Sports People Research Articles

Women Working in the Administration of Campus Recreation: Career Paths and Challenges

Women have made in-roads into management positions in various traditionally male-dominated industries including the sport industry. The sport industry consists of a number of segments such as professional sport, intercollegiate athletics, health and fitness, facility management, sport for people with disabilities, sport marketing, and recreational sport. While scholars have focused attention on the careers of women working in management positions in several of these segments, almost no work has been done in the recreational sport segment. One specialized area within recreational sport is campus recreation. In this particular area, there is limited research on women working in administrative positions. Thus, the purpose of this study was to establish and examine career information of women working in the administration of campus recreation programs. The survey subjects were 376 women listed in the 2000–2001 NIRSA National Sport Recreational Directory as holding administrative level jobs in campus recreation. The study addressed the following concerning women working in campus recreation administration: (a) demographics; (b) career paths; (c) most/least enjoyable aspects of their jobs; (d) greatest challenges; (e) career advice for women wanting to enter this profession; (f) short-term and long-term career aspirations; (g) the role of mentors on their careers, and (h) how they obtained their first/current job in campus recreation administration. Analysis of the data for this descriptive study focused on two areas. First, means and standard deviations were calculated where appropriate. Second, the answers to the open-ended questions were investigated for recurring themes. After examining the data, suggestions for future research were generated.

Social Exclusion from High-Performance Sport: Are all Talented Young Sports People being given an Equal Opportunity of Reaching the Olympic Podium?

Social Exclusion from High-Performance Sport: Are all Talented Young Sports People being given an Equal Opportunity of Reaching the Olympic Podium?

Social Exclusion from High-Performance Sport

The article is a case-study approach examining social exclusion in high-performance youth sport to see whether all talented young sports people in England have an equal opportunity to reach the Olympic Podium. The scheme studied was “Performance Resources” (PR), an initiative across Nottinghamshire, a local authority with a long history of active support for sport. Over 70 telephone interviews and a social need analysis of all past participants (N = 319) highlighted that PR as a route to improving children's sport performances was judged a resounding success. However, using social need as a surrogate for socioeconomic status, the article concludes that the majority of participants were from middle class and relatively affluent households, and there were disproportionately few from lower classes and deprived groups and areas. More direct “social marketing” with such children and their parents is needed to break the barriers.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in sport: a review.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a controversial problem in sport since participants with this disorder often require banned stimulant medication while competing. Little information is available in the literature concerning this problem or whether sports people should be allowed to participate while on stimulant therapy. The intention of this review is to undertake a brief review of recent findings in ADHD, especially as they apply to sport, and suggest some guidelines that could then be applied by sporting bodies to allow ADHD sufferers to compete. Recent scientific evidence, clinical, genetic, and imaging techniques, confirm that ADHD is characterised by dysfunction in dopamine transmission in the frontal lobes and basal ganglia structures, regions associated with attention and behaviour. The dopamine transporter (DAT) regulates dopamine by removing excess. In ADHD people, the number and density of DATs and DAT binding sites are increased by up to 70 %. The dopamine agonist methylphenidate blockades DAT, significantly increasing extra cellular dopamine, so correcting the dopamine deficiency. Methods. A search of the English literature was made using Medline from the years 1980 to 2002. [nl]The aim of this review is not to debate the use of stimulants or how often they are necessary or successful in this condition but to point out that a number of young sport people with ADHD require such medication on a regular basis. Although there are problems with their use as far as the International Olympics Committee (IOC) is concerned, it would seem most unfair to penalise sports people by having to give up their medication, even for a few days or at some arbitrary age, in order to compete.

Support and Access in Sports and Leisure Provision

This paper will look at different ways of enabling people with learning difficulties to engage in leisure opportunities: the Support Model and the Access Model. These models will be put in their social context and then critiqued. The support model will be be contextualised in the theory of normalisation, access in disability theory. The support worker role will be shown to be useful in motivating people with learning difficlties into new activities, as well as having a protecting element, and unwittingly, disguise the level of discrimination people with learning difficulties are subject to. The access worker role will be shown to have strengths in understanding discrimi nation. With this analysis, it has the potential to dismantle disabling practices. However, the needs of people with learning difficulties have ramifications for disability theory. In practice, that means that ideas of self-advocacy need to be taken on board. Through interviews with sports personnel, social workers and people with learning difficulties, the implications of creating fully comprehensive access will be examined. I will conclude that both effective support and comprehensive access must be in place before people with learning difficulties are able to make a meaningful choice as to how they are enabled to participate in sports. It is only at that point of choice that the two models become complementary rather than competing discourses of provision.

Design considerations for inspiratory muscle training systems

Inspiratory muscle training can be used to strengthen the muscles employed when breathing in. This has been shown to benefit the exercise performance of a diverse group of users including elite sports people. Unfortunately, existing training devices do not provide an optimum training stimulus. The principal limitations of current devices are that they can only be used statically, i.e. not during exercise, and that the load they provide does not reflect the force generating capacity of the targeted muscle group. These limitations could be overcome if an ambulatory responsive loading technology were developed. Ambulatory training would allow users to ‘wear’ the training device while performing exercise, thereby ensuring that improvements to breathing are functionally relevant to the particular demands of a given sport or task. Responsive loading would ensure that the load applied to the inspiratory muscles is specific to the force-generating capacity of the inspiratory muscles during exercise. The purpose of the present project was to explore the feasibility of ambulatory responsive inspiratory muscle training. A series of potential design solutions were identified. This paper describes the design and development process undertaken and draws conclusions regarding the feasibility of ambulatory responsive inspiratory muscle training.

Primary Physical Education in Scotland: the Future in the Making

Two themes pervade much of the contemporary PE literature: the need for change and the need to prepare pupils for lifelong physical activity (LLPA) participation. On both counts, progress has been slow. This paper proposes that PE, with some urgency, must seekto work with related professions to design, implement and evaluate programmes that help primary age children acquire the basic movement and behavioural competencies that underpin LLPA. As such, the PE experiences of primary age children must become pivotal to the development of an LLPA foundation. Recent initiatives in Scotland, The Basics Moves Programme and Developing Potential forYoung People in Sport (DPYPS), are presented as examples of programmes that are employing such an approach. The paper concludes by emphasising the need for the development of more programmes of this nature to enable the PE profession to clearly identify its way forward in the future.

Creating Opportunities and Ensuring Access to Leisure and Recreation Services though Inclusion in the Global Community

There is no greater challenge to the global community than to optimize opportunities for all persons. Integral to creating opportunities is the necessity of assuring access and inclusion of all persons to education, health care, employment, recreation, and leisure services. Ericsson (2001) and Cross (1999) have suggested that we are not seeking to integrate our populations into society, but rather to create conditions wherein one can be included in the mainstream or fabric of society. This requires different ideological, political, and strategic policy formulation than currently exists. We can no longer remain focused on physical solutions to address the broad socio-political needs of a diverse society. It is incumbent upon those who will forge policy, law, and rule to become sensitive to the needs of individuals and their families as we craft a vision of full inclusion, which also includes social inclusion. We must vigorously advance the importance of involvement of all people in socal, recreation, cultura, sport, outdoor, and leisure pursuits. This paper advances the proposition that the global community must improve quality of life through the provision of inclusive recreation services, advancement of full social integration, and creation of broad based leisure opportunities for all.

Medication use in athletes selected for doping control at the Sydney Olympics (2000).

During the Olympic Games held in Sydney in September, 2000 Doping Control was undertaken as specified in the International Olympic Code. During this process information about the medications taken by athletes was collected as a routine and formed part of the paperwork associated with a urine test. In their Post Games Report the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recommended that the information about medications be collated with a view to assessing their use by athletes. Mandatory doping control for winners of events as well as random selection of athletes both during competition and out of competition allowed data to be collected about medications and supplements used by athletes. At the Doping Control Stations all competitors selected for a test, after providing a urine sample for analysis, were asked the same question: "what medications have you taken in the past three days?" The answer was to include all prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, any other substances taken by mouth, injection, inhalation, ointment or by suppository, as well as vitamins, minerals, and all other supplements. This paper reviews the data from the 2758 Declaration Forms obtained at doping control. The prevalence of use of medications, the number used by an individual, and the pattern of use by these elite sports people were examined. The trends seen in this survey point to a dangerous overuse of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents and an unnecessary overuse of vitamins in this population, while pointing out the increased prevalence of asthma and the dangers of drug interactions. The main objective here is to review some of the medications used by athletes in the Olympic Games in Sydney 2000. During these Games Doping Control was undertaken as specified by the International Olympic Committee. As well as a urine test, information about medications routinely taken was collected. Mandatory doping control for winners of events as well as random selection of athletes both during competition and out of competition required data to be collected about medications and supplements used by athletes as part of the sample collection protocol. At the Doping Control Stations all competitors selected for a test, after providing a urine sample for analysis, were asked the same question: "what medications have you taken in the past three days?" The answer was to include all prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, any other substances taken by mouth, injection, inhalation, ointment or by suppository, as well as vitamins, minerals, and all other supplements. In this article we review the data from the laboratory copy of the 2758 Declaration Forms obtained at doping control. The cut down version of the Declaration Form submitted to the laboratory had all information identifying the athlete removed. Thus all information used in this article is completely anonymous. The prevalence of use of medications, the number used by an individual, and the pattern of use by these elite sports people were examined at the request of the IOC. In their Post-Games Report, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) acting as independent observers of the anti-doping process recommended to the IOC that the information obtained in the Athlete Declaration Forms concerning medications be collated with a view to assessing their use by athletes. The trends in their use seen in this survey point to an overuse of supplements as well as a dangerous overuse of drugs such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents together with multiple drug use emphasising the dangers of drug interactions and points out the increased prevalence of asthma in this population.

Moving beyond the Biomedical: The Use of Physical Activity to Negotiate Illness

Despite the growing interest in the therapeutic value of sport, limited attention has been devoted to understanding the meanings that individuals attribute to their use of physical activity as a complementary therapy. In our analysis, we draw on literature in the sociology of lay knowledge in order to better understand the use of physical activity as a health practice among people with HIV/AIDS. Our objective is to move beyond a biomedical focus, and explore the social, cultural, and political dimensions of using sport and physical activity to negotiate illness. The themes that emerge illustrate the diverse significance of physical activity as a complementary approach to health. Our analysis indicates that research in the sociology of sport can make an important contribution to understanding the therapeutics of physical activity and sport for people with health problems.

Discourses of Deception: Cheating in Professional Running1

Cheating, it is claimed, is anathema to sport. But is this the case? In this paper it is argued that cheating is integral to modern sport, that the model of sport as ‘fair play’ is simply an ideological guise of amateurism. The paper focuses on the sport of professional running which, since its origins in the eighteenth century, has been a gambling sport. Strategies involving cheating to manipulate wins, or losses, have featured in this sport as ways of increasing the probability of striking successful wagers. Such strategies are an accepted part of professional running: participants anticipate and expect others to be playing it in this way. However, a distinction is made between what is referred to in the paper as ‘clean’ cheating and ‘dirty’ cheating. The former is an accepted way of the sport, the latter occurs but is deprecated. The paper explores these different forms of cheating and the athletes' responses to them.Through a focus on the discourses of success in capitalist society, a model of cheating is developed to interpret such practices. Within the context of professional running, a working class sport, it is argued that, given the habitus of its practitioners, ‘success’ may be measured in terms of monetary gains and the ‘kick‐on’ in life that these might provide. Cheating practices may serve to enhance the probability of success and social mobility. Given the relatively short career spans of sports people and the costs involved in developing the requisite skills, cheating may promote success and establish a financial base for post‐sport careers. The paper concludes that cheating in sport can be anticipated as a feature of an acquisitive capitalist society.

Sexual harassment and abuse in sport: The research context

This publication draws on the contributions to a Symposium on ‘Sexual Harassment in Sport - Challenges for Sport Psychology in the New Millennium’, held at the Xth Congress of the International Society for Sport Psychology, Skiathos, Greece from May 28th to June 2nd 2001. The symposium was intended to move forward the international research agenda on sexual harassment and abuse in sport and, in particular, to examine professional practice issues for sport psychologists. It was clear from the attendance of over 60 delegates at that symposium that international interest in this subject is growing. Further evidence of this came from the attendance of 26 members states - from Azerbaijan to Sweden - at a Council of Europe seminar on The Protection of Children, Young People and Women in Sport, held in Helsinki in September 2001. It seemed appropriate, therefore, to take the work on sport-based sex abuse research to a wider audience, both to increase awareness of sexual abuse in extra-familial settings and to attract critical interest in the sharing of research perspectives between those working inside and outside sport. One of the co-organisers of the Skiathos Symposium (Celia Brackenridge) is a NOTA member and serves on its Research Sub-Committee so it seemed particularly appropriate to approach the Journal of Sexual Aggression with a proposal for this publication. We are delighted that Marcus Erooga and Helen Masson were enthusiastic about the idea and we thank them and the publishers for investing in this issue on sport. We sincerely hope that this marks the start of a long and fruitful exchange of research ideas and expertise between sports researchers and readers of the Journal.

장애인올림픽 ( Paralympics ) 의 국내 현황과 발전방향

The purpose of this study is to exam the conditions and the problems, which were revealed by taking part in Sidney paralympics in 2000, of the area of finance, facilities, welfare and the press report about the national paralympics, and to grope for effective improvement and development as follows ; First, the government must expand finance for the people with disabilities physical culture. The government has to amplify the budget by national funds, and for the national sports-promotion-funds in order to extend and become active of national sports of the handicapped and paralympics. In addition, political organizations should prepare the ways to draw a donation and support. Second, it is necessary to establish a training ground for only people with disabilities and to expand the facilities that can held many international or national meetings for them. Furthermore, there is necessity to construct new facilities for the people with disabilities or repair the existed facilities which they cannot use so far and to opened for them. Third, it is needed to held contests for a pension and to realize an equality of a pension comparing with the normal. It is urgent to grope for well-being acceleration of employment for people with disability athletes such as establishing a business team, training the people with disabilities as a leader, and introducing them proper jobs. Fourth, the press including broadcasting have to pay attention to inform about sports of people with disabilities in order to attract people`s concern and to cause the transition of conscious for the people with disabilities.

'There aren't any buses and the swimming pool is always cold!': obstacles and opportunities in the provision of sport for disabled people

Sport for disabled people has advanced both in terms of policy formation and opportunities. However, many barriers still face disabled people when participating in sport and recreational activities. This exploratory study sets out to contrast policy with practice and to identify ways of overcoming such obstacles. Key organizations and providers of leisure facilities in the field of disability sport were interviewed as well as disabled people using local sports facilities. This is the first substantial study in the West Midlands region of England. Most organizations had disability policy statements although understanding of disability was often limited, with serious implications for policy implementation. Barriers to sports participation were identified, including physical access, changing facilities, attitudes of staff and other users, programming, and staff availability, with transport continuing to present major difficulties. The need for a fully developed understanding of the factors influencing the participation of disabled people in sport and physical recreation is emphasized and potential ways of overcoming barriers are considered. It is suggested that policy will only be effective in the field of disability sport if early and appropriate consultation has taken place with providers and users.

As actividades desportivas no Porto de 1900

The sporting practices in the city of Porto in the year 1900 A book published in the 1940’s criticised the people of Porto because they considered themselves as sports people when all they did was watch their own team’s games and argue about football. Its author alleged that, in Porto in 1900, people took part in swimming, “jogo do pau”, fencing, equestrian events, gymnastics, rowing, cycling, bullfighting and weightlifting, and that young people were neither disinterested in physical activity nor in competitive sport. In order to establish the quality of the abovementioned opinion, we intend, with this article, to highlight the range of sports activities in Porto, at the beginning of the last century. We also intend to reveal the social importance of these activities in the country‘ s second largest city, based on the impact they had on two newspapers published at that time.

Anabolic androgenic steroid use in recreational gym users: a regional sample of the Mid-Glamorgan area

The aim of this study was to examine the extent of anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) use in a sample of recrational gym users in the Mid-Glamorgan area in South Wales, UK. Further aims were to investigate: ” the types of substances being used ” consequences of use. Introduction : Previous literature pertaining to AAS use tends to use samples of athletes and competitive sports people. A minority of studies have used recreational gym users. Method : A previously validated questionnaire (Korkia and Stimson 1993) was administered to recreational gym users in the Mid-Glamorgan area. The three gymnasia included in this survey were reported to be popular with bodybuilding and AAS-using clientele. Results : From the distribution of 170 questionnaires, the response rate was 63%. AAS users were from all areas of society and reported various physiological and psychological side effects from AAS use. The most worrying discovery was the extent of AAS users reporting syringe sharing (20%).

An Investigation of the Social Support Experiences of High-Level Sports Performers

Lack of consensus regarding the nature and conceptual definition of the social support construct has led to a plethora of different forms of measurement of this psychosocial variable, many with psychometric limitations. Beyond the psychometric limitations of some measures, in sport there is also a need for measures to be relevant to the specific experiences of sports performers. In order to gain a greater understanding of the social support experiences of sports people, 10 high-level sports performers were interviewed regarding their experiences of social support. Principles of the grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) approach were adopted for analysis of their responses and insights. Four dimensions of support were generated, within each of which were comments relating to sport-specific support and comments relating to support not directly concerning the sport itself. The dimensions were labeled emotional, esteem, informational, and tangible. Example quotes are given to highlight each dimension of support, and implications for intervention are derived.

The value of sports for handicapped patients. Achieving social integration--building bridges by paralympic sports

It is important to reflect back on the enormous changes that have taken place in society over the past century that have affected the quality of life of disabled persons and societal attitudes towards disability. Although great progress has been made, these people remain marginalized and disadvantaged, and despite all the efforts of volunteers, professionals, and governments, we cannot categorically state that they are fully socially integrated. The term disability continues to carry an enormous stigma, and therefore it is important to examine the concept of social integration and the issues around it as they affect disabled persons and the role of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) movement in achieving this end.

Where Does the Body End?

Where Does the Body End?

Sport for people with a disability: the current state of play.

Sport for people with a disability: the current state of play.