2011 SIRC Research Award

Call for Papers
SIRC (Sport Information Resource Centre) is proud to announce the official launch of the 2011 SIRC Research Award and the SIRC Research Development Award.

SIRC invites Canadians associated with a Canadian University or degree granting institution to submit their original sport related research for consideration of the 2011 SIRC Research Award.

SIRC Research Award
The SIRC Research Award recognizes outstanding sport research that benefits the Canadian sporting community. SIRC invites Canadian researchers to submit sport related original research papers in consideration for the 2011 SIRC Research Award.


This year, the 2011 SIRC Research Award has two categories. Your submission must fall into one of these two categories.


The social impact of sport on the community:

This category contains research in four broad areas;

social, cultural, and/or economic benefits of sport
health and wellness
participation
education and life long learning


The impact of applied research on athletic excellence / high performance:

This category contains research in four key areas of study;

Sport Psychology
Sport Physiology
Sports Medicine
Kinesiology

The Award:
Winners receive $2,000, a SIRC membership, media coverage, inclusion in the SIRC Collection and international exposure to the sport and academic community through SIRC’s publishing channels.

Eligibility:
The applicant must be a Canadian citizen currently associated with a Canadian University or degree granting institution.
You must submit original research that has not been previously published.
Your paper must be written in English or French.
Your paper must be a minimum of 2500 words and up to a maximum of 4000 words (excluding references).
Your research must be relevant and benefit the Canadian sporting community.
Review Process:
Candidate’s abstracts will be initially screened by members of SIRC (or a representative group).

Abstracts will be assessed based on the following criteria:

Abstract content
The results of long-term impact of the paper on the Canadian sporting community.

The review criteria for the paper are:

Relevance/significance of topic to sport, fitness or sport science in Canada
Relevant literature
Clarity of conceptual framework /appropriate methodology
The value to the Canadian sport system
All criteria will be evaluated on a 5-point scale (1 = poor, 5 = excellent). Judges are selected nationally and are considered experts in various areas of study within sport.


Important Submission Deadlines:

January 14th, 2011: Abstract and bio submission

March 25th, 2011: Research paper is electronically received by researchaward@sirc.ca. In addition, a complete hardcopy of the applicant’s submission, which includes a bio, an abstract, a photo of the applicant (passport photo) and the signed SIRC Content License agreement and eligibility outline, with original applicant signature, is received in our offices by 4:30 pm EST

SIRC’s mailing address is 180 Elgin Street, Suite 1400, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 2K3

Winners will be notified by June 17th, 2011


*Subject to change without notice.

SAIT Slides into Sport Research

We often speak about the significance that participating in sport brings to improving our well-being   socially, mentally and spiritually.  But on the competition side, those involved in sport are also always looking for ways to improve their performance, which will range from the psychology and physiology of sport to improving the equipment used. These tools of the trade not only include moving the human body faster and higher, but also refining any equipment used to transport the body towards superior performances. Skates, pole vault poles, skis and running shoes are just a few examples of the type of apparatus utilized by athletes.

One institution that is taking a lead role in such design changes is the SAIT Polytechnic (Southern Institute of Applied Technology) in Calgary, Alberta, who has become involved in the development and modifications to sleds used for the winter sports of skeleton, luge and bobsleigh. Despite their relative inexperience in working in sport, the team under the direction of Principal Investigator Dr. Alex Zahavich, Director, ARIS-SAIT (Applied Research and Innovation Services), was initially commissioned by Bobsleigh Canada in 2006 to design skeleton sledsthat would perform well at a reasonable cost, hopefully increasing participation in the sport. Long term goals were to develop high performance sleds for international competitions an area they have successfully moved in to.

The SAIT incremental strategy was to buy technology (i.e. equipment) from other countries and then reverse engineer their sleds. Also vital to the process was that the design team, including journeymen machinists and welders, had to actually slide their prototypes down a sliding course so that they fully understood the experience.  So extraordinary is their contribution to the sliding world, the advancements accomplished at SAIT, in conjunction with Canada’s Own the Podium (OTP), was featured by the Discovery Channel.

Using research and development to change equipment - construction design and materials - is one very essential tactic to keep competing athletes on the cutting edge, giving them an advantage on the world stage.

For more information on sports research and development, please visit SIRC.