by Stephen Walker, PhD and Alec Baker, PsyD “The most important reason that kids play sports is because it’s fun.  When it stops being fun, they’ll stop wanting to play, and they’ll stop learning.” – Harry Sheehy Parents have a huge impact on the quality of their sports kid’s experience.  This article is designed...
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For Podium Sports Journal by Stephen Walker, PhD, CC-AASP and Alec Baker, PsyD What happens when you combine the speed of five great athletes in helmets and pads sprinting on ice skates straight at you? Oh yeah, they’re also bearing weapons. A simple collision, of which there are many, often sends metal blades and...
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by Ryan Rivera  After a Major Injury Athletes take a lot of physical abuse on their way to achieving greatness. They deal with nicks, cuts, aches and pains every day, and in general it’s easy to overcome those bumps and bruises and keep active. But when you suffer from a major injury, it can...
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From the Editor (10.1.2011)  Some of you may begin hearing about Dave Scott and Mark Allen’s concerns over the upcoming release of Matt Fitzgerald’s depiction of  (“IronWar”, VeloPress, 2011).  They feel strongly enough about the piece to sue the author and VeloPress for defamation of character and state flat out that there are erroneous...
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Editor’s note:  In watching the US Open Tennis Championships these past few weeks I was simply amazed at the incredible speed of processing these athletes demonstrated in match after match.  The Roger Federer – Novak Djokovic match was the ultimate challenge for both players.  Taking nothing away from Rafael Nadal, (check out the first...
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Athletes in every sport will from time to time lose focus, become self-conscious, have self-doubts to contend with and worry about things. It happens especially in cycling, which can be grueling on the best of days. Emotions with strong physical components are the worst because they have what’s called an attractor field – an...
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by Will Murray & Stephen Walker Pre-race jitters bother almost everybody.  For some athletes, the jitters are so bad that they withdraw from some races or decide to give up racing altogether.  For others, those nervous feelings impair their ability to perform. One professional triathlete, an 11-time Ironman finisher, got so nervous before his...
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From the Editor (10.1.2011)  Some of you may begin hearing about Dave Scott and Mark Allen’s concerns over the upcoming release of Matt Fitzgerald’s depiction of  (“IronWar”, VeloPress, 2011).  They feel strongly enough about the piece to sue the author and VeloPress for defamation of character and state flat out that there are erroneous...
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From the Editor:  Having worked with numerous goalies and goal keepers over the years, it is pretty rare that you find an article, post, or podcast that does justice to the job these brave and “lonely” souls endeavor to do well.  The podcast was my first exposure to Radiolab.  You would think that Radiolab...
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Podium’s Podcast of the Month – Featuring – Dr. Kevin L. Burke Editor’s note: As the summer creeps into view, NASCAR is beginning to ramp up and The IRL is gaining momentum.  America’s favorite racing venues are virtually sold out weeks in advance as fans clamor to catch all the action.  Emerging as one...
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Stephen Walker interviews Paige Gregson, a graduate student Brock University completing her masters in sport sciences.
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A Podcast with Dr. Daniel Gould - Advisor to the USOC and Director of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University.
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Podium Sports Journal’s Podcast of the Week – An interview with Drs. Noah Gentner and Vanessa Shannon by Dr. Stephen Walker, CC-AASP This podcast was the second of a two part podcast with Drs. Noah Gentner and Vanessa Shannon on qualitative research they conducted with Olympic Gold medalists from the 2004 Olympics in Athens,...
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Podium Sports Journal’s Podcast of the Week – An interview with Drs. Noah Gentner and Vanessa Shannon by Dr. Stephen Walker, CC-AASP This podcast was the first of a two part podcast with Drs. Noah Gentner and Vanessa Shannon on qualitative research they conducted with Olympic Gold medalists from the 2004 Olympics in Athens,...
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