Production functions of NCAA men and women water polo matches

Previous research has adapted the use of economic production functions to estimate the scoring production of teams in professional sports. Most of these studies have focused on professional male team sports, most notably, US baseball, basketball, and association football. This study adds to the literature by utilizing a new and distinctive data set of shooting statistics from 88 men’s and 38 women’s NCAA water polo contests to estimate production functions for United States’ collegiate water polo games and identify the most important variables for predicting margin of victory in such competitions. The results show that shots on goal, average shot distance, number of counterattacks, quick shots, and efficiency in power play conversions are all significant predictors of goal differentials in men’s contests while shots on goal, average shot distance, counterattacks, and center shots are significant predictors in women’s matches. Previous season win percentage, rebounds, exclusions, and missed shots were not significant predictors in the models. These conclusions confirm and extend previous discriminatory studies of elite international water polo contests

Strong Side, Weak Side: Goal Generating Tactics in NCAA Men\u27s Water Polo

In the game of water polo, it is generally accepted that the shooting position of the offensive player and the tactic employed are both important in generating goals. Despite their importance, little is known about the relationship between shooting position and offensive tactics and their impact on the probability of goal scoring. In this research, a sequence of hierarchical mixed logistic regression models is applied to a unique data set from 2016 and 2017 NCAA men’s water polo seasons to analyze the relationship between goal generating tactics and different shooting positions. The primary result reveals that the closer a player is the “midline” of the pool and the closer a player is to the goal, the higher the percentage of scoring by offensive tactic. Furthermore, statistically significant relationships reveal (i) direct shots are better than perimeter shots, (ii) left-handed shooters are more efficient at scoring goals that right-handed shooters, and (iii) counterattack opportunities are better than power plays (player advantage). Understanding the best goal-scoring positions in the pool for each offensive tactic will assist coaches and players in devising more successful offensive and defensive strategies

“Wow, I Didn’t Realize I do That?!:” Using Emergent Technology to Develop Pedagogical Skills in PE Student-Teachers

Research suggests that obesity rates and associated health problems such as diabetes are rapidly increasing in the US (world health organization, 2000,2008). In addition, studies identify declining physical activity rates amongst our youth (world health organization, 2004). Physical education (PE) teachers are on the front lines of these health battles and can play a crucial role in developing life long physical activity habits and healthy lifestyles in future generations of Americans. However, to do so they need to be proficient in a) the identification and implementation of effective teaching strategies b) the design of appropriate lesson plans that address the national standards in PE and c) reflexive teaching practices. This poster explores the use of emergent technology (iPod nano) to develop and improve these pedagogical skills in a sample of 26 elementary PE student-teachers. Over the course of three months I filmed 52 teaching episodes conducted by my participants. They then watched and critiqued their teaching episodes using the ipod footage to identify strengths and weaknesses in their teaching performance My preliminary findings suggests that the use of emergent technology in this capacity has assisted student teachers in identifying and implementing effective teaching strategies, designing more appropriate lesson plans and reflexive teaching practices. In so doing, my research argues that emergent technology can contribute to the production of teachers who are able to cope with diverse PE environments and, more significantly, help address the needs of the current health climate

“Wow, I Didn’t Realize I do That?!:” Using Emergent Technology to Develop Pedagogical Skills in PE Student-Teachers

Research suggests that obesity rates and associated health problems such as diabetes are rapidly increasing in the US (world health organization, 2000,2008). In addition, studies identify declining physical activity rates amongst our youth (world health organization, 2004). Physical education (PE) teachers are on the front lines of these health battles and can play a crucial role in developing life long physical activity habits and healthy lifestyles in future generations of Americans. However, to do so they need to be proficient in a) the identification and implementation of effective teaching strategies b) the design of appropriate lesson plans that address the national standards in PE and c) reflexive teaching practices. This poster explores the use of emergent technology (iPod nano) to develop and improve these pedagogical skills in a sample of 26 elementary PE student-teachers. Over the course of three months I filmed 52 teaching episodes conducted by my participants. They then watched and critiqued their teaching episodes using the ipod footage to identify strengths and weaknesses in their teaching performance My preliminary findings suggests that the use of emergent technology in this capacity has assisted student teachers in identifying and implementing effective teaching strategies, designing more appropriate lesson plans and reflexive teaching practices. In so doing, my research argues that emergent technology can contribute to the production of teachers who are able to cope with diverse PE environments and, more significantly, help address the needs of the current health climate

Beyond our Gates: Mobilizing community partnerships to improve physical activity opportunities for at-risk youth

Discussions around the health climate of the US have reached unparalleled levels of concern (Time, 2004). Research suggests that while physical activity rates are in decline, obesity and associated health problems such as diabetes, asthma and heart disease are rapidly increasing (WHO, 2000, 2004, 2008a). These observations have led the Surgeon General (2010) to conclude that we are in the midst of an obesity epidemic, which threatens the long-term health of our nation. However, studies suggest that the burden of this epidemic is being borne more heavily by particular groups in society, most notably our youth, low income and ethnic minority populations (WHO, 2008b). Our research project contributes to efforts to reverse these trends. We mobilized community partnerships to implement an 8-week after- school physical activity program at a high-need school in Stockton, CA. Our Tiger P.R.I.D.E (physical activity, recreation, inclusion, development & enjoyment) program was designed to improve the attendees\u27 physical activity levels, their cognitive understanding of the importance of leading physically active lives and enjoyment of physical activities. This poster identifies the aims and objectives of Tiger P.R.I.D.E and evaluates the success of the program in providing quality physical activity opportunities for at-risk youth. The authors call for the increased mobilization of community partnerships to produce low- cost, sustainable activity programs in areas where cultural disparities in health are evident

Beyond our Gates: Mobilizing community partnerships to improve physical activity opportunities for at-risk youth

Discussions around the health climate of the US have reached unparalleled levels of concern (Time, 2004). Research suggests that while physical activity rates are in decline, obesity and associated health problems such as diabetes, asthma and heart disease are rapidly increasing (WHO, 2000, 2004, 2008a). These observations have led the Surgeon General (2010) to conclude that we are in the midst of an obesity epidemic, which threatens the long-term health of our nation. However, studies suggest that the burden of this epidemic is being borne more heavily by particular groups in society, most notably our youth, low income and ethnic minority populations (WHO, 2008b). Our research project contributes to efforts to reverse these trends. We mobilized community partnerships to implement an 8-week after- school physical activity program at a high-need school in Stockton, CA. Our Tiger P.R.I.D.E (physical activity, recreation, inclusion, development & enjoyment) program was designed to improve the attendees\u27 physical activity levels, their cognitive understanding of the importance of leading physically active lives and enjoyment of physical activities. This poster identifies the aims and objectives of Tiger P.R.I.D.E and evaluates the success of the program in providing quality physical activity opportunities for at-risk youth. The authors call for the increased mobilization of community partnerships to produce low- cost, sustainable activity programs in areas where cultural disparities in health are evident

Not throwing away my shot: an analysis of shot features in men’s collegiate water polo

The purpose of this paper is to identify the important features of “high-quality” shots in water polo. The lead author collected a sample of over 5000 shots from the men’s 2016–2017 NCAA seasons of play to train a logistic model for predicting goal-scoring probabilities. The results suggest that the odds of scoring decrease by about 29% for each additional metre of distance from centre-cage and by about 2% for each additional degree in angle of displacement from centre-pool, while side is not significant. Left-hand and skip shots are significantly more effective than right-hand and other shot types. Power plays double scoring odds compared with even play while uncontested shots more than double odds compared with fully contested shots. Overall, the five most important variables in the model were distance, skip, power play, contested, and angle. The paper also links to an online application that estimates shot quality for different user-input scenarios. Players and coaches can apply this app to evaluate team and opponent performance in future contests. As an example, the shooting performance of the top four NCAA teams from the sampled seasons is analysed to determine if they won games by taking high-quality shots or through above-average shooting performance

PoloTrac: A water polo tracking and advanced statistics application

PoloTrac is an iOS mobile application designed to allow coaches, players, and spectators to record water polo game events as they happen in real-time. PoloTrac contains features of a standard score-keeping application (such as a functioning scoreboard, clock, and foul counter), however, PoloTrac also calculates and produces post-game reports that provide advanced statistical output. This is accomplished by allowing the user to input the location, type, tactic, and outcome of every shot attempted during a match. These reports are intended to aid in determining player performance, team performance and the effectiveness of certain strategical methods on scoring goals. While PoloTrac contains features recommended by top collegiate water polo coaches, these features are designed to be accessible to users from all areas of water polo (from amateur to professional)