Getting Jacked and Burning Fat: Examining Doping and Gender Stereotypes in Canadian University Sport

In this paper, the authors analyze the results of a three-year qualitative study examining Canadian female and male university student athletes’ perceptions of gender and doping. Student athletes (n = 38) discussed their perceptions of doping, gender, and sport during in-depth, semistructured interviews. The results demonstrate the extent that student athletes continue to draw on gender stereotypes in assessing acceptable and unacceptable substance use in sport. Many of the student athletes interviewed acknowledged or applied extensive gender stereotyping in discussing their understanding of femininity and masculinity in sport. Women athletes, in particular, indicated they were hesitant to use both banned and permitted ergogenic supplements out of fear of becoming too muscular or masculine, while several male athletes expressed feeling pressure to appear muscular, especially if they wanted to be successful in traditionally male-dominated sports such as football. Applying previous theoretical work Lock by (2003) and Bartky (1990) to the themes resulting from the interviews, the authors argue that student athletes’ attitudes toward doping remain engulfed in gender stereotypes. Because doping culture in the Canadian university system is entangled with gender stereotyping, doping education and prevention programs would benefit from taking these gender stereotypes into account, rather than pretending they do not exist

The Case for Adopting a Multivariate Approach to Optimize Training Load Quantification in Team Sports

Professional sports teams are investing substantial resources in monitoring the training load (TL) in their players in an attempt to achieve favorable training outcomes such as increases in performance and a reduction in negative outcomes such as injury

Combining internal- and external-training-load measures in professional rugby league

Purpose: This study investigated the effect of training mode on the relationships between measures of training load in professional rugby league players. Methods: Five measures of training load (internal: individualized training impulse, session rating of perceived exertion; external—body load, high-speed distance, total impacts) were collected from 17 professional male rugby league players over the course of two 12-week pre-season periods. Training was categorized by mode (small-sided games, conditioning, skills, speed, strongman, and wrestle) and subsequently subjected to a principal component analysis. Extraction criteria were set at an eigenvalue of greater than one. Modes that extracted more than one principal component were subjected to a varimax rotation. Results: Small-sided games and conditioning extracted one principal component, explaining 68% and 52% of the variance, respectively. Skills, wrestle, strongman, and speed extracted two principal components explaining 68%, 71%, 72%, and 67% of the variance respectively. Conclusions: In certain training modes the inclusion of both internal and external training load measures explained a greater proportion of the variance than any one individual measure. This would suggest that in those training modes where two principal components were identified, the use of only a single internal or external training load measure could potentially lead to an underestimation of the training dose. Consequently, a combination of internal and external load measures is required during certain training modes

Alternative Chicks: Examining Women Freeskiers and Empowerment

We consider the possibility of rethinking gender through alternative sports. In particular, we focus on freeskiing (often referred to as extreme skiing) and argue that freeskiing offers a space in which traditional mainstream values can be questioned to a far greater extent than in mainstream sport cultures (like those of football, softball, and ice hockey). If so, they provide an opportunity for alternative understandings of gender to emerge. We examine what would need to happen within the world of freeskiing in order for a more inclusive understanding of gender to emerge through the process of worldmaking. More specifically, we consider various factors within the subculture of freeskiing that influence questions concerning gender constructions including the presentation of women athletes in films, magazines, and other sport media, conceptions of gender among non-competitive backcountry skiers, and the general understanding of the relationship between humans and nature within the sport. We argue that gaining a better understanding of these features is an important step in considering how conceptions of gender may be altered in the sport of skiing

Differences in the Movement Skills and Physical Qualities of Elite Senior & Academy Rugby League Players.

The aim of the present study was to investigate (a) the differences in the movement skills and physical qualities between academy and senior rugby league players, and (b) the relationships between movement skills and physical qualities. Fifty-five male rugby league players (Senior, n=18; Under 19 n=23; Under 16, n=14) undertook a physical testing battery including anthropometric (stature & body mass), strength (isometric mid-thigh pull; IMTP) and power (countermovement jump; CMJ) qualities, alongside the athletic ability assessment (AAA; comprised of overhead squat, double lunge, single-leg Romanian deadlift, press-up and pull-up exercises). Univariate analysis of variance demonstrated significant (p<0.001) differences in body mass, IMTP peak force, CMJ mean power, and AAA movement skills between groups. The greatest observed differences for total movement skills, peak force and mean power were identified between Under 16 and 19 academy age groups. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients demonstrated a significant moderate (r=0.31) relationship between peak force and total movement skill. Furthermore, trivial (r=0.01) and small (r=0.13; r=0.22) relationships were observed between power qualities and total movement skill. These findings highlight that both movement skills and physical qualities differentiate between academy age groups, and provides comparative data for English senior and academy rugby league players

Evaluation of the Start programme: case-study report

This report presents five case studies of long-term partnerships (over three years) between arts organisations and schools. The Start programme enables arts venues and schools to work together to offer disadvantaged young people opportunities to engage in creative activities that inspire them and enhance their experience of the arts. It is organised and funded by the Prince’s Foundation for Children &amp; the Arts. The study finds that Start has acted as a catalyst for growing and sustaining creative activities and created a lasting legacy of arts engagement between case-study schools and arts venues. Children and young people involved in Start activities experienced a wide range of positive changes. They were enthusiastic about arts and cultural activities, developed a wide range of creative and interpersonal skills and became aware of the careers available to them in the creative industries.&nbsp; Key findings: The effectiveness of Start partnerships between schools and arts organisations depended on a strong mutual commitment to ensuring children and young people were engaged in arts and cultural activities and involving them in authentic creative activities Schools’ sustained involvement with arts organisations led to an expansion in their arts and cultural offer. Start’s impact and legacy was enhanced by arts partners providing opportunities for continuous professional development (CPD). This equipped and motivated teachers to use their creative skills in the classroom in the longer-term

The Use of Microtechnology to Quantify the Peak Match Demands of the Football Codes: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Quantifying the peak match demands within the football codes is useful for the appropriate prescription of external training load. Wearable microtechnology devices can be used to identify the peak match demands, although various methodologies exist at present. OBJECTIVES: This systematic review aimed to identify the methodologies and microtechnology-derived variables used to determine the peak match demands, and to summarise current data on the peak match demands in the football codes. METHODS: A systematic search of electronic databases was performed from earliest record to May 2018; keywords relating to microtechnology, peak match demands and football codes were used. RESULTS: Twenty-seven studies met the eligibility criteria. Six football codes were reported: rugby league (n = 7), rugby union (n = 5), rugby sevens (n = 4), soccer (n = 6), Australian Football (n = 2) and Gaelic Football (n = 3). Three methodologies were identified: moving averages, segmental and 'ball in play'. The moving averages is the most commonly used (63%) and superior method, identifying higher peak demands than other methods. The most commonly used variables were relative distance covered (63%) and external load in specified speed zones (57%). CONCLUSION: This systematic review has identified moving averages to be the most appropriate method for identifying the peak match demands in the football codes. Practitioners and researchers should choose the most relevant duration-specific period and microtechnology-derived variable for their specific needs. The code specific peak match demands revealed can be used for the prescription of conditioning drills and training intensity