In the past several weeks I’ve been reflecting a lot on racism and systemic racism. I’ve read Superior: The return of race science by Angela Saini and White Fragility: Why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism by Robin Diangelo. I’ve added other books to my summer reading list as well. This … Continue reading
When I was diagnosed with asthma as a kid, I remember someone saying that it wouldn’t go away unless I stopped skating because of the air quality in rinks. I was wondering what the research on this is. Rundell (2004) found that the pulmonary function, basically how well a person breaths, of a group of … Continue reading
I grew up figure skating, but I am also very comfortable on a pair of hockey skates. (Please don’t call them women’s vs men’s as this perpetuates stereotypes that just aren’t true.) When I taught learn-to skate lessons I was often asked about the differences between the two types of skates and when this question … Continue reading
As a figure skater I was pretty aware of how unreasonable societal and sport pressures can have pretty significant negative effects on the health of female athletes. Amenorrhoea, low bone mineral density, and low energy availability are all concerns due to high energy expenditure and low energy intake due to pressures to be thin and … Continue reading
I’ve been noticing this trend when I run. If I try to follow the main recommendations right now that to run faster I need to increase my steps per minute I get uncomfortable (fair enough, I’m not used to running like that), my knee hurts more (that’s a little more troublesome), and now that I’m … Continue reading
The more I learn, the more I’ve realized how inappropriate generalizable research is in many situations. Fortunately, this is starting to change but it is slow going which makes knowing what to do challenging. I came across an article that studied the muscle activation of highly resistance trained athletes on different instability devices such as … Continue reading
Figure skates are not exactly the easiest things to jump in. They are stiff and restrict the motion of your foot and your ankle. Which makes me wonder how this affects the way the rest of your leg moves while jumping. Haguenauer, Legreneur, and Monteil (2006) examined national and international figure skaters jumps comparing their … Continue reading
There are primarily six different jumps that figure skaters perform. The jumps vary based on edge vs toe (do you take off on an edge, or stick your toe pick in and vault into the air), entry edge (inside or outside, and even toe jumps have this characteristic, foot (inside or outside of the … Continue reading
I’m known for doing research. I read a lot of academic research papers on training and injuries as they relate to things like the sports I coach. But I’m lucky. 1) I have access to academic databases so I can get that research that is located behind the paywalls of journals and 2) I have … Continue reading
For anyone who has had to do first aid on someone after they hit their head or make a decision about an athlete’s ability to continue to participate, or if you have had to decide yourself whether or not you may be suffering from a concussion yourself you know how much of a guessing game … Continue reading