National Championship Research Articles

Determination of Model Characteristics and Evaluation Criteria for Strength Training of Qualified Armwrestling Student-Athletes

Research purpose. The aim of the study was to determine the model indicators of strength readiness of qualified armwrestling student-athletes in the weight category from 80 to 100 kg in 4 strength exercises: flexion of the fingers, stretch with a hammer, hook and bending of the hand.
 Materials and Methods. The study involved 16 qualified armwrestling student-athletes weighing from 80 to 100 kg (M = 86,63 kg), 7 of which are participants of national championships of Ukraine, and 9 of which are prize-winners of competitions of regional level. During the study, strength indicators were determined in 4 competitive exercises. Strength indices in all test exercises were measured in a static mode by an FB5k series digital force gauge (Poland) with an accuracy class of up to 100 g, which was mounted on a special armwrestling table using a specially made block device. The created design was called the “ARM1 Device” (patent 43082). During the statistical analysis, the following parameters were calculated: arithmetic mean (M), standard deviation (σ), error of representativeness (m) and the coefficient of variation (V).
 Results. The analysis of the strength capabilities of the qualified student-armwrestlers and the presented models of their strength readiness made it possible to develop assessment criteria for the level of strength readiness of the qualified student-armwrestlers. Three levels of strength readiness have been identified: low (M - σ), high (M + σ) and medium, i.e. more than (M - σ) but less than (M + σ). Comparative analysis of the ratios of different levels of strength training in this group of armwrestling athletes allowed to determine from 128 indicators of strength 14.84% (n = 19) of low level, 62.50% (n = 80) of medium level and 22.66% (n = 29) of high level.
 Conclusions. The study made it possible to establish the features of the levels of development of strength training of qualified armwrestling athletes weighing from 80 to 100 kg. The model indicators of strength training of qualified armwrestlers were also determined. The analysis found that the subject athletes have an insufficient level of strength training and are not fully realized in terms of strength capabilities (62.50% indicators of the average level of strength).

China’s OFDI support mechanisms in Germany: how governments can work together to promote SME internationalization, reduce liability of foreignness and contribute positively to society

PurposeNested within institutional theory and the political economy perspective, this study aims to examine Chinese outward foreign direct investments (OFDI)-supporting organizations and fostering mechanisms for its SMEs in Europe’s largest economy, Germany.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conduct a multiple-case study to present rich insights from elite interviews with representatives of Chinese and German governmental organizations, intermediary parties and specialized OFDI consultants. In addition, the authors analyze secondary data such as presentations, websites, brochures, social media and recent Chinese OFDI policies for SMEs. The findings are triangulated by interviewing business owners and senior executives of seven Chinese SMEs that have invested in Germany.FindingsCooperating with Germany’s federal government, China’s ministries implemented an effective OFDI support network in Germany, which connects and benefits both economies. This includes Chinese governmental organizations, privately-held national champions, German–Chinese business associations and linked intermediary parties. These organizations support SMEs through four main mechanisms: networking and information, mutually beneficial knowledge transfer between innovation partners, lobbying for potential cooperation and an objective picture of Chinese OFDI and facilitating investment services.Originality/valueThis study advances OFDI theory and contributes to the growing discussion on the internationalization of Chinese SMEs by shedding light on China’s OFDI support organizations and mechanisms in the German market. The study also offers practical contributions. Understanding better how governments can spur internationalization is vital, as it determines the effectiveness of policymaking and fosters international mutual understanding, cultural exchange and firm growth and innovation (Ahlstrom, 2010), and hence ultimately contributes positively to society. Moreover, knowing the specific OFDI support organizations and measures China is currently adopting can serve as a helpful orientation for Chinese entrepreneurs who plan to invest in Germany.

Huawei, Cyber-Sovereignty and Liberal Norms: China's Challenge to the West/Democracies.

As China’s global footprint expands and Sino-American competition intensifies, it is apparent that one of the most important arenas for competition between Western Liberal norms and Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) authoritarian norms is going to come in competing technologies (Western/Korean/Taiwanese 5G/chips vs Huawei 5G/chips) and competing cyber-norms (Western cyber-libertarianism vs Chinese cyber-sovereignty). Inside China, China’s technologies and its cyber-sovereign norms converge.Outside of China, while China champions the norm of cyber-sovereignty, Huawei itself may pose the greatest challenge to sovereign states’ cyber-sovereignty where Huawei controls or otherwise participates significantly as a provider for telecommunications networks, given its relationship to the Chinese state. Is China sincere in advocating cyber-sovereignty as an international norm, or is this just something it is concerned about inside China?Are the laws of China and the technologies and practices of its own Huawei antithetical to China’s own stated norms of cyber-sovereignty? Is cyber-sovereignty simply a stop-gap measure adopted by an insecure regime to justify draconian censorship and thought control at home while it seeks to use its growing presence in 5G telecommunications to expand its surveillance of foreign powers/actors worldwide? Finally, in keeping with the theme of this special issue, does digital orientalism explain the growing tension between China and some of the Western/Liberal powers as it regards competition in 5G? Is the US/West needlessly securitizing Huawei and its 5G, or is there something there worth securitizing? Clarity about these issues and the implications of the answers arrived at are important for nations around the world as China expands its technological reach via Huawei and other national champions.

Глобалізація соціальної практики професійного спорту в сучасних умовах розвитку

. Introduction. Today, the globalization of various spheres of human functioning (economy, politics, etc.) is one of the society trends. Sport as a social practice is also intensively globalized, and this is most clearly seen in the example of professional sport. In this area, today the laws of development (commercial, sports, etc.) are spreading to Olympic and non-Olympic sports, and more globally – the level of professional sport affects the economic development of entire countries and, in many respects – the formation of society. Purpose: to characterize the specifics of globalization of social practice «professional sport» in modern conditions of development. Material and methods. The study was based on the processing of modern scientific articles on the development of professional sport in its various aspects, as well as popular science sources of information and materials on the official websites of leading professional sport organizations. Research methods: analysis and synthesis, historical method, system approach, comparison. Results. Today, the globalization of professional sport is taking place in the following areas: expanding cooperation with media corporations and sponsors; internationalization and commercialization (increase in the number of organizations that oversee various sports and, accordingly, the number of profitable competitions); maximum use of Internet technologies for the promotion of sport products and the development of e-sports within professional sport leagues; increase match attendance by ensuring effective marketing policies; expanding cooperation with the authorities at the state and local levels on mutually beneficial terms; bringing championships beyond national borders (typical of the North American model of professional sport, as for the European throughout the history of its development the emphasis has been and remains on the leading importance of international competitions), etc. Conclusions. Today, due to the processes of society globalization, which actively influence the field of professional sport, this social practice undergoes internal globalization, which can be traced both in purely sport (expanding the calendar of competitions, going beyond national championships, etc.) and commercial areas (expanding cooperation with sponsors, media companies, etc.), technological (introduction of modern technologies, launching a series of cyber competitions, etc.) political (expanding cooperation with state and local authorities), and etc. directions.

The ESPNification of Football Bowl Subdivision College Football: The Adoption of an Integrated Marketing Communication Televisuality in Football Bowl Subdivision Bowl Game Broadcasts

Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) bowl games represent a final opportunity for teams to showcase themselves in front of a national television audience.Capital One Bowl Mania, as branded by the broadcast network ESPN, is a signature event of college football, and the College Football Playoff national championship marks the end of the FBS season. During the 2019–2020 FBS postseason, ESPN owned the broadcast rights to 36 of the 41 FBS bowl games. Controlling nearly 90% of FBS bowl games, ESPN controls therepresentationof almost every broadcast bowl game. Informed by extant research on the now defunct Bowl Championship Series, this study looks for evidence of a hypercommercial media logic in the institutional field of FBS bowl games. Using a mixed-method approach, this paper investigates the reproduction of a sample of 18 FBS bowl game broadcasts and considers the extent to which the increased use of in-game graphics in broadcast production structures and practices reflects an hypercommercial media logic.

Win or lose. Physical and physiological responses in paddle tennis competition according to the game result

ABSTRACT Sports success can be determined by technical level, physical condition, but also with behaviour and decision-making in competition. The main aim of this study was to compare the different physiological and physical responses of professional male paddle-tennis players as a function of the game result. Sixty sets and twenty-four players were analysed in the Spanish National Championships. Heart rate (HR), lactate concentrations, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), covered distance and speed and sprints were measured. Comparative tests were performed to compare winners and losers, and RPE was analysed using the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve test through Logit model. Losers showed greater results in the mean HR (154.1±15.6 beats·min−1) than winners (144.2±19.1 beats·min−1, p<0.01). A score of 6–10 or 16–20 points in RPE, entailed a high or low probability of winning the set (72–92% or 6–23%, respectively). Physical responses were higher in losers, e.g. higher distances, mean velocity, sprints number between 2.1–9.0 km·h−1. As conclusions, players who finally lose the match demand greater physical and physiological responses in general. It is established, as in other racket sports, that the player’s position on the court is key to determining victory in this sport.

VERTICAL LOAD ASSESSMENT IN MEN AND WOMEN 3X3 BASKETBALL

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the frequency and intensity of players' actions associated with jumping in the 3x3 basketball game, to compare these data between men's and women's teams, and to compare the data obtained with existing data from 5- on-5 basketball. Jumps during the five final games of the men's and women's national championship were recorded using the inertial measurement device VERT which was previously calibrated using force platform. The significance level set for the study was p ≤ 0.05. The number and height of jumps during the execution of jump shots from outside and inside the paint, lay -up shots, rebounds, and blocks were monitored. Female and male players performed 1.05 and 1.63 jumps per minute, respectively, in the 3x3 basketball game. For all jumps observed, the number of jumps was higher in males than in females, and the largest differences were found in jump shots inside the paint and jump when blocking (p &lt; 0.05). The relative intensity of the jumps, expressed as a percentage of the maximum countermovement jump obtained before the play, showed that heights of just over 50% of the maximum were most common, except for the male players executing layup shots were the heights reached over 70% of the maximum. Comparing the results with previous studies, we summarize that the performance level of the athletes influences the frequency of actions. Low level teams executed fewer actions than high level teams, in parallel to their physical fitness.

Anthropometrical and Physiological Determinants of Laboratory and on-Snow Performance in Competitive Adolescent Cross-Country Skiers.

Purpose: To explore the anthropometrical and physiological determinants of laboratory and on-snow performance in competitive adolescent cross-country skiers. Methods: Fifty-two adolescent (25 girls) (14.8 ± 0.6 years) skiers performed an uphill treadmill rollerski session using the G2 ski skating technique. Gross efficiency (GE) was calculated from a submaximal work bout (∼84% of peak oxygen uptake; V̇O2peak) while V̇O2peak, accumulated oxygen deficit (ΣO2def) and laboratory performance were determined from a 3-min time trial (TT3min) before upper- and lower-body maximum strength were tested. Pearson’s product moment correlations and multiple regression analysis explored the relationship with anthropometrical and physiological determinations of laboratory and on-snow performance in sprint (∼1 km, ∼2.5–3 min) and distance races (5–7.5 km, ∼12–20 min) from the national championship for this age-group. Results: A large correlation was found between on-snow sprint and distance performance (boys r = 0.61, girls r = 0.76, both p < 0.01) and for on-snow distance performance with TT 3min (r = 0.51 to 0.56, p < 0.05). V̇O2peak, ΣO2def and GE explained ∼80% of variations in performance in the TT3min, but substantial lower on-snow skiing performance (∼20–30%). For the TT3min performance, V̇O2peak showed a very large and large correlation for boys and girls (r = 0.76 and 0.65 respectively, both p < 0.01), ΣO2def showed a large correlation for boys and girls (r = 0.53 and 0.55 respectively, both p < 0.01) and age showed a large correlation for boys (r = 0.56, p < 0.01), with no significant correlation for girls (r = -0.19). For on-snow distance performance, V̇O2peak showed a large correlation for boys (r = 0.53, p < 0.01) and girls (r = 0.50, p < 0.05). For on-snow sprint performance, upper-body strength (r = 0.55, both sexes p < 0.01) and body mass index (BMI) showed a large correlation for boys (r = 0.53, p < 0.01) and girls (r = 0.51, p < 0.05). Conclusion: V̇O2peak is an important determinant for overall XC skiing performance in competitive male and female adolescent skiers. However, upper-body strength and BMI correlate the most with sprint performance. While laboratory performance can to a large extent be explained by physiological factors, on-snow-performance for adolescents is based more on multivariate factors (tactics, equipment’s, technique, racecourse etc.), implying the need for a holistic approach to understanding the sport-specific demands in such age-groups.

Endurance training increases the risk of atrial fibrillation in women: a matched-cohort study

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Foundation. Main funding source(s): This work was supported by research grants from Kvinnor och Hälsa and The Swedish Research Council for Sport Science (to Nikola Drca). Objective Previous studies have found that vigorous physical activity, mainly related to endurance sport participation, increases the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) in men. However, it remains unclear whether vigorous physical activity also influences the risk of AF in women. We aimed to examine whether endurance sport participation may affect AF risk in women. Methods We conducted a matched-cohort study of top Swedish female endurance athletes (n=228 marathon runners, cyclist, and 10 000-meters track runners) active between 1979-1991 and reference individuals (n=1 368) from the general population individually matched by sex, year of birth, and area of living with a 6:1 ratio to the female athletes. The athlete cohort was created by combining all Swedish women who ran the Stockholm Marathon faster than 3.25 hours in any of the races between 1979 and 1991 with all Swedish women competing in the Swedish athletic national championship in 10 000-meter track running and the top-ranked Swedish bicyclist during the same period. Participants were followed up from study entry until AF diagnosis, death, emigration, or December 31, 2017, whichever occurred first. We used the Swedish National Patient Register to determine whether the participants were diagnosed with AF and other covariables. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used for analysis. Results Baseline characteristics are presented in Table 1. Mean age at study entry was 32 (SD ± 8.5) years. During follow-up (mean 28.8 years; SD ± 4.4), 33 cases of AF were diagnosed, including 10 (4.4%) among athletes and 23 (1.7%) among references. Endurance training was associated with an increased AF risk (Figure 1). The hazard ratio for female athletes compared with the reference population was 2.56 (95% confidence interval 1.22 to 5.37) in the univariable model and 3.67 (95% confidence interval 1.71 to 7.87) after adjustment for hypertension. Conclusion High level of endurance sport training is associated with an increased risk of AF in women.

Characteristics of goals scored in open play at the 2017 and 2018 Australian national cerebral palsy football championship

Despite increasing popularity of cerebral palsy (CP) football (para football) worldwide, there are limited data available describing effective attacking strategies that lead to goals. The purpose of this research was to investigate the most frequent methods of ball repossession, distribution and movement patterns that successfully led to goals scored in open play of CP football. Video footage of all goals (n = 167) during the Australian National CP Football Championships in 2017 and 2018 were analysed using SportsCode software. Most goals (89.8%) were scored from open play, with the most effective mode of ball delivery identified as being direct play, of four or less passes, to create an opportunity to score. More goals were scored during the first half of games (54.9%), with a majority of goals (67.1%) scored from a region that encompasses the entire penalty area (Zone 1). The findings from the research conclude that tactically, coaches could capitalise on restarts by moving the ball quickly in four or less passes into the middle of the penalty area, to increase their chances of scoring goals in CP football.

Relationships Between Performance and Injury Occurrence in Athletics (Track and Field): A Pilot Study on 8 National-Level Athletes From Sprints, Jumps and Combined Events Followed During at Least Five Consecutive Seasons.

BackgroundPerformance success or failure in athletics (Track and Field) and the capacity to succeed are driven at the adult level, like in other sports, by many factors, injury being one of them. More information regarding the potential relationships between performance and injuries in athletics is needed.ObjectiveTo analyse the potential association between performance and occurrence of injuries in national-level athletics athletes from sprints, jumps and combined events through several seasons.MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of performance and injury data collected prospectively in 8 national-level athletics athletes followed during at least five consecutive seasons from 2009 to 2019. For each athlete, injuries data [total injuries (injuries) and time-loss injuries (TLI)] were collected by the same sports medicine physician throughout the study period using a medical attention injury definition. Performances during official competitions were collected on the French Federation of Athletics website, and included (i) any participation in national championships, (ii) any participation in an international competition (i.e., being national team member for an international competition), (iii) any podium at the national championships, (iv) any podium at an international competition, and (v) performance metrics normalised to the world record (WR) of the respective athletics speciality (%WR). For each athlete, we performed a descriptive analysis of the performances and injuries. We also performed four binomial logistic regressions with (1) national championships participation (yes/no) or (2) international competition participation (yes/no) as dependent variables, and injuries (yes/no) or TLI (yes/no) as independent variables, adjusted for individual athlete and number of seasons, and in models on participation in international competitions, was also adjusted for national championship participation (yes/no), with Odd Ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI).ResultsAmong the 8 national-level athletics athletes included in the present study, cumulated 155 injuries, including 52 TLI (33.5%). There was an average of 2.7 ± 1.7 injuries and 0.9 ± 0.6 TLI per athlete per season over the study period. The occurrence of injuries was significantly associated with higher odds of national championships participation (OR = 4.85 [95% CI 3.10 to 3050.5], p = 0.021). The occurrence of TLI was significantly associated with higher odds of national championships participation (OR = 133.6 [95% CI 4.92 to 14251.5], p = 0.013). The occurrence of injuries or TLI were associated with insignificantly lower odds of international championships participation.ConclusionsOur present pilot study confirms that injuries are part of an athletes' life. The occurrence of at least one injury was associated with higher odds of participation in a national championship, whereas the absence of at least one injury was associated with higher odds of participation in an international championship. We hypothesised that the length of the season can play a role in the risk of injury occurrence, but if the athlete wants to reach his/her highest level, decreasing the risk of injuries seems to be of importance. Despite the caution that should be taken in the interpretation of our results, our present study confirms the interest and relevance of injury risk reduction approach in athletics.

Effects of a Plyometric Training Program in Sub-Elite Futsal Players During Pre-Season Period

Background of Study: Plyometric training (PT) programs can improve several motor skills during the pre-season. Even so, its impact during the pre-season specifically in futsal remains unclear. Objective: The present observational study examines the impact of a six-week PT program that included varied strength exercises in adult male futsal players. Method: Fourteen futsal players from a Portuguese men’s sub-elite team that competed in a national championship (mean ± Standard deviation (SD) age: 25.78±7.05 years) were included in this cross-sectional study that analyzed the consequences of a PT program during the pre-season, followed by four weeks of detraining. Players were monitored 3 times: at the beginning, after six weeks of PT and four weeks after the end of PT. Results: The current research presented significant mean changes with the application of the training program in the three assessment moments for agility (small to moderate effect), countermovement jump (CMJ) height (trivial to small effect), and sprint performance (trivial to moderate large effect). When assessing the mean differences between pre- and post-training, the differences are more evident in their magnitude (Δ = -12.73 to 3.69%, d = 0.38 to 2.08). Furthermore, the PT program showed the greatest influence on 20 m sprint with a large effect (Δ = -12.73%, d = 2.08), followed by a small and moderate effect for agility (Δ = -6.46%, d = 0.85) and for the 10 m sprint (Δ = -3.53%, d = 0.38). Conclusions: These results confirmed the impact of a six-week plyometric training during the pre-season in sub-elite futsal players. This new evidence can be particularly useful in pre-season planning in futsal.

‘A Powerful Sporting Tradition among Canadian Basilians’: Early Twentieth-Century Catholic Priest-Coaches at St Michael’s College

Catholic examples of muscular Christianity have received less research attention than Protestant counterparts and require further exploration. One instance is the early sporting roots of an Anglo-Catholic religious community, the Basilian Fathers, and its prominent educator Father Henry Carr (1880-1963), who established the Basilian sporting tradition at St Michael’s College in predominantly Irish-Catholic Toronto in the early 1900s. This tradition, through a particular approach to boys in a Canadian Catholic boarding school setting, produced national and provincial championships in ice hockey and American football through its emphasis on amateur ideals of self-discipline, gentlemanly play, character development, and school spirit. St Michael’s also, in a uniquely Catholic way, tried to mitigate the rise of professional ice hockey and the College’s working-class male student body with more ‘feminine’ features of the faith. The College’s tradition overall reflected boys’ boarding school sporting ideals typical at US Protestant schools and found support from the Vatican and other international Catholic sporting organizations during a period of increased industrialization. The College produced several priest-coaches through mentorship, who shared a philosophy and an education of sport that spread the tradition throughout schools and colleges in Catholic North America.

Prevalence of clinical signs and factors impacting expression of myosin heavy chain myopathy in Quarter Horse-related breeds with the MYH1E321G mutation.

BackgroundThe prevalence of clinical signs and factors triggering muscle atrophy and rhabdomyolysis associated with an MYH1 E321G mutation in Quarter Horses and related breeds (QH) remain poorly understood.Hypothesis/ObjectivesDetermine the prevalence and potential triggers of atrophy and stiffness in horses homozygous reference (N/N), heterozygous (My/N), and homozygous (My/My) for the MYH1 E321G mutation.AnimalsTwo‐hundred seventy‐five N/N, 100 My/N, and 10 My/My QH.MethodsA retrospective case‐control study using a closed‐ended questionnaire completed by clients of the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at the University of California, Davis. History of clinical signs, disease, vaccination and performance were analyzed by genotype using contingency testing.ResultsAtrophy occurred in proportionately more horses with MYH1 E321G (My) than N/N QH and more frequently in My/My than My/N QH (P < .001; My/My 8/10 [80%], My/N 17/100 [17%], N/N 29/275 [11%]). More My/My horses had rapid atrophy (P < .001), with recurrence in 50%. Fewer My/My horses recovered versus My/N QH (P < .001). Stiffness was common across genotypes (P = .100; My/My 4/10 [40%], My/N 18/100 [18%], N/N 48/275 [17%]). Three months before the observed atrophy and stiffness, 47% of MYH1 E321G QH were vaccinated or had respiratory or gastrointestinal disease. Horses achieving 100% expected performance did not differ across genotypes (50% My/My, 71% My/N, 55% N/N), but, only 4/10 My/My QH were competing. My/N horses achieved national or world championships or both.Conclusion and Clinical ImportanceApproximately 20% of My/N QH develop rapid atrophy. Atrophy is more common (80%) in homozygous My/My QH and less likely to resolve. Inciting causes such as vaccination and infection are inapparent in over half of cases.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on competitive swimming performance.

This article aims to conduct a comparison of swimming performance during short course national championships (25-m) from 2019 and 2020 (before and during the pandemic). The data points from the championships will be compared for 5 European countries: Poland, Spain, Russia, Turkey, and Denmark. Times achieved in the finals were calculated by the analysis of variance. Post hoc pairwise comparison analysis was performed using Tukey's test. The analysis plan included the assessment of the main effects and the effect of interactions in the groups of women and men. The strength of the effect was expressed by the partial eta-squared ratio. Two main trends were observed in the results. The first was a greater variation in the results in the group of men than in women (12-5 differences). The second was the development and improvement of sports performance in symmetrical strokes (69% improvement in recorded times measured during the pandemic, e.g., in Poland, women on 50-m breaststroke and butterfly Δ = 0.52, p <0.001 and Δ = 0.32, p = 0.034, men on 50-m and 100-m butterfly Δ = 0.34, p = 0.003 and Δ = 1.21, p <0.001). The main conclusion of our analysis is that the pandemic influenced the development of sports performance in symmetrical techniques, i.e., in breaststroke and butterfly.

The Black Athlete in West Virginia: High School and College Sports from 1900 through the End of Segregation

As of 2021, West Virginia's two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Bluefield State and West Virginia State, are the only two in the country that have a majority white student body. Both compete today in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports and receive much less funding than the state's largest public colleges, Marshall University and West Virginia University. Despite such demographic and financial changes in the past fifty years of West Virginia higher education, there is a rich history of African American colleges and high schools in the state, and this is especially true for African American athletic achievement. For example, the Pittsburgh Courier voted Bluefield State in 1927 and 1928 and West Virginia State in 1936 as Black-college national co-champions in football, yet neither college enjoyed much athletic-program success following desegregation. The story of how these two colleges changed from national African American football powerhouses to majority-white universities is but one analyzed within The Black Athlete in West Virginia, but it is perhaps the central, most critical theme.In what is the work's strongest chapter, the authors trace how Bluefield State and West Virginia State became the first HBCUs in the United States to join a white-colleges-only athletic conference, in their case, the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC). Both university presidents were strong believers in desegregation, and both initiated the process of joining WVIAC themselves within months of the Brown v. Board ruling. Within about six months, WVIAC college presidents met and approved both schools’ applications to join. Just like that, a West Virginia collegiate sport league was integrated, a relatively direct process that contrasts with the turmoil-filled integration stories present in chapters on Marshall and West Virginia University. But like so many civil rights stories, this simple narrative was not so cut and dry.Joining the WVIAC was celebrated among most in the two colleges, but some felt African American academic leadership betrayed Black athletes and that WVIAC membership was a step backward. First, the best African American teams from West Virginia colleges had a chance of being recognized as the national Black-college champion. This honor, typically determined by the votes of Black newspapers, was forfeited with WVIAC membership. Next, while desegregation was recognized by an overwhelming majority as a social good, the growing number of white students at each HBCU—especially Bluefield State—led to social conflict within a decade of joining the WVIAC. “While other campuses erupted in protests over the Vietnam War,” the authors write, “Bluefield's black students protested what they believed was a move by the state of West Virginia to make Bluefield State a white college and to erase its cultural heritage as a historically black college” (150). A bomb planted by an unknown perpetrator exploded in the campus physical education building in 1968. In response, the university closed its dormitories, effectively making the college a white commuter college (the surrounding county population was just 7 percent African American). Throughout all this, Bluefield State maintained a strong basketball culture largely comprised of out-of-state African American players, and social division grew.The only shortcoming in this well-researched book is that its title is a misnomer. It would have been better named “The Black Basketball and Football College Athlete in West Virginia.” Of the book's ten chapters, four are exclusively about basketball, and another four are more generally about school integration, with basketball and football serving as major cultural landmarks. Women's sports, high school sports, and other men's collegiate sports do receive an occasional mention, such as future US Olympic wrestler Bobby Douglas, but more of these examples would have provided greater depth. For instance, famed African American sportswriter Wendell Smith played baseball at West Virginia State College. Smith claimed that a white Major League scout told him that he would never be signed to a lucrative contract due to professional baseball's color barrier, at which point Smith promised himself to fight for baseball integration. He would go on to be a pivotal character in Jackie Robinson's story, which began for Smith on a baseball diamond just outside Charleston, West Virginia. Regardless, this is a strong contribution to sport history, to the history of school desegregation, and to West Virginia history. Anyone with interest in any of these topics should consider this work a top priority.

Memphis Hoops: Race and Basketball in the Bluff City, 1968–1997

Modern college basketball fans can be forgiven if they associate the hoops history of the University of Memphis (formerly Memphis State) with Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway or Derrick Rose instead of Larry Finch. But in the early 1970s, as Keith Wood explains in Memphis Hoops, Memphians saw Finch, a star player for the Tigers, as a hometown hero able to unite a racially divided community. White and Black fans alike cheered on Finch and his teammates as they advanced to the 1973 NCAA title game, where they lost to the powerhouse UCLA Bruins squad. This biracial coalition, however, was short-lived and could not be replicated by other local basketball teams in the 1970s or 1980s as city leaders struggled with issues of race.Finch and the ’73 Tigers certainly merit their positions at the center of the story, but Memphis Hoops explores the city's basketball past through other avenues as well. While Finch propelled the Tigers through the NCAA tournament, the Memphis Tams, a professional team playing in the American Basketball Association (ABA), drew few fans after relocating in 1970 from New Orleans. One reason, Wood posits, is that Memphians perceived the ABA as a Black league and, as such, gave little attention to the squad, even when they added both Finch and Johnny Neumann (a local “great white hope”). In 1975, the Tams (by then renamed the Sounds) left town and tiny LeMoyne-Owen, a local Historically Black College, captured the Division III National Championship. Like the ABA squad, LeMoyne-Owen remained “hidden behind the veil of segregation” (71), unable to capture the heart of the city as Memphis State did two years earlier. Again, basketball was unable to live up to its billing as an avenue for “racial equality on the court and an opportunity to unite the city off the court” (1). Fittingly, in 1986, Finch became the first Black head basketball coach at Memphis State, where he remained until 1997, providing a strong chronological bookend for Wood's work.Perhaps the most important contribution of Wood's work is his understanding of how the seeming color-blindness brought about by the early ’70s Memphis State teams masked deep-seated racial unrest in the city. In fact, as Wood argues, Finch “became emblematic of the myth that basketball healed the wounds of the city” (30). For even while celebrating their star player's on-court accomplishments, the “white establishment used the team's success as a political tool to divert attention from the racially divided reality that existed outside the arena” (35). Finch and the Memphis State Tigers were powerful symbols but ultimately were not able to permanently transcend Memphis's battle against racism.In conducting research for Memphis Hoops, Wood interviewed nearly two dozen people to gain a first-hand perspective of the era while scouring scores of local newspapers and archives to bring this story to life. If anything, additional interviews—perhaps with white civic leaders—might have provided support to Wood's understandings of the motivations of those who created and perpetuated the use of Finch as a “new construct of blackness” (50). Likewise, the strengths of the book are certainly most revealing of the 1970s—six of the seven chapters are almost entirely about that decade—so readers seeking an in-depth dive into the 1980s or 1990s might be disappointed. These, though, are minor quibbles. Memphis Hoops is a must-read for anyone interested in Memphis basketball or those looking to better understand the city's racial divide in the wake of the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Факторы риска здоровью обучающихся в условиях реформирования системы среднего профессионального образования

INTRODUCTION: The modern system of secondary vocational education is quite popular among applicants, and working professions become a conscious choice of the younger generation and a kind of guarantee of a successful career start. This became possible due to the perspective approach of the Ministry of Education of Russia to salvation of this problem. Among the effective solutions of the program-targeted approach are a demonstration exam as an independent assessment of the practical skills of students and graduates of vocational schools, career guidance projects for schoolchildren, open online classes, international, national championships and competitions in professional skills. In recent years, significant changes have also touched upon the infrastructure of educational institutions. Modern colleges and technical schools should become the advanced platforms reflecting the challenges of the time. In this regard, the Ministry of Education of Russia has elaborated promising directions for the development of the secondary vocational education system: - constant updating of the content and technologies of vocational education and training in accordance with current and prospective requirements to the qualifications of employees, the development of technologies; - formation of a new landscape of the network of secondary vocational education, providing a flexible response to socio-economic changes, harmonization of education and training results with the requirements in the field of labor; - increase in the financial stability and targeted support for organizations engaged in educational activities for the training of workers (employees) and mid-level specialists; - bringing the qualifications of the management and teaching staff of colleges in line with the modern requirements to personnel; - development of professional competitiveness in the system of secondary vocational education to improve the effectiveness of educational and project activities. The implementation of these directions will require special attention to the health of adolescents, since vocational education is a key element in the transition from childhood to independent active life, and is characterized by significant peculiarities of the activity that play a positive role in the development of a person, and at same time have some negative influences associated with the complexity of adaptation of yesterdays schoolchildren to the factors of the industrial environment and the new realities of independent life. CONCLUSION: Thus, it can be concluded that adolescents studying in the system of secondary vocational education, represent a special social group of the population united by certain age boundaries, physiological and hygienic peculiarities, intensive mental work in the process of vocational education, mastering of industrial process, lifestyle. Therefore, in planning and conduction of research work, special attention should be given to the issue of formation of not only professionally competent specialists capable of meeting tough competition in the modern labor market, but also physically and mentally healthy personalities.

STUDY ON TEMPERAMENT AND THE OCCURRENCE OF JOINT INJURIES IN FOOTBALL-TENNIS

Abstract. The game of football-tennis appeared in 1922 in the former Czechoslovakia, being called at that time football over the rope. The first official rules were written in 1940. Football-tennis is a relatively young sport that has grown in popularity since the 1980s. This sports game can be played individually or in teams and includes five events: simples, doubles and triples, plus mixed doubles and triples (men + women). In a football-tennis match, the technique of kicking the ball differs from the techniques used in football and tennis, which indicates that the name of this sport as well as its theoretical and practical foundations are independent of football and tennis. Although not widely promoted in the media, football tennis is nationally represented in Romania by the National Championship (for seniors - both men and women - and juniors) and the Romanian Cup, and at international level, by the World Championships, European Championships and tournaments organised by sponsors on different occasions. The occurrence of joint injuries in the life of a non-athlete is not a drama, but the same cannot be said about an elite athlete who is forced to interrupt their sports activity for a shorter or longer period, depending on the severity of trauma. That is why we must first know the causes in order to prevent injuries. This paper provides an overview of the correlation between the type of temperament, age, seniority in sport and injury severity.

Study on temperament and the occurrence of joint injuries in football-tennis

The game of football-tennis appeared in 1922 in the former Czechoslovakia, being called at that time football over the rope. The first official rules were written in 1940. Football-tennis is a relatively young sport that has grown in popularity since the 1980s. This sports game can be played individually or in teams and includes five events: simples, doubles and triples, plus mixed doubles and triples (men + women). In a football-tennis match, the technique of kicking the ball differs from the techniques used in football and tennis, which indicates that the name of this sport as well as its theoretical and practical foundations are independent of football and tennis. Although not widely promoted in the media, football tennis is nationally represented in Romania by the National Championship (for seniors - both men and women - and juniors) and the Romanian Cup, and at international level, by the World Championships, European Championships and tournaments organised by sponsors on different occasions. The occurrence of joint injuries in the life of a non-athlete is not a drama, but the same cannot be said about an elite athlete who is forced to interrupt their sports activity for a shorter or longer period, depending on the severity of trauma. That is why we must first know the causes in order to prevent injuries. This paper provides an overview of the correlation between the type of temperament, age, seniority in sport and injury severity.