The 12 Minute Sport Lawyer – Ottawa Edition

The first installment of the SIRC/CSL Knowledge Management Series was a success! The 12 Minute Lawyer took place yesterday afternoon in Ottawa. If you missed attending you have another chance. Register now for the session held in Toronto on February 23 at SIRC@Sport4Ontario.

Rachel and Steve from the Canadian Centre for Sport and Law led a discussion about some of the hot, legal issues in the sporting community. Time flew by as we talked about social media, music rights, hands-free devices, police checks, human rights and LTAD. Interesting questions to ask yourself include:

• Are you paying SOCAN for music rights during practices? Should you?
• Can you get fired for what you say on Facebook?
• Should you have to play employee fines if they are talking on their phone in the car for business and get caught?
• Do waivers for minors really work?
• How are the changes to police check policies effecting your organization?
• Should you align LTAD with the Athlete Assistance Program?
• Are your employees and volunteers aware and educated on human rights violations?

We are looking forward to Managing Your Intellectual Property, the next KMS in Ottawa. Speakers will discuss the ambush marketing that happened before and during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Make sure you register early!

Soccer

Check out the latest SIRC Newsletter -Soccer!

It seems everywhere you look these days you’re surrounded by soccer. Not only is it possibly the most popular grassroots sport, but soccer also has one of the biggest international sporting events. Have you ever stopped to consider how either a player or a coach gets from the grassroots level to the international stage? Here are a few things to think about: what makes a great soccer coach? Are soccer coaches looking for more than just your ability to play the game? What can I do to prevent injuries while playing? Should I just train my body or my mind too? Another great way to improve your soccer skills is to take in a Canadian National Team Event and learn from some of Canada's best players.

http://sirc.ca/newsletters/mid-june10/index.html

Importance of Sleep to the Athlete

While attending the Ontario Sport 4 Life “Shaking The Foundations” conference in November 2010 in Markham, Ontario, it was interesting that with all the experts speaking about physiology, psychology, paradigm shifts, nutrition, coaching, hormonal cycles, long term athlete development (LTAD), that the number one cog in the athlete sustenance wheel was the importance of sleep, according to LTAD expert Istvan Balyi.

Sleep. It’s something we do at the end of each day. Still, it’s the one thing that is always sacrificed no matter what level of athlete you are. How is it that something so important in daily human physical and mental repair is so underestimated? For the most part we all spend most of our days in a very large sleep debt, which affects such areas as cognitive function, mood, fitness, general health and reaction times.

Optimal environment elements affecting how well we sleep include the light, temperature and noise in our bedrooms, along with dedicating the time to getting enough quality sleep. So embrace the importance of crawling into the flannelette pasture so that your body can do its maintenance work.

For more information on sleep, which won’t put you to sleep, please review these articles or contact SIRC.

Health Benefits of Sleep

Importance of Sleep for the Young Athlete

Importance of Sleep to the Endurance Athlete

Davenne, D. (2009). Sleep of athletes - problems and possible solutions. Biological Rhythm Research, 40(1), 45-52.

Noland, H., Price, J., Dake, J., & Telljohann, S. (2009). Adolescents’ Sleep Behaviors and Perceptions of Sleep. Journal of School Health, 79(5), 224-230.

Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter (2007) A Wake-Up Call on Sleep and Health. Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, 15260143, 24(12).

Williams, A. (2010). Recovery Nutrition - Sleep, Eat, Train, Recover, Repeat. Coaches Plan/Plan du Coach, 17(2), 20-23.

Waterhouse, J.; Atkinson, G.; Edwards, B.; Reilly, T.,(2007) The role of a short post-lunch nap in improving cognitive, motor, and sprint performance in participants with partial sleep deprivation. Journal of Sports Sciences, 25(14), 1557-1656.

Squash Leaders Partner to Produce Champions

Recently, the national governing body for the sport of squash, Squash Canada, announced an agreement with the National Squash Academy (NSA) to create Squash Canada’s National Centre of Excellence.  The union provides a much needed central training base for Canadian National Team members, who will now train under the guidance of Squash Canada’s new Performance Director, Jamie Hickox, one of the most recognizable squash professionals in the world.  Also providing world class coaching at the Academy are Canadians Jonathon Power (former world-ranked #1) and Gary Waite (former world-ranked #12 singles, and #1 hardball doubles player) who were responsible, along with Jaime Nicholls, for building the facility that opened in 2010.

Located in Downsview, Ontario in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), the NSA’s 10-court squash facility has programs for all levels aiming to not only build a broader base of squash players in Canada, but to produce world class players. It includes eight glass back international courts, and an all glass exhibition court with the world’s first all-glass North American doubles court being installed in early 2012.  With over 10,000 square foot of squash stadium, seating for 1500+ people, and an in-house filming studio for streaming and television broadcasts, the NSA is fit to serve as one of North America’s premier event spaces.

Fully aligned with Long Term Athlete Development(LTAD) objectives, the NSA will provide necessary elements for competing athletes to excel, including:

• Access to world class coaching
• Dedicated court time for athletes in training
• World class training and fitness facilities
• Therapy and rehabilitation services

Open to the public with membership, the NSA will also provide a junior academy for all ages and levels, and community and school programs.

For more information on high performance sport and LTAD, please visit SIRC.

Photo 1: Samantha Cornett (Ottawa), Credits: Darren Adam / Squash Canada
Photo 2: Miranda Ranieri (Waterloo), Credits: Darren Adam / Squash Canada