2019 – Page 7 – The Sport Journal

Assessing the Dietary Quality and Health Status among Division 1 College Athletes at Moderate Altitude

Authors: Jay T. Sutliffe, Julia C. Gardner, Jenny M. Gormley, Mary Jo. Carnot, and Alison Adams

Corresponding Author:
Jay Sutliffe, PhD, RD
PO Box 15095
Flagstaff AZ, 86011
Jay.sutliffe@nau.edu
928-523-7596

Jay T. Sutliffe is Associate Professor of Nutrition and Foods and the Director of the PRANDIAL Lab at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ; Julia C. Gardner is a research coordinator with the PRANDIAL Lab at Northern Arizona University; Mary Jo Carnot is professor of Counseling, Psychological Sciences, and Social Work at Chadron State College in Chadron, NE.; Jenny M. Gormley is a research assistant and student at Northern Arizona University; Alison Adams, is Professor of Biology at Northern Arizona University.

Assessing the Dietary Quality and Health Status Among Division 1 College Athletes at Moderate Altitude

ABSTRACT

Student-athletes’ dietary habits are ingrained in a complex interaction as they seek to maintain the balance between student and athlete. Assessing the dietary habits and lifestyle factors associated with this highly demanding population is the focus of this study. Eighty-nine Division I Collegiate Athletes was assessed (age 19.84 ± 1.15 yr). Measurements included diet quality, body composition, blood lipid profiling, and wellness factors. Significant deficiencies in Vitamin D (football 6.68 ± 5.84; basketball 4.33 ± 3.17; swim/dive 4 ± 2.97; volleyball 4.07 ± 2.97) and Omega 3-EPA & DHA (football 125.84 ± 301.03; basketball 53.92 ± 48.05; swim/dive 29.45 ± 35.83; volleyball 42.79 ± 30.77), Calcium (swim/dive 1083.55 ± 437.88), and Potassium (swim/dive 1083.55 ± 437.88) were reported. All teams exhibited an energy deficit, however, the highest energy deficit was for football (-843.57 calories). All teams had higher than recommended levels of perceived stress, averaging 20.63, and swim/dive had higher levels of depressive symptoms (6.17 ± 3.30). All teams reported poor sleep quality, averaging 7.20. This assessment indicates variability in dietary quality and wellness factors among individuals and teams. Individualized guidelines should be recommended for those experiencing food intake challenges such as the unique needs of moderate altitude athletes.

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U.S. Sports Academy2019-01-31T14:42:08-06:00February 7th, 2019|Research, Sports Health & Fitness|Comments Off

Evaluation of Possible Anthropometric Advantage in Sit-Up Test

Authors: David Peterson, Meighan Middleton, and Sharon Christman

Corresponding Author:
David D. Peterson, EdD, CSCS*D
Cedarville University
251 N. Main St.
Cedarville, OH 45314
ddpeterson@cedarville.edu
(937) 766-7761

Dr. Peterson is an associate professor of kinesiology at Cedarville University (CU) and currently serves as the Director of the Multi-Age Physical Education (MAPE) program at CU.

Evaluation of Possible Anthropometric Advantage in Sit-Up Test

ABSTRACT

The U.S. Navy currently employs sit-ups as part of its semi-annual physical fitness in order to assess the abdominal muscular endurance of service-members. However, there is speculation that sit-up performance may be associated with anthropometric proportions thereby affording certain service-members with a biomechanical advantage. To test this theory, anthropometric measurements were taken at various sites (i.e., humerus, torso, femur, and tibia) across a convenience sample of 69 participants (37 male / 32 female), to include student, active duty, and retired military personnel from the United States Naval Academy. Humerus length (r = .297), tibia length (r = .385) and sex (r = .314) were all found to be moderately correlated with sit-up performance. These findings, coupled with well-documented concerns of the sit-ups in terms of safety and relevance in the literature, make a compelling argument for the identification and implementation of other potential field tests to assess abdominal muscular endurance.

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U.S. Sports Academy2019-02-04T08:46:29-06:00January 31st, 2019|Research, Sports Health & Fitness|Comments Off

NBA Referee Missed Calls: Reasons and Solutions

Authors: Kevin Sigler

Corresponding Author:
Kevin Sigler, PhD
601 College Road
Department of Economics and Finance
Cameron School of Business
UNC Wilmington
Wilmington, NC 28403
siglerk@uncw.edu
910-200-2076

Kevin Sigler is Professor of Finance in the Cameron School of Business, UNC Wilmington

NBA Referee Missed Calls: Reasons and Solutions

ABSTRACT

This paper examines officiating in the NBA to determine if it has kept pace with the changes to the game. This research concludes that since the game is so fast now with athletes that are bigger, stronger and faster than any time in NBA history, NBA officiating should consider changing as well. Some possible modifications are adding more referees, allowing each official to sit out a portion of the game while being replaced by a fresh alternate, and using more cameras with referees viewing them remotely.

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U.S. Sports Academy2019-01-24T11:54:39-06:00January 24th, 2019|Commentary, Sports Management|Comments Off

Study on professional football players – factors in recovery and preparation and performance markers during scheduled training session

Authors:Tatyana Dzimbova, Hristo Nikolov, Radoslav Mavrevski, Stefan Kapralov

Corresponding Author:
Assoc. prof. Tatyana Dzimbova, PhD
66 Ivan Michailov Str.
Blagoevgrad, 2700 Bulgaria
tania_dzimbova@abv.bg
+359898939285

Study on professional football players – factors in recovery and preparation and performance markers during scheduled training session

ABSTRACT

Purpose. The purpose of the present study is to estimate if the athletes can satisfy their energy needs by diet, if they are well hydrated before training, and if the training is effective.

Methods. Ten players of the football team in the B professional league participated in the study (age 23.44 ± 5.98 years, weight 70.64 ± 4.57 kg, height 176.4 ± 7.35 cm; ±SD). Their body composition was analyzed with the Body Composition Analyzer IoI 353 and they completed food questionnaires. Blood lactate concentrations were determined using the biochemical analyzer BIOSEN – C Line, EKF Diagnostic. The heart rates of the subjects are recorded using the activePULS, MEDION AG. Data was processed using SPSS and Graphpad Prism software.

Results. According to the data obtained from the food questionnaires all subjects received the necessary amount of energy to fully meet their energy needs. From the multiple linear regression, it is seen that the highest value has the standardized coefficient in front of the carbohydrate intake which means that it has the greatest influence (about 65%) on total energy intake. The heart rates of participants in the study range from 78 to 90% of the predicted maximum, i.e., high intensity. Differences in blood lactate concentration before and after exercise are significant, evidence of effective performance on training.

Conclusions. We can conclude that according to the nutrition questionnaire the athletes received a sufficient amount of macronutrients and sufficient amount of energy for their training needs. The change in blood lactate concentrations and heart rate during training is indicative of the responsible attitude of the players, and therefore the target endurance is most likely to be achieved.

Applications in Sport. Reported methods could be a useful tool for coaches to track the recovery and preparation of the athletes in season and to evaluate their performance during a scheduled training session.

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U.S. Sports Academy2019-01-10T14:36:51-06:00January 17th, 2019|Research, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off

Comparison of Coinciding Anticipation Timing and Reaction Time Performances of Adolescent Female Volleyball Players in Different Playing Positions

Authors:Ahmet Rahmi Günay * (1), Halil Ibrahim Ceylan (2), Filiz Fatma Çolakoğolu (3), Özcan Saygın (4)

(1, 2, 4) Mugla Sitki Kocman University, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Turkey. (3) Gazi University, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Turkey.

Corresponding Author:
Halil Ibrahim Ceylan, Research Assistant
Mugla Sitki Kocman University, Faculty of Sports Sciences
Kotekli/Mugla, 48000
halil.ibrahimceylan60@gmail.com
002522111951

(1) Ahmet Rahmi Günay is a lecturer and doctoral student at the Gazi University studying Health and Coaching Sciences. He is also a Volleyball trainer.

(2) Halil İbrahim Ceylan is a Research Assistant and doctoral student at the Mugla Sitki Kocman University studying Health and Coaching Sciences.

(3) Filiz Fatma Çolakoğlu is a Professor at the Gazi University studying Training Sciences.

(4) Ozcan Saygin is a Professor in Sports Exercise Science at the Mugla Sitki Kocman University studying physical activity and fitness

Comparison of Coinciding Anticipation Timing and Reaction Time Performances of Adolescent Female Volleyball Players in Different Playing Positions

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to compare coinciding anticipation timing (CAT) and reaction time performance of adolescent female volleyball players in different playing positions. Twenty-eight adolescent volleyball players (14 Outside players and 14 Middle players), who played volleyball in licensed infrastructure leagues and trained 5 days a week regularly, with an average age of 15.0 ± 0.94 years, participated voluntarily. A Bassin Anticipation Timer was used to measure the CAT performance of the volleyball players at different stimulation speeds: Slow- 3 mph (1.34 m/s) and Fast- 8 mph (3.58 m/s). Visual, auditory, and mixed reaction times were measured with the Newtest 1000 Instrument. When the absolute error scores of volleyball players were compared according to playing positions, a statistically significant difference was found in the fast speed condition (t = -2.090, p = .047). A statistically significant difference was also observed in the mixed reaction time scores (t = -2.163, p = .040). Middle players had better CAT scores in the Fast condition and mixed reaction time performances than outside players. This is thought to be due to the different responsibilities of middle players in the game as compared with outside players. Because both offensive combinations and block responsibilities are more diversified for Middle players, CAT and reaction time performance of middle players are of greater importance. In order to reach top level performance, it is thought that a number of special exercises, in addition to volleyball training, should be done to improve the CAT performance. It is recommended to repeat the research in different age groups, different categories and different positions.

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U.S. Sports Academy2019-01-10T15:43:26-06:00January 10th, 2019|Commentary, Sports Coaching|Comments Off