Sports Health & Fitness – Page 5

Campus recreation sport club participants: Exploring subjective wellbeing

Authors: Laura M. Morris¹, Jason Foster², Cara L. Sidman³, and Alyssa Henyecz¹

¹School of Health & Applied Human Sciences, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA
²Former School of Health & Applied Human Sciences, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA
³College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA

Corresponding Author:
Laura M. Morris, EdD
601 S. College Road
Wilmington, NC 28403
morrisl@uncw.edu
910-962-2451

Laura M. Morris, EdD, is an Assistant Professor of Recreation, Sport Leadership & Tourism Management at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Her research interests include leisure behavior, recreation/leisure in relation to lifelong health and wellbeing, happiness/positive psychology, and recreational sport and college student development.

Jason W. Foster, PhD, is a former Lecturer of Recreation, Sport Leadership & Tourism Management at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. His research interests include college student development, student identity development, student employment, and inclusive recreation facilities and policies.
Cara L. Sidman, PhD, is a Clinical Assistant Professor in Population Health in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University. Her research interests focus on wellbeing, online curriculum development and instruction, and college students.

Alyssa Henyecz is a recent graduate of the Recreation, Sport Leadership & Tourism Management program at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She is currently a graduate student at The University of South Florida.

Campus recreation sport club participants: Exploring subjective wellbeing

ABSTRACT

This research examined the subjective well-being scores of sport club participants at a mid-sized Southeastern university. Understanding college student mental health is a growing concern among higher education administrators. Purpose: The goal of this study was to investigate the subjective wellbeing of university sport club participants by examining gender and team sport participation versus individual sport participation. Methods: A survey methodology was adopted to measure participant (N=181) perceptions of subjective wellbeing utilizing a valid subjective happiness scale. Results: No differences were found between gender or sport type and subjective wellbeing in this sample. All sport club participants indicated high levels of subjective wellbeing. Conclusions:As campus recreation professionals seek to enhance college student wellbeing and mental health, sport clubs may be a valuable option. While this study provides some insight into mental health and happiness within the context of sport club participation, additional research is needed to explore measures of wellbeing in this setting. Applications to Sport: Sport club programming at the collegiate level may provide a positive mental health activity for students.

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U.S. Sports Academy2021-11-11T14:12:27-06:00November 19th, 2021|Research, Sports Health & Fitness|Comments Off

The National Football League Combine: Do Performance Measures Predict Draft Status Among NFL Draftees

Authors: Raymond Tucker, Jr. ¹,Willie J. Black, Jr.²

¹Department of Kinesiology, University of Houston Victoria, Victoria, TX, USA.
²Department of Kinesiology, University of Houston Victoria, Victoria, TX, USA.

Corresponding Author:
Willie J. Black, Jr.
University of Houston at Victoria
3007 N. Ben Wilson
Victoria, Texas 77901
Blackw@uhv.edu
Phone: (361) 570-4298

Raymond Tucker, D.S.M., CFSC, CSCS * D, XPS, FMS, USATF, USAW is an Associate Professor of Kinesiology at the University of Houston Victoria in Victoria, TX. His research interested focus on leadership skills used by coaches and program design and measure of performance used in strength and conditioning.

Willie J. Black, Jr. Ed.D. is an Assistant Professor of Kinesiology at the University of Houston in Victoria, Texas. His research interests focus on leadership, physical education pedagogy, and social justice in physical education.

The National Football League Combine: Do Performance Measures Predict Draft Status Among NFL Draftees

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to determine the predictive ability of the performance measures used at the National Football League Scouting Combine to predict draft status from 2018 to 2020. Data were collected and analyzed from six performance measures used at the combine: 40-yd dash, 20-yd shuttle, bench press, three-cone drill, vertical jump, and broad jump. A total of 1,009 players were invited to the combine between 2018 and 2020. Several negative correlations were detected in the performance measures, which suggests that higher scores in the following performance measures faster 40-yard dash, higher vertical, elevated bench press and longer broad jump are associated with better draft position. For example, the correlation between vertical and draft position for WRs is -.286: this means that a higher jump is associated with better draft position. The results conclude combine performance is not a good predictor of draft position except maybe for the position of WR, but it is valuable at distinguishing between getting drafted or not. That results would suggest that once a certain level of physical performance is achieved, then a player will get drafted. Otherwise, there are probably other factors (e.g., the position they play, intangibles, etc.) that determine when they get drafted.

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U.S. Sports Academy2021-10-20T09:40:32-05:00November 5th, 2021|Research, Sports Health & Fitness|Comments Off

The Impact and Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Design of a Laboratory-Based Coaching Science Experimental Study: A Research Report

Authors: Sam Jermyn, Cian O’ Neill, and Edward K. Coughlan

¹ Department of Sport, Leisure & Childhood Studies, Munster Technological University, Cork Campus, Cork, Ireland

Corresponding Author:
Sam Jermyn
Department of Sport, Leisure & Childhood Studies
Munster Technological University, Cork Campus, Cork, Ireland
E: sam.jermyn@mycit.ie
T: +353 86 3409 505

Author Bios:
Sam Jermyn is a PhD candidate in the Department of Sport, Leisure & Childhood Studies at Munster Technological University, Cork, Ireland. His area of research focuses on investigating the impact of weighted implement training on the skill acquisition processes of place-kicking in sport.

Dr. Cian O’Neill is Head of the Department of Sport, Leisure & Childhood Studies at Munster Technological University, Cork, Ireland. His areas of research include coaching science, sports performance analysis, human performance evaluation and the broad sports science domain.

Dr. Edward K. Coughlan is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sport, Leisure & Childhood Studies at Munster Technological University, Cork, Ireland. His areas of research include skill acquisition, practice-transfer, deliberate practice, sport science and coaching science.

The Impact and Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Design of a Laboratory-Based Coaching Science Experimental Study: A Research Report

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global issue, posing a great risk and challenge to all facets of sport. Such spontaneous societal restrictions and considerations are posing immense challenges to all, including those conducting laboratory-based coaching science experimental studies. This research report details the necessary amendments applied to a study that was designed prior to the onset of the pandemic. The study, entitled ‘The Acute Effects of Selected Time Intervals Following Weighted Football Place-Kicks on Ball Velocity of a Standard Gaelic Football Place-Kick’, was designed to be conducted in a human performance laboratory. However, due to the pandemic, a multitude of necessary amendments to the experimental set-up and associated procedures were required following a risk assessment of the original experimental design in respect of local, national and international COVID-19 health and safety guidelines. Amendments included remote participant recruitment and the creation of a COVID-19 health screen form. The participant information sheet was updated to enhance understanding of the health and safety requirements, with the number of participants permitted to attend testing sessions reduced to ensure maintenance of social distancing regulations. Data storage procedures were also updated and additional procedures were implemented to ensure safe arrival and exit of participants to and from the testing laboratory. A post-testing session protocol was developed to ensure laboratory sanitization. The purpose of this report is to (i) detail these procedural and methodological amendments that were applied to the original experimental design, and (ii) provide an overview of the implications of these changes as they pertain to the experimental procedure for the duration of data collection. Ultimately, the aim of this report is to provide researchers conducting laboratory-based coaching science studies with considerations pertaining to experimental design that may be impacted by COVID-19 and future pandemics.

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U.S. Sports Academy2021-10-01T14:56:40-05:00October 1st, 2021|Sports Health & Fitness|Comments Off

The effects of an ocean surfing course intervention on spirituality and depression

Authors: Michael Amrhein¹, Harald Barkhoff², and Elaine M. Heiby³

¹Independent Researcher
²Department of Kinesiology & Exercise Sciences, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, Hilo, HI, USA
³Department of Psychology, The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA

Corresponding Author:

Harald Barkhoff, PhD
Dean College of Health Sciences and Human Services
California State University, Monterey Bay
100 Campus Center, Ocean Hall A, Rm. 101
Seaside, CA 93955

hbarkhoff@csumb.edu

(831) -582-5458

Michael Amrhein, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in Maryland and Hawaiʻi, and an independent researcher who graduated from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 2016. His research interests focus on the intersection of sports psychology and spirituality, and he currently works full-time as a clinical practitioner in Ellicott City, Maryland.

Harald Barkhoff, Ph.D., is a tenured Professor and current Chair for the Department of Kinesiology & Exercise Sciences at University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. His areas of research interest include the role of spirituality in sport and exercise, particularly of ocean sports in indigenous environments.

Elaine M. Heiby, Ph.D., is a Professor Emerita of Psychology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her research areas include culturally sensitive psychological assessment, mood disorders, health and sports psychology, spirituality, and scope of practice issues.

The effects of an ocean surfing course intervention on spirituality and depression

ABSTRACT

Although there is very little research on the psychological aspects of ocean surfing, preliminary evidence suggests that engaging in this sport has mental health benefits (2, 12). The current study, using a pre-test post-test quasi-experimental design, aims to examine the effects of a surfing course intervention on the mental health indicators of spirituality and depression. Fifty-four participants (46 new surfers and 8 regular surfers) were recruited over two semesters from four sections of a one-credit surfing course at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. Participants were asked to complete a pre-test assessment at the beginning of the course examining demographics, spirituality, and depression. Participants were also asked to complete a post-test assessment at the end of the course consisting of the same measures, coupled along with a scale of spiritual surfing experiences. New surfers demonstrated a significant increase in overall levels of spirituality from pre-test to post-test. Additionally, for the entire sample of both new and regular surfers, scores on the spiritual surfing experiences scale were positively and significantly correlated with overall levels of spirituality. No significant changes were observed from pre-test to post-test on measures of depression, possibly due to a restricted range of scores. The results suggest that participating in a surfing course may contribute to an individual’s development of overall spirituality. Limitations, future research directions, and applications for sport are discussed.

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U.S. Sports Academy2021-09-10T13:47:03-05:00September 10th, 2021|Research, Sports Health & Fitness|Comments Off

American Football and COVID-19: reducing on-field exposures to respiratory particles

Authors: Taylor N. Langon¹, W. Cary Hill², Mark B. Rogers¹, Mike Goforth¹, Robert I. MacCuspie², Stefan M. Duma³, and Matthew S. Hull^2,3

¹Sports Medicine Department, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
²NanoSafe, Inc., Blacksburg, VA, USA
³Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA

Corresponding Author:
Matthew S. Hull, PhD
325 Stanger Street, Kelly Hall Suite 410
Blacksburg VA, 24061
mahull@vt.edu
540-449-3388

Taylor N. Langon, MS, LAT, ATC is research associate and concussion research coordinator in the Department of Sports Medicine at Virginia Tech. Her primary responsibilities include coordination of concussion research for Virginia Tech Athletics under the NCAA-DoD CARE Consortium.

W. Cary Hill, PhD is currently vice president at NanoSafe, Inc. Cary’s areas of research interest include materials science and engineering, nano-enabled human health and safety technologies and testing strategies, and advanced material processing methods.

Mark B. Rogers, DO, CAQSM, FAAFP, FAOASM, is the chief medical officer at Virginia Tech and an associate professor in the Departments of Family Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine, Discipline of Sports Medicine at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM). Mark oversees administration and delivery of care to Virginia Tech student athletes.

Mike Goforth, MS, LAT, ATC, is associate athletics director for sports medicine at Virginia Tech. Mike oversees the healthcare needs of all student-athletes and organizes all trainers and doctors while supervising all other healthcare-related services offered at Virginia Tech.

Robert I. MacCuspie, PhD, is director of regulatory and testing services at NanoSafe, Inc. Rob’s areas of research interest include nanotechnology and multifunctional materials, responsible commercialization of advanced technologies, and safe use of nano enabled products.

Stefan M. Duma, PhD, is Harry C. Wyatt Professor, Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, and Director, Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS) at Virginia Tech. Stefan’s areas of research interest include injury and impact biomechanics, and innovative methods for measuring the safety of athletes, occupants, and consumers.

Matthew S. Hull, PhD, is research scientist, Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS), at Virginia Tech, and president/founder of NanoSafe, Inc. Matthew’s areas of research interest include applications and implications of converging technologies, environmental nanotechnology, and occupational health and safety.

American Football and COVID-19: reducing on-field exposures to respiratory particles

ABSTRACT

American football poses unique challenges to protecting the health of athletes both on and off the field. While off-field activities likely pose the greatest risk of COVID-19 transmission among members of the same team, on-field activities may pose transmission risks from one team to another. The findings of this study suggest that, when used in well-ventilated outdoor environments, helmet modifications combining upper and lower visors may help reduce on-field respiratory transmission risks with relatively minimal effects on athletic performance. These findings may offer practical insights to team physicians and athletic trainers as they seek strategies to protect athletes against on-field transmission of COVID-19 in the weeks and months ahead.

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U.S. Sports Academy2021-08-20T11:02:03-05:00September 3rd, 2021|Research, Sports Health & Fitness|Comments Off