The present research investigated the relationship between separation-individuation issues and the motoric activity of running in adult female development. Literature on sex roles and sociocultural factors was presented. Previous research on physical activity and mental health was reviewed. Psychodynamic formulations provided the framework for exploring and understanding a woman's involvement in running. Measuring instruments tapped concepts related to independence and separateness.

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Syftet med studien var att undersöka representationen av kvinnliga idrottare i sportdokumentärer på tre strömningstjänster: SVT Play, TV4 Play och Viaplay. Studien behandlade tre huvudsakliga forskningsfrågor: I vilken utsträckning representeras kvinnliga idrottare som huvudpersoner? Hur konstrueras föreställningar av kvinnliga idrottare genom visuella och textuella element i sportdokumentärer? Vilka likheter respektive skillnader går att utläsa i representationen av kvinnliga idrottare mellan public service och kommersiella aktörer? Genom en kvantitativ innehållsanalys av 170 sportdokumentärers omslagsbilder, titlar och innehållsbeskrivningar avslöjades en betydande underrepresentation av kvinnliga idrottare på samtliga strömningstjänster. Resultaten påvisade också att när kvinnor representeras tenderar de att framställas som offer eller individer som övervinner motgångar. Den kvantitativa analysen förlängdes med en kvalitativ semiotisk analys av tre dokumentärer för att ytterligare utforska hur kvinnor porträtteras i det visuella materialet. Analysen indikerade ett särskilt fokus på kvinnors historiska kamp för idrottsutövande på grund av ojämställdhet, med begränsat fokus på att skildra deras faktiska atletiska prestationer. Resultaten ställdes i relation till teorier som berör vidmakthållandet av stereotyper och makthierarkier förknippade med kön genom mediernas utbud av sportdokumentärer. Gällande den tredje forskningsfrågan visade resultaten skillnader i representation mellan public service och kommersiella aktörer. Public service-media uppvisade en bredare representation av kvinnliga idrottare, men även deras utbud av sportdokumentärer tenderade vidmakthålla bilden av kvinnor som offer som kämpar för sina rättigheter. Studien understryker slutligen vikten av att ifrågasätta och utmana rådande representationer inom fältet för dokumentärer. / The purpose of the study was to examine the representation of female athletes in sports documentaries across three streaming services: SVT Play, TV4 Play and Viaplay. The study addressed three main research questions: To what extent are female athletes represented as protagonists? How are perceptions of female athletes constructed through visual and textual elements in sports documentaries? What are the similarities and differences in the representation of female athletes between public service and commercial media? Through a quantitative content analysis of 170 sports documentaries' cover images, titles, and descriptions, a significant underrepresentation of female athletes was revealed across all streaming services. The results also indicated that when women are represented, they tend to be depicted as victims or individuals overcoming challenges. The quantitative analysis was supplemented with a qualitative semiotic analysis of three documentaries to further explore how women are portrayed in the visual material. The analysis suggested a particular focus on women's historical struggle for sports participation due to inequality, with limited emphasis on depicting their actual athletic achievements. Results were contextualized with theories addressing the perpetuation of stereotypes and power hierarchies associated with gender through the media's offerings of sports documentaries. Regarding the third research question, results showed differences in representation between public service and commercial channels. Public service media demonstrated a broader representation of female athletes, but their offerings of sports documentaries also tended to perpetuate the portrayal of women as victims fighting for their rights. The study ultimately underscores the importance of questioning and challenging prevailing representations within the field of documentaries.

No / Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are a major problem among female athletes. Screening for the risk of ACL injuries tends to focus on landing tasks, which may be limited in sports where changing direction is the main action involved in noncontact ACL injuries such as soccer. To investigate whether there is a relationship between single-legged landing (SLL), cutting (90° cuts), and pivoting (180° turns) in terms of the characteristics of dynamic valgus. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Twenty female soccer players (mean ± SD: age, 21.0 ± 3.9 years; height, 1.65 ± 0.08 m; mass, 58.4 ± 6.4 kg) performed a minimum of 6 trials of SLL from a 0.3-m drop height and cutting and pivoting all on the right leg. Kinematics and kinetics were calculated from 3-dimensional motion analysis. Results: Strong correlations were found for peak knee abduction angles between tasks (R = 0.63-0.86, P < .01), whereas only moderate correlations between SLL and cutting (R = 0.46, P < .05), cutting and pivoting (R = 0.56, P < .05), and SLL and pivoting (R = 0.43, P > .05) were found between tasks for peak knee abduction moments. Conclusion: The results suggest that female athletes who exhibit poor SLL mechanics perform the same during various changing direction tasks. Clinical Relevance: The results support the use of existing screening tests that involve landing tasks to identify at-risk athletes for noncontact ACL injuries.

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.

This thesis examined the impact of oxygen (O2) availability on prefrontal cortex and muscle tissue oxygenation during repeated-sprint exercise (RSE) in men and women. Men and women matched for initial-sprint mechanical work performed during ten, 10-s sprints (30s of rest) in normoxia (21% FIO2) and acute hypoxia (13% FIO2). Mechanical work and arterial O2-saturation (SPO2) were obtained for every sprint. Oxy- and deoxygenated haemoglobin concentrations (O2Hb, HHb) were obtained via near-infrared spectroscopy. Hypoxia elicited lower SPO2 and work (14.8% & 7.4%, P < 0.05), larger (45.1%, P < 0.05) and earlier reductions in cortical oxygenation, and no differences between sexes. Cortical de-oxygenation and work decrement were strongly correlated (R2=0.85, P < 0.05). Muscle de-oxygenation was greater in men than women (67.3%, P < 0.05). These results show that O2 availability influences cortical oxygenation and performance equally in men and women, and suggest a more efficient muscle O2 uptake in women. / ix, 108 leaves : ill. ; 29 cm

This research examined the relationship between beliefs about physical activity, physical activity levels, age and the promotional practices for physical activity employed by Air Force squadron commanders. Additionally, differences in levels of promotional practice were evaluated based on group, MAJCOM and rank of the commander. Web based surveys were completed by 178 commanders at bases world-wide.Positive correlations were observed between physical activity and both personal benefit beliefs and organizational benefit beliefs (417 and .298, p <.001, respectively). Using a step-wise linear regression, only age and personal benefit beliefs had small predictive value for promotion practices score (R2 = .063 for age and personal benefit beliefs combined, p < .001). The difference in mean promotion practices score between some MAJCOMs was significant. Open-ended responses provided insight into practices and beliefs. / Fisher Institute for Wellness and Gerontology

The relationship between endurance performance and physiology is well established. Most studies of this relationship do not examine the relationship of training to performance and physiology. In this study, 5 female subjects were recruited to provide training data in the four weeks immediately preceding a local 10k event (TC10k). Their training was quantified according to the TRIMP model (Banister et al.) in an attempt to examine the relationships between training, performance, and physiology. An additional 8 female subjects were recruited in order to confirm the relationships between performance and physiology. All subjects (n=13) raced in the TC10k, and underwent an evaluation of VO2max, LT and RE. The composite measures of vVO2max and vLT were also calculated. TC10k performance ranged from 4.31 to 2.71 m·s-1. VO2max (54.0±6.9 mL·min-1 · kg-1), vVO2max (4.00±0.45 m·s -1), LT (42.9±5.1 mL·min-1 · kg-1) and vLT (3.13+0.36 m·s-1) were all significantly correlated to race performance (r2=0.76-0.82, p<0.05). Due to the small training ‘n’, a statistical analysis of the relationships of training to performance and physiology was not indicated. This study employed a number of changes to the TRIMP calculation of training, which bear further examination.

Homophobia was suggested to be one of the primary causes of oppression among women (Griffin 1987, Ireland 1993). Female -- athletes were historically coupled with lesbian identities due to their involvement in the traditionally male domain of sport. As increasing numbers of women attempt to transcend specific socially defined boundaries, it was suggested that the phenomenon of homophobia would function to help maintain conventional sex role socialization practices and to inhibit the advancement of the female athlete (Griffin 1987; 1988, Bennet 1988) . This study specifically addressed homophobia in women's intercollegiate athletics. The purpose of the study was to examine the extent to which homophobia exists among, and towards, female intercollegiate coaches. In depth interviews addressing this issue were conducted with seven female coaches and administrators from one NCAA Division IA university athletic program. The interviews resulted in the formation of nine categories relative to the presence of homophobia in women's intercollegiate athletics. These categories were hiring, recruiting, personal image, public image, coach-athlete relationship, abuse of power, intimidation and control, gender equity and roots and reasons. The greatest effects of homophobia appeared in the categories of hiring and recruiting followed by public image and intimidation and control. NOTE: Both archival copies of the manuscript were missing pages 47 and 49.

This project investigated body image issues of girls aged 13-19 years old. It surveyed a random sample of 100 girls via a self-administered questionnaire. The study found that most teen girls have a celebrity actor idol and that the majority of teen girls are self conscious regarding body shape and weight.