and broadening its market. By arguing that the bicycle industry itself was culpable in the bicycle’s loss of status, this dissertation will go beyond overly simplistic arguments that fail to look beyond automobiles.

While bicyclists and other active travelers obtain health benefits from increased physical activity, they also risk uptake of traffic-related air pollution. But pollution uptake by urban bicyclists is not well understood due to a lack of direct measurements and insufficient analysis of the determinants of exposure and ventilation (breathing). This knowledge gap impedes pollution-conscious transportation planning, design, and health impact assessment. The research presented in this dissertation generates new connections between transportation system characteristics and pollution uptake by bicyclists. The primary research questions are: 1) how do urban bicyclists' intake and uptake of air pollution vary with roadway and travel characteristics and 2) to what extent can transportation-related strategies reduce uptake. Breath biomarkers are used to measure absorbed doses of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This research is the first application of breath biomarkers to travelers and the first uptake measurements of any pollutant to include roadway-level covariates. Novel methods to collect and integrate bicycle, rider, traffic, and environmental data are also introduced. Bicyclist exposure concentrations, exhaled breath concentrations, respiratory physiology, and travel characteristics were collected on a wide range of facilities in Portland, Oregon. High-resolution trajectory and pollution data were then integrated with roadway and traffic data. Models of exposure, ventilation, and uptake of VOCs were estimated from the on-road data. Important new quantifications in the models include the effects of average daily traffic (ADT) on multi-pollutant exposure, the lagged effect of on-road workload on ventilation, and the effects of exposure and ventilation on absorbed VOCs. Estimated models are applied to situations of interest to travelers and transportation professionals. Sample applications include the inhalation dose effects of road grade, cruising speed choice, stops, and detouring to parallel low-traffic facilities. In addition, dose-minimizing routing behavior is compared with revealed routing preferences in the literature. Finally, findings from this research and the literature are distilled so that they can be incorporated into bicycle network design guidelines.

The writer proposes the utilization of a developmentally based outdoor curriculum and playground designed for young children. The curriculum consists of an overview, objectives, curriculum methodology, playground designs and evaluation. Cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains are each included in the objectives. A curriculum methodology focusing upon approaches for individualization and development of the total child is presented. The playground designs are based upon current research. Play value, development appropriateness and safety were considered in developing playground designs and curriculum. Evaluation of the curriculum and playground will be measured through assessments of the individual child, the class, and the staff. Numerous approaches to evaluation are described. This project is intended to assist preschool teachers in establishing and maintaining a program based on current research and literature. Ideas to assist other preschools in adaptation are presented. Included in the ideas are steps in developing a curriculum and playground design as well as a suggested approach to training parents and staff in the rationale and appropriate use of the curriculum.

The City of Radcliff is presently without a Recreational Department and without local recreational planning. Therefore, it was desirable to establish a plan for the development of recreation in the city – a Recreational Master Plan. The master plan is divided into four areas: Organization and Administration of Recreation; Financing of Recreation; Facilities of Recreation; and Programming of Recreation. The standards set by the National Recreation and Park Association, NRPA, was the basis for evaluation of these areas. It was found that Radcliff’s organizational chart needed to be reconstructed to include a recreation director, recreation department, and preferably an advisory council made up of representatives from different ethnic, social, and age groups. Radcliff is without a recreation budget but money is allocated throughout the cities’ budget and this was compared to the standards set by NRPA. For a city of 11,000, it was concluded Radcliff needs an additional $21,995.00. Recommendations were made on how to produce this money. Radcliff was also without the majority of facilities required by NRPA standars to support a population of 11,000 persons. The most emphasized recommendations were to build a community center and swimming pool. Survey results reveal that to provide adequate programming the city is in need of professional recreational help, a recreation director, to develop, provide and improve programming for the city. Although the master plan was, in actuality divided into four areas of organization and administration, financing, facilities and programming, each is dependent upon the other in order to be effective. Radcliff’s program would be greatly enhanced by hiring a director, building a community center, a swimming pool, and by searching out the revenue resources available for financing a recreational program.

In Latin America, violence inside and outside of soccer stadiums has generated negative publicity and has given the sport a negative image. This violence is often premeditated and carried out by the barrabravas, organized groups of radical fans who have strong senses of identity and attachment to their soccer club. Members of these groups are mainly young men from lower socio-economic backgrounds who have found themselves to be marginalized by society. Moreover, these groups are usually employed by club officials, and even have connections with politicians and political parties. This thesis will closely examine this issue, performing case studies of specific barrabravas, as well as providing characteristics that distinguish this model of radical fan support from the Hooligans of England. The final chapter of this thesis will shift focus from the barrabravas of countries such as Argentina, Columbia, and Chile, to the torcidas organizadas of Brazil. An investigation as to the security measures taken by Brazil and FIFA will be performed, especially as the 2014 FIFA World Cup quickly approaches. Ultimately, this thesis will demonstrate that the issue of the barrabravas reflects the systemic issue of corruption that permeates in Latin American society and government. Without true reform of the system, this issue is likely to continue.

Equestrian sport is a popular exercise choice for females of all ages, although the links between this exercise choice, health outcomes, and risk to health have not been thoroughly examined. These issues are of particular interest because the female equestrian has the opportunity to ride and/or compete for decades, from early to very late in life, covering almost the full sequence of the female lifespan. Equestrian sports provide physical activity through riding and caring for the horse, and promote positive mental outcomes through tangible practices, such as engaging in physical activity and hard work, goal-setting, acquisition of skills, and participation in a strong community of practice. Equestrianism is an under-researched activity and sport, but increased understanding of female equestrian health and wellness outcomes may contribute to better health and wellness outcomes for female riders. Since equestrian sports participants are predominantly female, with 74% to 80% of the riding population being women, it is important to understand and potentially improve the health and wellness of female riders. This improved understanding may provide their riding careers with increased longevity, comfort, and healthy. It may allow them to enjoy the sport, whatever their age, minimizing or preventing any health issues. A deeper understanding of mental and physical changes from riding will educate and empower women so they are making informed decisions as they ride, talk to their coaches and doctors, and invest in equipment ranging from sport-specific bras to saddles. Manufacturers may also become aware of the potential opportunity to market female-focused products to this community of practice, which has a demonstrated commitment to the horse and accompanying expenditures. Most research is centered on the horse or major equestrian injuries (death, concussion, bone breakage), but it is hypothesized that having an increased understanding of other health issues, ranging from breast, bladder, and groin health to bone density, weight, and body image, may be of great value. The following master’s thesis will review the current literature related to female health as it relates to equestrian sports; report results of a research survey conducted about female equestrian health and wellness, with a focus on breast health and bra use; discuss the survey results; and make recommendations for future research in this area.