A Pilot Study Investigating the Effects of the Summer Rodeo Season on Functional Movement Screening Scores of College Rodeo Athletes

Rodeo is well known for its high-velocity, high-impact atmosphere where athletes compete against the clock and uncooperative livestock. Many rodeo competitive related injuries are associated with insufficient muscular synergy, endurance, strength, and limb flexibility. PURPOSE: The purpose of this investigation was to examine the difference between pre-summer rodeo functional movement screening (FMS) outcomes and post-summer rodeo FMS outcomes of rodeo athletes. METHODS: The researchers conducted pre-summer rodeo FMS assessments on collegiate rodeo athletes (n = 8). Athletes were instructed to complete their standard summer rodeo season without the integration of exercise modalities that may serve as corrective strategies for altered functional movement onset by the demands of rodeo performance. Rodeo athletes returned for post-summer rodeo season FMS testing upon the conclusion of their summer rodeo season. A paired-sample t-test (p \u3c 0.05) was employed to identify differences in pre- and post-summer rodeo FMS outcomes. RESULTS: The statistical analysis revealed no significant differences between pre- and post-summer rodeo season FMS scores. However, moderate effects sizes were identified between pre- and post-rotary stability (d = .725), pre- and post-deep squat (d = .725), and pre- and post-hurdle step (d = .725), and pre- and post-trunk stability (d = -.540). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the intensity and volume of summer rodeo season performance may contribute to alterations in rodeo athlete’s functional movement abilities. An FMS utilized to identify movement compensations/limitation of rodeo athletes prior to summer rodeo season, and the integration of exercise modalities that serve as corrective strategies for the presented movement compensations may assist in decreasing the chance of non-impact injury sustainmen

Sex-Specific Difference of Functional Movement Screening Scores Among Rodeo Athletes

Faulty movement patterns, especially in elite athletes, can lead to neuromuscular imbalances. Rodeo is an example of an injury prone sport that requires optimal muscular synergy, endurance, strength, and limb flexibility to succeed in rodeo performance. The Functional Movement Screening (FMS) test has shown validity in identifying various neuromuscular imbalances, and subsequently, scientific findings support the FMS threshold score (less ≤ 14) as valid for injury risk screening in collision and team sports, firefighters, and the tactical professions. If an athlete has a composite score of 14 or less in conjunction with a previous injury, they are 15 times more likely to sustain an injury. FMS studies have indicated women are more proficient in lower leg raise, while men possess greater trunk stability. However, both men and women overall report no significant differences in mean scores for FMS. However, identifying FMS outcome differences between male and female rodeo athletes has yet to be examined. PURPOSE: The purpose of the current investigation was to identify sex-specific FMS outcomes for rodeo athletes. METHODS: Collegiate rodeo athletes (n = 85; 25 men, 60 women) completed a Functional Movement Screening Test to establish athlete specific movement pattern efficiencies. A MANOVA (p \u3c .05) was employed to examine differences in FMS outcomes between male and female rodeo athletes. RESULTS: Statistically significant main effect was reported between sex in overall FMS outcomes of rodeo athletes, F(8, 76) = 5, p \u3c .001; Wilks’ Λ = .655, η2 = .345. Specifically, a significant between-subjects effect recognized sex differences when performance Active Straight Leg Raise (p \u3c .001), Shoulder Mobility (p = .012), Truck Stability (p = 005), In-Line Lunge (p = 005), and Deep Squat (p = .029). No significant differences being identified between the sexes when assessing the Hurdle Step (p = .201), Rotary Stability (p = .739), nor Total FMS score (p = .820). CONCLUSION: These results suggest differences in FMS outcomes between sexes may be present among different rodeo events. Additionally, and specific to rodeo, FMS outcomes may be attributed to different physical demands associated with sex-specific events of rodeo. This information may also provide future researchers and practitioners insight into potential injury associated with low FMS scores of rodeo athletes

Differences in Simple and Complex Reaction Time Test Score Amont College Rodeo Athletes

Various sports rely heavily on reaction time (RT) to produce high levels of performance, and as expected, difference in RT are present within and between sporting activities. The sport of rodeo is a high velocity/intensity sport that require athletes to reaction quickly to the movement(s) of uncooperative livestock. However, no previous studies have investigated the RT profile of rodeo athletes and the differences in RT between rodeo events. PURPOSE: The purpose of this investigation was to establish simply and complex RT norms for rodeo athletes and secondly, identify RT difference between rodeo events. METHODS: College rodeo athletes (n = 39) from a mid-sized university in the southwest region volunteered as participates in this study. The athletes were categorized according to their rodeo event: Steer Wrestling (n = 3), Roping (n = 15), Goat Tying (n = 6), Barrel Racing (n = 10), or Rough Stock (n = 5). All rodeo athletes completed two RT tests, simple RT test (sRT) and complex RT test (cRT), which yielded RT measures for average sRT response, average cRT response, total sRT, and total cRT. These RT metrics were utilized to establish rodeo RT norms and describe differences among rodeo events. Basic descriptive statistics were calculated to establish rodeo RT norms and secondly, a MANOVA was utilized to differentiate reaction time scores between rodeo events. RESULTS: There were no significant difference between Steer Wrestling (sRT Ave. Total 30.52±2.95; cRT Ave. Total 34.21±2.70), Ropers (sRT Ave. Total 32.29±4.25; cRT Ave. Total 35.70±4.56), Goat Tying (sRT Ave. Total 32.42±1.74l; cRT Ave. Total 38.3±5.47), Barrel Racing (sRT Ave. Total 32.77±3.45; cRT Ave. Total 35.29±2.46), and Rough Stock (sRT Ave. Total 32.12±3.45; cRT Ave. Total 35.32±4.14) for all reaction time measures. CONCLUSION: The results of the investigation indicated RT performance were similar among all rodeo events. These results additionally provide newly established RT norms for rodeo athletes that could be utilized as baseline target metrics for RT training

Differences in Functional Movement Screening Score between College Rodeo Events

The sport of rodeo is recognized as a high velocity/intensity activity, with a wide range of varying dynamic movements occurring across difference rodeo events. High velocities and extreme dynamic range of motion movements, compound with uncooperative livestock, contribute to elevated risk of injury. While these factors generally attribute to rodeo injuries, little is known in regards to movement limitations of rodeo athletes. PURPOSE: Therefore, the purpose of the current investigation was to identify movement pattern differences among rodeo events using the Functional Movement Screening (FMS) test. METHODS: College rodeo athletes (n = 85) from a mid-size university in the southwest region were selected as participants for this study. Athletes were categories according to their respected rodeo event: Steer Wrestling (n = 7), Breakaway Roping (n = 28), Goat Tying (n = 11), Barrel Racing (n = 20), Saddle Bronc Riding (n = 9), Tie Down Roping (n = 4), Bull Riding (n = 2), or Team Roping (n = 4). Following, all rodeo athletes completed an FMS test to establish movement efficiencies. A MANOVA was utilized to differentiate FMS scores between rodeo events. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant main effect between rodeo event and FMS outcomes of rodeo athletes, F(56, 382.72) = 1.777, p = .001; Wilk’s Λ = .288, partial η2 = .163. LSD Post hoc test revealed significant differences between various events for all dependent variables except the Hurdle Step Test. CONCLUSION: These results suggest different rodeo event specific movement pattern may affect FMS test results. Additionally, for the practitioner, these differences may serve as valid precursors to injuries per rodeo event

A Pilot Study Examining the Relationship between Functional Movement Screening Scores and Rodeo Performance Outcomes

Research has identified diverse levels of flexibility among different sports and the athletes that compete within them. Rodeo, in particular, is a high intensity, high velocity sport, that requires substantial dynamic range of motion during competition. Functional Movement Screening (FMS) is a comprehensive set of tests that is recognized as a valid precursor to identifying potential injury and has established mobility norms for various sports. However, no studies have explored the FMS profile of rodeo athletes and the relationship between FMS and rodeo performance. PURPOSE: This investigation was designed to establish FMS norms for rodeo athletes per event (i.e., rough stock and timed events) and determine the impact of mobility on event specific performance. METHODS: Pre-season FMS was conducted on 29 collegiate rodeo athletes. Rodeo performance outcomes was collected upon the conclusion of the regular spring season rodeo. A spearman\u27s rank order correlation was employed to assess the relationship between FMS scores and rodeo performance outcomes. Alpha levels were set at p \u3c 0.05. RESULTS: Descriptive FMS results (M ± SD) are as follows: Tiedown Ropers (n = 2) 15 ± 1.41; Saddle Bronc Riders (n = 2) 15.5 ± 0.71; Steer Wrestlers (n = 5) 16.6 ± 2.70; Breakaway Ropers (n = 13) 16.6 ± 2.43; Goat Tiers (n = 5) 17.2 ± 1.79; Barrel Racers (n = 6) 16.2 ± 2.14. Strong, significant negative correlations were recognized between Barrel Racers Average Time and Shoulder Mobility (rs(6) = -.878, p = .021), Rotary Stability (rs(5) = -.845, p = .034), Deep Squat (rs(5) = -.878, p = .021), and Total FMS Score (rs(5) = -.812, p = .050). Marginal correlations were identified between Shoulder Mobility and Catch Percentage (rs(5) = .783, p = .118) and In-line Lunge and Average Time (rs(5) = -.707, p = .182) for Steer Wrestlers. A marginal correlation was identified between Hurdle Step and Average Time (rs(13) = -.536, p = .059), and Rotary Stability and Average Time (rs(5) = -.707, p = .182) for Breakaway Ropers. CONCLUSION: These results provide a novel perspective regarding the FMS status of rodeo athletes and highlights the influence sufficient dynamic mobility has on rodeo performance outcomes

The Relationship between 60-yard sprint, 30-yard sprint, Standardized Base Stealing Sprint, and Offensive Baseball Performance

Athletic performance testing protocols strive to accurately predicting or gain better understanding of an athlete’s performance within a particular sport or game. Regarding baseball, Wolfe and colleagues (2012) examined the predictive validity of the 60-yard shuttle run on pitching performance and concluded that strikeouts and innings pitched were significantly related to elevated kinetic energy factors of pitchers obtained from the shuttle run performance. Concerning for baseball position players, the 60-yard sprint (60YS) is traditionally utilized to showcase “baseball speed”, with minimal empirical evident supporting predictability to baseball specific performance outcomes. PURPOSE: The aim of the current investigation was to have examine the relationship between 60YS and offensive baseball performance outcomes, as well as the 30-yard sprint (30YS) test, and newly created standardized 1st to 2nd sprint (STS) test relationship to offensive baseball performance outcomes. METHODS: Division I baseball position players (n = 17; height: 180.92 ± 5.61 cm; weight: 82.1 ± 11.12 kg) performed three sprinting tests: 60YS, 30YS, and STS. Each test was recorded using the Brower Timing Gate System, with sprint time recorded in second. All testing was completed prior to the first game of the team’s college baseball season. Offensive baseball performance measures were recorded throughout 61 regular season games. The following baseball performance data was collected from the university’s official NCAA game performance website: total stolen bases (SB), stole base attempts (AT), stolen base percentage (SBP), at bats (AB), hits (H), doubles (DB), triples (TR), homeruns (HR), runs (R), base-on-balls (BB), hit by pitch (HBP), on base percentage (OBP), slugging percentage (SLP), touched bases (TB), runs batted in (RBI), and batting average (AVE). Pearson’s product-moment correlation (p \u3c .05) was employed to examine the correlation between sprint tests and offensive baseball performance. RESULTS: The statistical analysis revealed significant correlations between STS (p = .002, r = -.762), 30 yd sprint (p = .048, r = -.556), and 60 yd sprint (p = .038, r = -.578) and SB. Additionally, a significant correlation was identified between OBP and STS (p = .022, r = -.625), 30YS (p = .027, r = -.609), and 60YS (p = .020, r = -.633). Aside from these two baseball performance metrics, 30YS and 60YS had no significant correlation with baseball performance. However, STS, additionally, significantly (p \u3c .05) correlated with AT, AB, H, TR, HR, R, BB, SLP, TB, RBI, and AVE. CONCLUSION: The STS, 30YS, and 60YS had a significant relationship with offensive baseball performance. However, the results of 30YS and 60YS only correlated with two offensive measures, while STS had a significant correlation with all but 3 offensive performance metrics. These findings suggest STS may be a more relevant measure for predicting offensive baseball performance than the traditional 30YS and 60YS tests

Anti-truncated stellar light profiles in the outer regions of STAGES spiral galaxies: bulge or disc related?

We present a comparison of azimuthally averaged radial surface brightness mu(r) profiles and analytical bulge-disc decompositions (de Vaucouleurs, r^(1/4) bulge plus exponential disc) for spiral galaxies using Hubble Space Telescope/Advanced Camera for Surveys V-band imaging from the Space Telescope A901/2 Galaxy Evolution Survey (STAGES). In the established classification scheme, antitruncated mu(r) profiles (Type III) have a broken exponential disc with a shallower region beyond the break radius r_brk. The excess light at large radii (r > r_brk) can either be caused by an outer exponential disc (Type III-d) or an extended spheroidal component (Type III-s). Using our comparisons, we determine the contribution of bulge light at r > r_brk for a large sample of 78 (barred/unbarred, Sa-Sd) spiral galaxies with outer disc antitruncations (mu_brk > 24 mag arcsec^-2). In the majority of cases (~85 per cent), evidence indicates that excess light at r > r_brk is related to an outer shallow disc (Type III-d). Here, the contribution of bulge light at r > r_brk is either negligible (~70 per cent) or too little to explain the antitruncation (~15 per cent). However in the latter cases, bulge light can affect the measured disc properties (e.g. mu_brk, outer scalelength). In the remaining cases (~15 per cent), light at r > r_brk is dominated by the bulge (Type III-s). Here, for most cases the bulge profile dominates at all radii and only occasionally (3 galaxies, ~5 per cent) extends beyond that of a dominant disc and explains the excess light at r > r_brk. We thus conclude that in the vast majority of cases antitruncated outer discs cannot be explained by bulge light and thus remain a pure disc phenomenon.Comment: Accepted to MNRA

The environmental dependence of the structure of outer galactic discs in STAGES spiral galaxies

We present an analysis of V-band radial surface brightness profiles for spiral galaxies from the field and cluster environments using Hubble Space Telescope/Advanced Camera for Surveys imaging and data from the Space Telescope A901/2 Galaxy Evolution Survey (STAGES). We use a large sample of ~330 face-on to intermediately inclined spiral galaxies and assess the effect of the galaxy environment on the azimuthally averaged radial surface brightness mu profiles for each galaxy in the outer stellar disc (24 < mu < 26.5 mag per sq arcsec). For galaxies with a purely exponential outer disc (~50 per cent), we determine the significance of an environmental dependence on the outer disc scalelength h_out. For galaxies with a broken exponential in their outer disc, either down-bending (truncation, ~10 per cent) or up-bending (anti-truncation, ~40 per cent), we measure the strength T (outer-to-inner scalelength ratio, log_10(h_out/h_in) of the mu breaks and determine the significance of an environmental dependence on break strength T. Surprisingly, we find no evidence to suggest any such environmental dependence on either outer disc scalelength h_out or break strength T, implying that the galaxy environment is not affecting the stellar distribution in the outer stellar disc. We also find that for galaxies with small effective radii (r_e < 3 kpc) there is a lack of outer disc truncations in both the field and cluster environments. Our results suggest that the stellar distribution in the outer disc of spiral galaxies is not significantly affected by the galaxy environment.Comment: Accepted to MNRAS. Appendix A available at http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~ppxdtm/STAGES_profiles_appendix.pd

The environmental dependence of the structure of galactic discs in STAGES S0 galaxies: implications for S0 formation

We present an analysis of V-band radial surface brightness μ(r) profiles for S0 galaxies in different environments using Hubble Space Telescope/Advanced Camera for Surveys imaging and data from the Space Telescope A901/2 Galaxy Evolution Survey. Using a large sample of ∼280 field and cluster S0s, we find that in both environments, ∼25 per cent have a pure exponential disc (type I) and ∼50 per cent exhibit an up-bending disc break (antitruncation, type III). However, we find hardly any (<5 per cent) down-bending disc breaks (truncations, type II) in our S0s and many cases (∼20 per cent) where no discernible exponential component was observed (i.e. general curvature). We also find no evidence for an environmental dependence on the disc scalelength h or break strength T (outer-to-inner scalelength ratio), implying that the galaxy environment does not affect the stellar distribution in S0 stellar discs. Comparing disc structure (e.g. h, T) between these S0s and the spiral galaxies from our previous studies, we find: (i) no evidence for the type I scalelength h being dependent on morphology; and (ii) some evidence to suggest that the type II/III break strength T is smaller (weaker) in S0s compared to spiral galaxies. Taken together, these results suggest that the stellar distribution in S0s is not drastically affected by the galaxy environment. However, some process inherent to the morphological transformation of spiral galaxies into S0s does affect stellar disc structure causing a weakening of μ(r) breaks and may even eliminate truncations from S0 galaxies. In further tests, we perform analytical bulge–disc decompositions on our S0s and compare the results to those for spiral galaxies from our previous studies. For type III galaxies, we find that bulge light can account for the excess light at large radii in up to ∼50 per cent of S0s but in only ∼15 per cent of spirals. We propose that this result is consistent with a fading stellar disc (evolving bulge-to-disc ratio) being an inherent process in the transformation of spiral galaxies into S0s

Pathways for scale and discipline reconciliation: current socio-ecological modelling methodologies to explore and reconstitute human prehistoric dynamics

International audienceThis communication elaborates a plea for the necessity of a specific modelling methodology which does not sacrifice two modelling principles: explanation Micro and correlation Macro. Three goals are assigned to modelling strategies: describe, understand and predict. One tendency in historical and spatial modelling is to develop models at a micro level in order to describe and by that way, understand the connection between local ecological contexts, acquired through local ecological data, and local social practices, acquired through archaeology. However, such a method faces difficulties for expanding its validity: It is validated by its adequacy with local data, but the prediction step is unreachable and quite nothing can be said for places out where. On the other hand, building models at a far larger scale, for instance at the continent and even the world level, enhances the connection between ecology and its temporal variability. Such connections are based on well-founded theories but lower the " small causes, big effects " emergence corresponding to agent-based approaches and the related inherent variability of socio-ecological dynamics that one can notice at a lower scale. We then propose a plea for combining both elements for building large-scale modelling tools, which aims are to describe and provide predictions on long-term past evolutions, that include the test of explaining socio-anthropological hypotheses, i.e. the emergence and the spread of local social innovations