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Professional Standards and Best Practice for Amateur Youth Sport Organizations in Protecting Athlete Safety: A History and Analysis of Ice Hockey Organizations
No full textWhile participation in youth amateur ice hockey continues to grow, the risks inherent to the sport have not adequately been mitigated to promote the health, safety, and wellbeing of youth participants. Upon synthesizing an extensive body of literature detailing the history of violence and physicality in the sport of ice hockey, we provide suggestions for future directions concerning the development and implementation of additional policies to protect youth amateur ice hockey participants. By examining the historical progression of policy development for the sake of player injury prevention, the present study aims to illustrate the need for alterations to operating bylaws currently governing youth amateur ice hockey in the North America, and around the world, specifically to disincentivize and litigate fighting out of the sport at the youth level
Embracing Invitational Education Principles and AI to Help Teachers and Learners Ethically Utilize Generative Artificial Intelligence
No full textA Professional Learning Community (PLC) invites learning by doing and that process is optimized through intentional, caring, optimistic, respectful, and trustworthy (I-CORT) mindsets (Purkey & Novak, 2015; Anderson, 2021), which fosters a positive and supportive learning environment. A school having a PLC focusing on generative artificial intelligence (AI) policy development and best-practice curriculum integration can identify where additional support or training is needed. Generative AI-driven educational software is going to become more, not less, pervasive. So, educators need to be highly trained in effective implementation of evolving teaching and learning applications. Therefore, effective pedagogy involves more than telling a student to access an application. Teacher preparation programs and institutional policies should lead these professional development endeavors. Several suggestions, approaches, and models are provided herein to promote best practices that align Invitational Education (IE) theory, with utilization of AI
Exploring the Integration of Wheelchair Tennis into a High-Performance Community Tennis Program
No full textThis study aimed to explore the psychosocial impacts within an integrated high-performance tennis team according to players, parents, and coaches. The team featured a unique combination of non-disabled athletes and wheelchair athletes. Study participants included individuals (N = 11) from a community-based tennis program, comprised of coaches (n =3), parents (n = 3), and athletes (n = 5). Semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted with all participants. Thematic analysis revealed three prominent themes: (a) Finding True Potential, (b) The Chair is no Longer a Barrier, and (c) Inclusive Coaching Practices. Findings highlighted the meaningful psychosocial benefits of participation in an integrated high-performance tennis program, demonstrating the positive impact on individuals of various ages and backgrounds. Advocating for integration based on ability levels, rather than focusing solely on disability status, emerged as a key imperative. This study underscores the transformative potential of inc lusive sports environments, demonstrating how integration can foster respect, understanding, and shared achievement within a high-performance tennis community. It provides a foundation for future research, emphasizing the need to explore coaching practices tailored to athletes with disabilities, validate existing findings, and examine the impact of certified coaching programs on inclusivity. Further, enhancing coach education with disability -specific training is essential to improve integration efforts. Understanding the benefits and challenges of inclusive sports across diverse settings will inform strategies to foster supportive environments, advancing the holistic development of athletes and strengthening the broader sports community
Book Review A Critical Look at College Football’s Transformation in The Price
No full textThe Price: What It Takes to Win in College Football’s Era of Chaos
Authors: Armen Keteyian and John Talty
Published: August 2024
Publisher: Harper
ISBN-10: 0063345250
ISBN-13: 978-006334525
My Ribbon Skirt Revolution: Balancing Tradition and Self-Expression as an Indigenous Female Warrior
No full textCritical Commentary
My Ribbon Skirt Revolution is a critical commentary and personal narrative that explores the tension between cultural tradition and self-determined expression through the lens of an Indigenous female mixed martial artist, using research as praxis. Rooted in lived experience, this piece takes a close look at the cultural, colonial, and gendered expectations surrounding the ribbon skirt: a powerful symbol of Indigenous womanhood that can also pressure women and non-binary folks to conform to colonial gender roles through ‘skirt shaming.’ As a Michif (Métis) woman and professional MMA fighter, I reflect on how traditional clothing can be both empowering and restrictive, especially for those of us whose identities and warrior roles challenge settler binaries. The story opens with a sweat lodge ceremony, where I was told I needed to wear a skirt in order to participate. From there, I unpack how expectations like this, while often framed as traditional, are rooted in colonial Christian ideologies that continue to shape what Indigenous femininity is “supposed” to look like. Through the work of scholars like Leanne Simpson, Alex Wilson, and Lisa Tatonetti, I connect personal experience to broader histories of residential school assimilation, gendered clothing norms, and the resurgence of Indigenous pride. This commentary contributes to ongoing conversations around Indigenous resurgence, gender expression, and cultural sovereignty in sport by weaving personal narrative with scholarly critique. I share the journey that led me to wear a modernized ribbon skort—what I call a warrior’s skirt—for my fifth professional MMA fight. It wasn’t about conforming to expectations, but reclaiming ceremony on my own terms. The cage became a sacred space, and the skirt became a symbol of healing, agency, and pride. I advocate for a future where Indigenous women and gender-diverse people can take up space, whether in ceremony or competition, without being policed for how we express ourselves
Creating a Grounded Theory for Teacher Preparation
No full textTraditional teacher education programs have seen enrollment declines. Understanding teacher education can be a step towards improving the teacher preparation process. This study offers insights into teacher preparation from the perceptions of a teacher candidate and a teacher educator who met to reflect and discuss seminar activities. The research questions focused on perceptions of self and other, identity, and culture. The researchers applied Invitational Education foundations and elements such as the Perceptual Tradition and intentionality, care, optimism, respect, trust (I-CORT) in their mindful reflections and analyses. This qualitative study applied a grounded theory approach to construct a theory of teacher preparation for this particular case. The research questions examined the researchers’ perceptions of themselves and one another as well as their identities and cultures. Methods consisted of two semi-structured dual interviews whereby the teacher educator and the teacher candidate took turns serving as the interviewer and the interviewee. Interviews were transcribed and examined for patterns with the aid of an artificial intelligence (AI) transcription software program. Qualitative themes generated from the interview data consisted of connections and relationships, growth mindset, cultural aspects of identity, support, bias and stereotyping, diversity and equity, and reflection. The generated theory revealed the interconnectedness of the identified themes that suggests that to obtain a theory of teacher preparation, it is vital to focus on the perceptions of teacher candidates and teacher educators
Educational Policy and Legislation Reform Grounded in Invitational Education
No full textThis conceptual paper examines how Invitational Education theory can inform inclusive educational policy and legislative reform. Focusing on both PK-12 and higher education systems in the United States and drawing on recent political shifts including the removal of DEI funding, reinterpretations of Title IX, and changes in federal aid structures, this paper highlights how legislative and accreditation processes can either support or undermine inclusive environments. It features a targeted analysis of legislative policy landscape and its alignment with national accreditation standards, revealing how state-level decisions reflect broader national tensions between compliance and inclusion. Cultural relevance insights from Roe’s previous qualitative case study of English Language Learners (2016) are integrated to illustrate the human cost of deficit-based policy approaches. Ultimately, this paper proposes a framework for policy grounded in Invitational Education to shift the narrative from remediation to systemic redesign
Improvements in College Tennis Performance Through Individualized Approach: Data Patterns Statistical Analysis
No full textThe sports domain has undoubtedly become an interesting field of study for many researchers. Whether it is an individual or team sport, researchers and data specialists analyze various competition aspects to study specific data pattern spotentially associated with pressure performance. This work attempts to contribute to this research field by statistically examining data captured with wearable sensors during college tennis matches and by identifying important moments in college tennis matches. This study analyzes the captured data in an attempt to discover specific data patterns and data relationships unique to the identified decisive college tennis match moments. The study data were captured in 45 matches, with 15 participating college tennis players, and using three wearable sensors. The collected data included measurements of heart rate, different footwork performance parameters, and swing speeds of various tennis strokes. The statistical analysis results revealed specific data patterns tied to the identified decisive moments. However, the discovered data patterns did not apply to all participating players, but rather only to individuals. Thus, the obtained results support the idea that unique pressure performance data patterns can be observed in college tennis for individual players, but these patterns do not represent a general pressure performance data pattern model that can be applied for all college tennis players
