PacificSport Okanagan Introduces New Academy

With a new school year right around the corner, PacificSport Okanagan announces their new PacificSport Athlete Academy for secondary school student-athletes. The new Academy based in Kelowna, allows high school student-athletes an opportunity to enhance their overall learning environment by having access to a flexible educational timetable and the supportive structure to work in cooperation with their high performance training and competitive schedule.



This new lifestyle program will integrate the existing British Columbia Graduation Program Curriculum, altering the way students pursue their athletic careers without compromising their academic goals. The programs are designed to assist student-athletes by modifying training and educational workloads allowing them to obtain graduation credits for their training and competition activities.



Some of the additional services the student-athletes will benefit from include transportation to and from training sites, time-table assistance / course administration, and a certified teacher on staff to offer extra assistance with homework when travelling, training and competition takes them away from the classroom. Core courses will be included on site such as Language Arts, Math, Fine Arts and/or Applied Skills, Social Studies and Science, while the remainder their Graduation Required and Elective Courses will be offered through a number of flexible choices, which may include online courses.



Based out of the Capital News Centre in Kelowna’s Mission Recreation Complex, the Athlete Academy Centre training facilities including: an aquatic centre, personal training facility, soccer and baseball fields, indoor track and turf fields, ice rinks, classrooms and more.



Student-athletes are now being accepted for the September 2011 academic year with the deadline this Friday, August 19, 2011.



For more information on sport and education, please visit SIRC.

Track World Continues to Run with State-of-the-art Technology

The 2011 IAAF World Championships in Athletics start this weekend in Daegu, South Korea, and Team Canada is sending 32 athletes, 13 of which are making their first appearance at a World Championships. The venue, Daegu Stadium, previously hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2003 Universiade.



Sport and technology continue to join forces, as this major sporting event on the global calendar will benefit from state-of-the-art technology with high-definition electronic signboards and high-tech unmanned equipment, including the sand arranger at jumping pits and the radio controlled throwing event implement retriever.



Of particular anticipation for these World Championships is the implementation of the new Video Distance Measurement (VDM) system. Previously, officials measured the horizontal jumps with the Electronic Distance Measurement (EDM) system which computes the jumpers distance via a light signal exchange from a module placed in the sand pit. Used for the first time ever at the track championships, the VDM utilizes two high-definition video cameras placed in the stands, overlooking the landing pits. When the jumper leaves a mark in the pit, the cameras capture a series of images of that mark, placing a cursor to the right point, and then the computer calculates the distance. This information is immediately validated and distributed to the results service, scoreboards and TV. The benefits of the VDM are that it produces a result much faster (saving 15 seconds per jump), the risk of human error is reduced, the system offers complete accountability (video archives), and the VDM enhances the visibility and excitement of the sport by making the jumping pits less cluttered with people and equipment.



The IAAF World Championships in Athletics has never been staged in mainland Asia, although it has taken place twice in Japan. Over 2500 athletes from 207 countries will compete over nine days starting on Saturday, August 27.



Contact SIRC for more information on sport and technology!



Photos courtesy of the International Association of Athletics Federations

Olympism is a state of mind

"Olympism is not a system, it is a state of mind. It can permeate a wide variety of modes of expression and no single race or era can claim to have the monopoly of it." Pierre de Coubertin, the father of the modern day Olympics.

James Worrall (CANADA). A 1936 Olympian.  A flag bearer for his country.  A hurdler. A lawyer. A president of the Canadian Olympic Committee. A member of the International Olympic Committee. A friend. An author.A mentor. A member of the Order of Canada. A Hall of Famer.

And if "Olympism" is a philosophy of life, this was most definitely James Worrall's philosophy. One who combined a balance between quality of life, mind and soul, and had respect for universal ethical principles. One who combined sport with education and culture.

An Olympian in the truest sense of the word. 

The oldest living Canadian Olympian, James Worrall, O.C., B.Sc., LL.B., Q.C. passed away this week at the age of 97.

We honour him.

Once an Olympian, always an Olympian.

 Career Highlights:

• 1934 British Empire Games (Commonwealth Games), 120-yard hurdles, silver medalist
• 1936 Olympic Games, 110mH & 400mH
• Assistant Chef de Mission, Team Canada (1948 & 1952 Olympic Games)
• Canadian Olympic Association (COA), President (1964–1968); Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), Honorary Life President (1989)
• Amateur Athletic Union of Canada, President (1951-1953)
• National Advisory Council on Fitness and Amateur Sport (1963-1967)
• International Olympic Committee (IOC), Member (1967-1989), Executive Board Member (1974-1979), Honorary Member (1989-2011)
• Order of Canada (1976)
• Canada Sports Hall of Fame (1987)
• Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame (1991)

Is the Sky Always Going to be the Limit?

 Year after year, games after games, championship after championship, athletes continue to set world records and all-time best results.  But can athletic human performance continue to improve indefinitely? One might contemplate that the time will come when athletes will no longer be faster, higher and stronger. According to a South Korean study of athletics and swimming in the International Journal of Applied Management Science, analyzed data proposes that human performance will reach its pinnacle within the next decade. Statistical analysis suggests that improvements in running and swimming are slowing down, yet does not take into account variations in rules, measurements and environmental changes.

However, a current theory by Duke University engineers has shown that Olympic swimmers and sprinters have gotten bigger and faster over the past 100 years, having physically grown at a much faster rate than the normal population. According to their data analysis, the average human has gained about 4.83 cm (1.9 inches) in height since 1900, and that the fastest swimmers have grown 11.4 cm (4.5 inches) and the best runners have grown 16.3 cm (6.4 inches). Should those participating in sport over the next century continue to be taller and bigger athletes than today, there is a reasonable expectation that superior athletic performance will continue.

These days athletes are using better training methods, much improved technology and are guided by  better-than-ever prepared coaches and integrated support teams. Today's improved knowledge and applications of physiology, biomechanics and psychology towards an athlete’s performance, are something that could not have even been imagined a few decades ago, yet will most likely be outdated 20 years from now. While it is practical to believe that some sports may be nearer to their upper limit than others, as long as there is a will to continue to improve, we can only hope there is no limit on how far athletic performance can go.

Contact SIRC for more information on athlete training.

Coaching Running - SIRC Newsletter

The signs of spring are in the air and the number of people running outside and enjoying the wonderful weather is increasing. Warm weather marks the beginning of race season and running clubs, track clubs, university teams, and high school teams are all starting to get back into their rigorous training schedules. For running coaches this is the perfect time to review their plan and athletes for the season. No matter what team/club you coach, you will encounter athletes with different styles, levels, and abilities and it is important to consider all of this when looking at the season ahead.

SIRC has compiled the following articles to help you learn more about the athletes you coach and how to help them reach their goals.

http://www.sirc.ca/newsletters/apr12/index.html

And the Winners are...

The Impact of Applied Research on Athletic Excellence - High Performance Category is awarded to: 

Dr. Kim Dorsch from the University of Regina for her paper titled "The relationship between the extent and the intensity of stressful experience of Canadian minor hockey officials."

Dr. Dorsch's specialty involves the social psychology of physical activity and health, focused specifically on aspects of sport psychology.  Currently her research is focused on enhancing the performance of officials and on aspects of the physical environment (i.e. the inclusion of body checking) that impact upon young ice hockey athletes' psycho-social perceptions and behaviours.  Congratulations to Dr. Dorsch!

 

The Impact of Sport on the Community - Community Category is awarded to:

Marie-Josée Perrier, M.Sc., from Queen's University for her paper titled, "The Health Action Process Approach and athletic identity predict sport participation among individuals with acquired, physical disabilities."

Marie-Josée is a Kinesiology PhD candidate at Queen's University who holds a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council.  Her background is in Epidemiology and Health Psychology with a strong emphasis on quantitative research methods.  Her doctoral research program addresses inequities in sport participation for individuals with physical disabilities.  Congratulations to Marie-Josée!

The SIRC Research Award recognizes outstanding sport research in Canada.  Acknowledging how sport research benefits the Canadian sporting community is the primary purpose of this award.  

We would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to all of our judges and the following sponsors for their support: CIHR - Institute of Musculoskeletal Health, and Arthritis, EBSCO Host and Coaches of Canada.  If you would like to read the winning papers, they are now available on our website.  Once again, thank you to all who participated.