Innovations in Eye Care: Sport Vision

Optometry has a long tradition of providing vision care services to optimize daily function. While this has often focused on academic and occupational performance, sports performance is another important area where vision plays a critical role. Athletes, trainers and coaches have recognized that excellent vision is an important aspect of performance [...

Sports Leadership and Administration Program Annual Report 2019-20

The SLA Program is designed to foster critical consciousness among future leaders in sport and preparation for successful pursuits in sport administration, marketing, finance, management, and recreation. Mission of the Program: The mission of the SLA Program is to cultivate equity-minded, character-driven, and transformational leaders who will positively improve society through sport. Vision Statement: The vision of the SLA Program is to be the premier space and place for producing life-changing and society-shifting leaders in sport

Effect of a sport vision training programme on the batting performance and predictive judgment of high school level cricketers

Abstract: Vision plays a crucial role in sport as it is the primary source of external information and provides 85 – 90% of the sensory input during athletic performance (Vickers, 2007; Kluka & Knudson, 1997). The study aimed to investigate the effect of sports vision training on the batting performance and predictive judgement on high school cricket players. The sample included male, high school level cricketers ranging in ages 13 – 18 (14.8 ± 1.2) with at least two years playing experience in cricket. Three high schools were invited to participate in the study. The participants were non-randomly assigned to two groups, 15 participants to a sports vision training group (n=15) and 15 participants to a regular practice group (n=15). Each group was assessed according to the tasks of visual skills, fitness, batting performance, predictive judgement and fitness. The visual skills testing included eye hand coordination, central peripheral awareness and visual response. The fitness assessment was a multistage fitness test. The batting performance test assessed the quality of interception and the predictive judgment assessed the ability to judge the length bowled. The results showed that the intervention group showed significant improvement within the visual skills, batting performance and judgment test conducted (p 0.05). Although there were improvements in certain parameters tested, a larger sample may produce better results

Effect of sports vision exercise on visual perception and reading performance in 7- to 10-year-old developmental dyslexic children

The presented study was aimed at identifying for the first time the influence of sports vision exercises on fundamental motor skills and cognitive skills of 7- to 10-year-old developmental dyslexic Persian children. A pretest - posttest quasi-experimental study was conducted. The statistical population of this study was 7- to 10-year-old dyslexic children referring to two centres of learning disorder in the city of Isfahan. Twenty two of these children were selected using available and purposive sampling from the statistical population and were randomly assigned into two groups of experimental and control. The former (experimental group) participated in sports vision exercise courses for 12 weeks (3 one hr sessions per week) and the latter (control group) continued their routine daily activities during the exercise. Before the beginning and at the end of the exercise, Gardner’s test of visual perception test - revised and Dehkhoda’s reading skills test was administered to both groups. The results showed that the sports vision exercises increases motor skills, visual perceptual skills and reading skills in developmental dyslexic children. Based on the results of the presented study it was concluded that sports vision exercises can be used for fundamental and cognitive skills of developmental dyslexic children

Effect of sports vision exercise on visual perception and reading performance in 7- to 10-year-old developmental dyslexic children

The presented study was aimed at identifying for the first time the influence of sports vision exercises on fundamental motor skills and cognitive skills of 7- to 10-year-old developmental dyslexic Persian children. A pretest - posttest quasi-experimental study was conducted. The statistical population of this study was 7- to 10-year-old dyslexic children referring to two centres of learning disorder in the city of Isfahan. Twenty two of these children were selected using available and purposive sampling from the statistical population and were randomly assigned into two groups of experimental and control. The former (experimental group) participated in sports vision exercise courses for 12 weeks (3 one hr sessions per week) and the latter (control group) continued their routine daily activities during the exercise. Before the beginning and at the end of the exercise, Gardner’s test of visual perception test - revised and Dehkhoda’s reading skills test was administered to both groups. The results showed that the sports vision exercises increases motor skills, visual perceptual skills and reading skills in developmental dyslexic children. Based on the results of the presented study it was concluded that sports vision exercises can be used for fundamental and cognitive skills of developmental dyslexic children

The Myth of Clean Sport and its Unintended Consequences

Anti-doping has long been premised on the myth of clean sport, a consistent vision that has survived changes in the social and cultural environment. This article starts with a discussion of the meaning of clean sport focusing on the gap between this idealisation and practice. It then traces the historical emergence of this myth, briefly explaining its cultural foundations, and its influence on in-competition drug testing development in the 1960s. It will be argued that clean sport only made sense when the focus was on in-competition use of stimulants. The emergence of drugs such as steroids, used out of competitions, created a conflict between the reality of doping practices and the mythical past and future idealisation of sport as clean. Nonetheless anti-doping leaders maintained their public position that testing systems could defeat doping practices. Due to the continuity of ethical ideas, the construction of health fears, and public scandals, the World Anti-Doping Agency pressed on with, and was empowered by, the absolutist clean sport vision leading to the conceptually flawed, contradictory, draconian and problematic policy environment we face today

‘Multi-directional management’: Exploring the challenges of performance in the World Class Programme environment

Driven by the ever-increasing intensity of Olympic competition and the ‘no compromise – no stone unturned’ requirements frequently addressed by HM Government and its main agency, UK Sport, a change in culture across Olympic team landscapes is a common occurrence. With a focus on process, this paper presents reflections from eight current or recently serving UK Olympic sport Performance Directors on their experiences of creating and disseminating their vision for their sport, a vital initial activity of the change initiative. To facilitate a broad overview of this construct, reflections are structured around the vision’s characteristics and foundations, how it is delivered to key stakeholder groups, how it is influenced by these groups, the qualities required to ensure its longevity and its limitations. Emerging from these perceptions, the creation and maintenance of a shared team vision was portrayed as a highly dynamic task requiring the active management of a number of key internal and external stakeholders. Furthermore, the application of ‘dark’ traits and context-specific expertise were considered critical attributes for the activity’s success. Finally, recent calls for research to elucidate the wider culture optimisation process are reinforced