Scott Rathwell

Modelling commitment and compensation: a case study of a 52-year-old masters athlete

Masters Athletes (MAs) are a highly unique cohort who participate in competitive sport in adulthood. Understanding the factors facilitating one athlete’s personal commitment may illustrate the nature of adaptive strategies for remaining active in sport. In this case study, Andrew (pseudonym), a 52- year-old nationally ranked Canadian runner, provincially ranked squash player and regional cross-country skiing champion was interviewed about personal and social conditions facilitating his sport commitment and strategies he used to maintain elite performance. Andrew’s accounts were deductively analysed using the Sport Commitment Model(SCM) and the Model of Selective Optimisation with Compensation (MSOC). With respect to the SCM, Andrew committed to sport because he inherently enjoyed training and competing, benefited from social connections around sport, and was afforded opportunities to compete, travel to new places and feel youthful. With respect to the MSOC, Andrew sustained year-round activity by prioritising his sports and reducing his participation intensity in low-ranked activities before major competitions in other activities. Moreover, he increased his sport-specific practice, and used his knowledge and experience to alter his techniques and training to compensate for age-related losses. Results supported the aforementioned models for understanding why MAs remain committed and how they remain proficient in sport.

An Examination and Validation of an Adapted Youth Experience Scale for University Sport

ABSTRACT Limited tools assess positive development through university sport. Such a tool was validated in this investigation using two independent samples of Canadian university athletes. In Study 1, 605 athletes completed 99 survey items drawn from the Youth Experience Scale (YES 2.0), and separate a priori measurement models were evaluated (i.e., 99 items, YES 2.0, YES for Sport [YES-S]). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) results indicated issues with model fit. Post-hoc modifications improved fit, resulting in a 46-item, 9-factor model with five positive and four negative dimensions. In Study 2, 511 athletes completed the same items. The resultant model was confirmed using both CFA (comparative fit index [CFI] = .911, standardized root mean square residual [SRMR] = .056, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = .040) and ESEM (CFI = .956, SRMR = .023, RMSEA = .034). The resultant University Sport Experience Survey provides a reliable and factorially valid instrument for measuring development in university sport.

Masters Swimmers’ Experiences With Coaches: What They Want, What They Need, What They Get

Much work addresses coaches’ contributions to younger athletes; however, the psycho-social coaching needs of adult Masters athletes remain unexamined. This study explored the lived experiences of 10 Masters swimmers (5 male, 5 female; age range = 45-65 years) through interviews. Interpretative phenomenological analysis delved into benefits that swimmers wanted to derive from coaches, how they wished to be coached, and what they liked about coaches. Themes related to (a) swimming and non-swimming benefits; (b) coaches’ experience and professional development, personal attributes, and behaviors holding athletes accountable to training; (c) preferences for coaching instruction; (d) preferences for coaches’ planning/structuring of the practice and program; and (e) preferences for how coaches prepare and interact with them at competitions. We discuss how benefits relate to models of athlete development and identify how preferences link to adult learning literature and models of coaching practice. Finally, we note incongruent findings and limitations to be addressed in future.

Examining the Effects of Gain-Framed Messages on the Activation and Elaboration of Possible Sport Selves in Middle-Aged Adults

Using an online cross-sectional randomized design, we explored whether messages emphasizing benefits of sport (sport gain-framed messages) would activate and elaborate hoped-for possible sport selves in 40- to 59-year-olds. One group viewed a video containing sport gain-framed messages, and a comparison group completed a sport and physical activity quiz. Results showed that the message group attended to a health and fitness message most frequently and demonstrated more frequent activation of possible selves than the quiz group. The message groups possible selves also contained more elaborate content related to delaying the effects of aging through sport and the social benefits of sport.

Development, implementation and assessment of a concussion education programme for high school student-athletes

ABSTRACT Although experts have noted that adolescent athletes should be educated about concussions to improve their safety, there is no agreement on the most effective strategy to disseminate concussion education. The purpose of this study was to develop, implement and assess a concussion education programme. More precisely, four interactive oral presentations were delivered to high school student-athletes (N = 35, Mage = 15.94, SD = 0.34) in a large urban centre. Participants completed a questionnaire at three time-points during the season to measure changes in their knowledge (CK) and attitudes (CA) of concussions, and focus group interviews were conducted following the concussion education programme. Questionnaire data revealed participants’ post-intervention CK scores were higher than their pre-intervention scores. During the focus groups, the student-athletes said they acquired CK about the role of protective equipment and symptom variability, and in terms of CA, they intended to avoid dangerous in-game collisions in the future. Our study was the first to create and deliver a concussion education intervention across multiple time-points, and to use mixed-methods in its assessment. These findings may be of interest to researchers, practitioners and stakeholders in sport who are invested in making the sport environment safer through concussion education and awareness.

Gender equality predicts leisure-time physical activity: Benefits for both sexes across 34 countries

Abstract Although countries’ gender equality is associated with important health outcomes, especially for females, it remains unclear whether gender equality is associated with leisure-time physical activity (LTPA). Data from 34 countries was acquired from the International Social Survey Program, the Pew Research Forum, the United Nations, and the World Bank. Separate analyses were conducted for 21,502 males and 26,652 females. Hierarchal nonlinear Bernoulli modeling was used to examine the association between gender equality and participation in LTPA. Both males and females residing in countries’ with higher gender equality were more likely (twice and three times more likely, respectively) to report weekly LTPA than those residing in countries characterized by low gender equality. These effects persisted even when controlling for individual (i.e. age, education) and country-level (i.e. population, gross domestic product) covariates. However, significant variation in LTPA persisted at the country level, suggesting the need for further research. These findings provide novel evidence that both males and females benefit from gender equality. To explain these findings, we hypothesize that increased gender equality decreases the average number of offspring and, in turn, allows mothers more time for leisure, and to invest more resources in both male and female offspring, which may increase LTPA.