Location
Room 320, Norman Bethune College, York University (Toronto, ON)
Start Date
17-10-2018 2:00 PM
End Date
17-10-2018 2:30 PM
Description
A continued interest in investigating how annual age cohort groupings promote 'relative age effects' (RAEs), which create participation, attainment, and learning biases between relatively older and younger players within the same age cohort, has led to advances in our understanding of the magnitude of RAEs globally and what this important socially constructed phenomenon means for talent identification and development (e.g., Wattie, Schorer, & Baker, 2014). Srdjan's talk will highlight some of the major trends in youth sports today, such as the emphasis on the performance ethic and the growth of specialized programs (Coakley, 2014), and their association to positive youth development and relative-age related sport discontinuation (e.g., Lemez, Baker, Wattie, Horton, & Weir, 2013). In a broader context, as physical inactivity remains a global health problem, and given that many psycho- and socio-ecological factors likely perpetuate RAEs, exploring practical avenues to reduce selection biases in youth sport remains a priority.
Retiring at 10 years of age: A discussion of the major trends in organized youth sports today and their association to relative-age-related dropout
Room 320, Norman Bethune College, York University (Toronto, ON)
A continued interest in investigating how annual age cohort groupings promote 'relative age effects' (RAEs), which create participation, attainment, and learning biases between relatively older and younger players within the same age cohort, has led to advances in our understanding of the magnitude of RAEs globally and what this important socially constructed phenomenon means for talent identification and development (e.g., Wattie, Schorer, & Baker, 2014). Srdjan's talk will highlight some of the major trends in youth sports today, such as the emphasis on the performance ethic and the growth of specialized programs (Coakley, 2014), and their association to positive youth development and relative-age related sport discontinuation (e.g., Lemez, Baker, Wattie, Horton, & Weir, 2013). In a broader context, as physical inactivity remains a global health problem, and given that many psycho- and socio-ecological factors likely perpetuate RAEs, exploring practical avenues to reduce selection biases in youth sport remains a priority.
Comments
Srdjan Lemez is an Adjunct Professor at California State University, Los Angeles and has previously completed his PhD in the Lifespan Health and Performance Laboratory in the School of Kinesiology and Health Science at York University in Canada. His research program explores how to maximize individuals' experiences in sport and well-being, including a focus on (i) health in high performance athletes, (ii) psychosocial aspects of sport participation and the influence of participation biases in youth sport (e.g., the relative age effect), and (iii) motor learning and control and development in para-athletes. Srdjan has also worked with Wheelchair Basketball Canada and the Canadian Sport Institute -- Ontario, where he applied sport and exercise science principles to optimize practice and performance environments.
Jessica Fraser-Thomas is an Associate Professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Science at York University. Her research focuses on children and youths' development through sport, with a particular interest in positive youth development, psychosocial influences (i.e., coaches, family, peers), contextual factors (i.e., relative age effects, culture) and differing sport trajectories (e.g., long term participation, high performance, withdrawal). Currently, she is working on projects exploring preschoolers' introductions to organized sport, characteristics of programs that may facilitate development within special populations and communities, and how youth sport models may inform Masters athletes' development. She co-edited Health and Elite Sport: Is High Performance Sport a Healthy Pursuit? She is a recipient of the Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology Young Scientist Award and the Province of Ontario Volunteer Service Award