ISSN: 1543-9518|Vol. 24

About U.S. Sports Academy

The United States Sports Academy is an independent, non-profit, accredited sports university created to serve the nation and the world with programs in instruction, research, and service. The role of the Academy is to prepare our men and women for careers in the profession of sports using modern technologies and traditional teaching methodologies.

The Impact of Gender on Perception of Risk During Exercise

Authors: Dr. Alexia Franzidis and Dr. Lindsey H. Schroeder

Corresponding Author:
Lindsey H. Schroeder Ed.D., LAT, ATC, CES
601 S. College Rd.
Wilmington NC, 28403-5956
schroederl@uncw.edu
910-962-7188

Dr. Franzidis is an associate professor and program coordinator at the University of North Carolina Wilmington for the Recreation, Sport Leadership, and Tourism Management Program.

Dr. Schroeder is an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington in the Athletic Training Program. She is a licensed and certified athletic trainer and an alumnus of the United States Sports Academy.

The impact of gender on perception of risk during exercise

ABSTRACT

An individual’s decision to engage in physical activity is driven by perceived benefits and risks. Activities that are considered risky may have limited involvement or participation. As such, understanding risk perceptions of specific physical activities is important, specifically for college students, whose engagement in physical activity decreases during their transition from high school to college. The purpose of this study was to identify college students’ preferred exercise areas within the recreation center, their exercise frequency, and their perceptions of risk and injury. The participants in the study comprised 232 college students enrolled at a mid-sized public university located in southeastern North Carolina. Students completed a survey with three sections, focusing on demographics, workout behavior, and perceived exercise risks, respectively. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26. Most of the participants were 18 years old (32.8%) and identified as female (56.9%). Significant gender differences were found. Gender influenced the number of hours students spent working out per week, the area of the recreation center utilized, and the exercise activities conducted, the perceptions of how injuries occur, and the number of supervisors present during their workout. The findings indicate a need for further educational programming in recreation centers regarding the proper use of all fitness equipment. Such education could increase usage in all areas, as well as decrease the perceived risks of using specific pieces of equipment, especially amongst women.

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2020-07-15T09:56:02-05:00September 25th, 2020|Research, Sports Health & Fitness|Comments Off on The Impact of Gender on Perception of Risk During Exercise
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Normative Fitness Values: Among Teenage Male Competitive Hockey Players

Authors: Jordan Bent, Mark DeBeliso

Southern Utah University Department of Kinesiology and Outdoor Recreation
351 West University Blvd.
Cedar City, UT  84720

Corresponding Author:
Jordan Bent
10 Harry Street
Petawawa, ON, CA. K8H 2A4
Email: bent@hdtstrength.com
289-407-7238

Jordan Bent is a graduate student at Southern Utah University in Sports Conditioning and Performance.

Normative Fitness Values: An Analysis of Strength Based Characteristics in Teenage Male Competitive Hockey Players

ABSTRACT

Muscular strength, endurance and power are important attributes in many sports. Fitness testing norms are published for a variety of sports across a range of age groups and playing levels, however they do not currently exist for competitive high school aged hockey players. Purpose: This study reported lower body power (standing long jump-SLJ), upper body muscular endurance (bench press-BP and pull ups-PU), and lower body strength (3RM back squat-3RM-BSQ) data collected over three years at the beginning of each hockey season for the purpose establishing an initial set of fitness norms for competitive high school aged hockey players. Methods: Ninety-eight Canadian (U17AAA = 55; U18AAA = 43) high school male participants competing in midget AAA hockey were tested prior to the beginning of each season in September during the 2015-2017 hockey seasons with a host of fitness tests. Means, standard deviations and percentile ranks were calculated for the SLJ, maximum BP repetitions at 75% of body weight (BP-75%), PU, and 3-RM BSQ for both U17AAA and U18AAA hockey players.  Results: Means, standard deviations for each player grouping were as follows. U17AAA (SLJ=234.7±15.7, BP-75%= 9.2±5.4, PU= 9.5±4.5, 3-RM-BSQ=108.0±15.4) and U18AAA (SLJ=235.7±16.6, BP-75%=13.0±6.7, PU=10.0±5.2, 3-RM-BSQ=120.4±21.0). Conclusion: The data presented provides a preliminary set of physical performance benchmarks for coaches and players to utilize in order to develop an athletic profile for athletes aspiring to compete in hockey at the AAA level and beyond.

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2020-07-15T09:45:57-05:00September 18th, 2020|Research, Sports Health & Fitness|Comments Off on Normative Fitness Values: Among Teenage Male Competitive Hockey Players
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Differences in activity patterns between adult and U-21 major league players

Authors: Uri Harel1, Lael Gershgoren2 ,  Eli Carmeli1

1Department of Physical Therapy, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel 
2School of Behavioral Sciences, The College of Management, Rishon-Lezion, Israel 

Corresponding Author:
Eli Carmeli
Email: ecarmeli@univ.haifa.ac.il
Tel: + 972507393454
Fax: + 97248288140

Uri Harel B.E.d, MA in Exe. Physiology is an athletic trainer in Maccabi Haifa Soccer Club in Israel. He plans and writes the exercise programs for major league adult and U-21 soccer players. 

Lael Gershgoren, PhD is faculty member at the The Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo, expert in Sport Psychology.

Eli Carmeli PT, PhD, is faculty member at the Department of Physical Therapy, University of Haifa, ISRAEL, expert in movement performance.

Differences in activity patterns between adult and U-21 major league players

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to measure differences in activity patterns between major league adult and U-21 soccer players. Four U-21 players and four adult team players were evaluated using a repeated measures technique. All eight players were affiliated with the Maccabi Haifa Soccer Club from the Israeli professional and U-21 major leagues, depending on the player’s age. GPS sensors were attached to the players during five consecutive games to identify patterns regarding running distance and speed according to the field positions. There was no significant difference in the total running distances covered by two age groups; however, when measuring high running speed, an advantage was observed for the adult group in comparison to the U-21 in general and between players playing in the same position. These findings provide valuable knowledge that may serve the principle of training specificity. First, it may assist practitioners adjust specific intensity levels to players depending on their position on the field and physical function. Moreover, it can serve coaches in transitioning U-21 players to the adult team by progressively adjusting their physical capacities to those needed at the adult level.

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2020-07-15T10:42:50-05:00September 10th, 2020|Sport Education|Comments Off on Differences in activity patterns between adult and U-21 major league players
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Triadic Relationships Between Interpersonal, Pro/Anti-Social Behaviors, and Moral Disengagement in Team Sports

Authors: Ender SENEL

Corresponding Author:
Ender SENEL, PhD
Mugla Sitki Kocman University Faculty of Sport Sciences
Mugla, 48000
endersenel@gmail.com
0095062001694

Ender SENEL is the research assistant working on sport psychology, teaching and learning in physical education, and moral behaviors in sport in the Physical Education and Sports Teaching Department at Mugla Sitki Kocman University. He is also a member of Sport Sciences Association.

Triadic Relationships Between Interpersonal, Pro/Anti-Social Behaviors, and Moral Disengagement in Team Sports

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between interpersonal, prosocial/antisocial behaviors, and moral disengagement in team sport athletes. This study provided the triadic and linear relationships between interpersonal, prosocial/antisocial behaviors, and moral disengagement in different structural models. 250 team sport athletes including soccer, basketball, volleyball, handball, American football, korfball, and water polo were recruited for the current study. The athletes responded Interpersonal Behaviors Questionnaire in Sport, Prosocial and Antisocial Behaviors in Sport Scale, Moral Disengagement in Sport Scale-Short. The results showed that athletes’ perception of their coaches’ behaviors can have a significant impact on their moral behaviors in sport.

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2020-07-06T16:26:32-05:00September 4th, 2020|Research, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off on Triadic Relationships Between Interpersonal, Pro/Anti-Social Behaviors, and Moral Disengagement in Team Sports
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Student-Athletes: An exploration of subjective wellbeing

Authors: Laura M. Morris1, Danny Twilley2, Cara L. Sidman3, Hannah Adamczyk1, Zoe Gasell1, and Karly Plemmons1

1School of Health & Applied Human Sciences, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA
2Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
3College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA

Corresponding Author:
Laura M. Morris, EdD
601 S. College Road
Wilmington, NC 28403
spiveyl@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.

Danny Twilley, PhD is the Assistant Dean of Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative at West Virginia University. Research interests include outdoor recreation’s role in community development, leisure as a catalyst for change, and subjective wellbeing. 

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 teaching, and college students.

Hannah Adamczyk is a recent graduate of the Recreation, Sport Leadership & Tourism Management program at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Zoe Gasell is a recent graduate of the Recreation, Sport Leadership & Tourism Management program at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Karly Plemmons is an undergraduate student in Recreation, Sport Leadership & Tourism Management at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Student-athletes: An exploration of subjective wellbeing

ABSTRACT

This research examined the subjective wellbeing scores of student-athletes at a mid-sized National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Southeastern university. Understanding student-athlete mental health is a growing concern among the NCAA and intercollegiate athletics programs. Much of the literature examines the issue from a clinical perspective related to depression. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the subjective wellbeing of student-athletes at a NCAA Division I university by examining gender, in-season v. out-of-season, and team sport v. individual sports. Methods: A survey methodology was adopted to measure participant (N=109) perceptions of subjective wellbeing utilizing a valid subjective happiness scale. Results: Overall, participants indicated high levels of perceived happiness. In-season athletes, men, and team sport athletes scored highest. Conclusions: Research on student-athlete mental health has been inconsistent. Findings from this study were encouraging as student-athletes reported a high level of reported happiness. Application in Sports: This study provides insight into student-athletes’ wellbeing and mental health. Findings suggest additional programs and services focused on out-of-season student-athletes, women, and those in individual sports be considered.

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2020-10-06T08:28:00-05:00September 2nd, 2020|Research, Sports Health & Fitness|Comments Off on Student-Athletes: An exploration of subjective wellbeing
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