The Right Thing To Do

The impact that a coach can have on an athlete is profound. From nurturing development to guiding performance to fostering success – the coach is integral to the athlete experience and undoubtedly has the greatest influence on an athlete’s career. Ensuring that the experience remains positive and encouraging is an enormous responsibility for any coach.

This responsibility has recently been bolstered by a new initiative coordinated by the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES). The Responsible Coaching Movement (RCM) is a system-wide movement designed to address the role coaches play with issues relating to the health and safety of athletes, both on and off the field of play.

National, provincial, territorial and community sport organizations are encouraged to sign the pledge and adopt new policies to ensure the impact of coaches is a positive one for athletes and for Canadian sport. The CSI Calgary has recently become the first multi-sport organization in Canada to sign on to the RCM.

By making the pledge, the CSI Calgary has committed to implementing supportive policies and processes that adhere to the three key areas of focus: the Rule of Two, Background Screening (including Criminal Record Checks) and Respect and Ethics Training. The Rule of Two ensures that two adults are present at competitions and training camps with minor athletes, which serves to protect minor athletes in potentially vulnerable situations.

For Dale Henwood, President and CEO of the CSI Calgary, the RCM represents an opportunity for the institute and its coaches to uphold the highest standard of care for its athletes. “The RCM helps coaching as a profession, to ensure that we have good quality, ethical people working with our athletes,” says Henwood.

The CSI Calgary has always worked towards providing a motivating encouraging and enjoyable environment for the athletes. Henwood says that the coach is an essential part of helping to create that. “We want to ensure that athletes are safe and that coaches are protected,” says Jason Sjostrom, CSI Calgary Coaching Program Director. “The CSI Calgary has a responsibility to support these policies.” Additionally, the RCM can increase awareness for all staff and volunteers involved in sport. According to Sjostrom, “when there are violations you have a vehicle to say ‘this isn’t right’. This RCM demands that accountability.”

To date, the RCM has had great success, with more than forty NSOs, P/TSOs, and community clubs taking the pledge. Luge Canada was one of the first NSOs to take the pledge and nine others have since joined as well. The long-term goal is to see all NSOs take the pledge.

Ultimately, the RCM is about providing a positive sport experience for athletes of all ages, from grassroots and community programs right up to high performance elite sport. Henwood says that from the beginning the CSI Calgary has worked to make sure coaches are having a positive impact on their athletes.

Simply put, the RCM speaks to the heart of what is good and right. For Henwood, the decision to sign the pledge was easy. “When we went to the CSI Calgary board with this, it was strongly felt it was the right thing to do.”

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary: @csicalgary
Written by Kristina Groves: @kngrover
Photo by Dave Holland: @csicalgaryphoto
29/03/17

The Search Is On

A needle in a haystack meets a diamond in the rough – so hopes the innovative RBC Training Ground campaign that is currently gaining momentum across the country. Now in its second year, the unique athlete recruitment program is searching far and wide for Canada’s next great Olympian. Who will it be?

The search is on at 25 local qualifying events and five regional finals throughout Canada. The program is open to athletes aged 14-25, targeting both young athletes that are talented in their sport as well as older athletes with untapped potential to transfer to a new sport. Sports like bobsleigh, rowing and athletics are filled with explosive athletes who come to these sports later in life – and RBC Training Ground knows there are hidden stars waiting to be found.

Athletes are evaluated on their speed, power, strength and endurance through several different tests. They are also aiming to achieve performance benchmarks set by National Sport Organizations (NSOs) scouting for talented athletes with Olympic medal potential.

RBC has partnered with the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), the Canadian Olympic Foundation (COF), CBC Sports and the Canadian Olympic Paralympic Sport Institute Network (COPSIN) to run the program.

In Alberta, CSI Calgary has been engaged to plan the local qualifiers at five Alberta Sport Development Centres (ASDC) and the regional finals at CSI Calgary. Miranda Sallis, Manager of Performance Services at CSI Calgary, is responsible for planning and managing the events and is also sending CSI Calgary physiology staff to help evaluate the athletes. “It’s a truly collaborative effort that requires a lot of coordination between the partners,” she says.

Wendy Moar, ASDC NW Coordinator in Grande Prairie, is thrilled to host a local qualifier. “We are very excited to host the event and be a part of it,” says Moar. “It’s a huge role that our centre can fill – a big part of our purpose and mandate is specializing in providing sport science services that help athletes get to the next level and the RBC Training Ground Program aligns very well with that goal.”

One athlete looking for a break is Jamie Strauss, a fifth-year volleyball player at Grande Prairie Regional College. Strauss, 23, is looking to make use of her athletic talents to make the jump from volleyball to a new sport like rowing. “I think it’s an amazing opportunity for athletes like me,” she says. “I’m excited to go out and see what I can do.”

Up to 50 athletes from across the country could receive additional funding, mentorship and support from RBC and the COF to fuel their passion and Olympic dreams. The top performer from each RBC Training Ground regional final will also receive the ultimate Olympic experience – a trip to the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Being discovered is a thrilling prospect for any athlete, but more importantly what the RBC Training Ground program offers is another avenue within the sport system for them to reach their goals. “I see it as an opportunity for an athlete to work towards and make it their goal to be a part of the program,” says Moar. “It opens up a lot of opportunities.”

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary: @csicalgary
Written by Kristina Groves: @kngrover
01/02/17

The Stopwatch bites the dust

The once mighty stopwatch, in its heyday a technological marvel capable of measuring and recording time for any number of purposes, especially sport, has finally met its match. The development of a new timing system at the Olympic Oval has made the use of stopwatches by speed skating coaches during training a thing of the past.

The joint project between CSI Calgary and the Olympic Oval was funded by Own the Podium’s I4G (Innovation for Gold) program and the Olympic Oval and serves to address a major gap in measuring how a skater’s time is impacted by the way they skate. Using hardware technology developed for motor sport racing and a proprietary software program developed by Olympic Oval IT Specialist, John Little, the system provides a detailed measurement of a skater’s performance.

“In the past we only knew that one athlete was slower than another athlete, but we didn’t always know how,” says Scott Maw, CSI Calgary Sport Science Lead for Speed Skating. “The timing system enables us to identify where on the track a skater is losing time relative to another skater.”

During training, a skater wears a chip on each ankle, which sends a timing impulse to a master clock every time a wire embedded in the ice is crossed. The system records and calculates the times and velocities for 16 segments around the track, offering a more refined picture of skating speed during each lap.

The system provides real-time streaming data to coaches and staff for athlete's lap times, current velocity, current position on the track, corner lane identification, set duration and total training time, all on a customizable mobile phone or tablet interface. A coach can have all their active athletes displayed simultaneously on a single screen.

For speed skating coach Crispin Parkinson, the new system has made a big difference. “It frees me up to coach more, instead of managing the practice,” he says. “I don’t have to schedule when everyone should do their specific intervals, which means I can get more done in a session. It’s a more effective use of time.”

Dr. Erik Groves, Research and Innovation Lead at CSI Calgary, spearheaded the project. He says that with the data collected so far they have barely scratched the surface of the system’s potential. “Eventually we'll be able to get daily, weekly, monthly and yearly training breakdowns of distance skated, speed distribution, sets, and reps,” he explains. “We'll also be able to use the system for physiological testing and race analysis.”

Parkinson says it adds another layer to the information he can share with his skaters. “A skater might not always feel what I’m telling them about their skating but the data can illustrate this and provide feedback to the athlete in a different way they might understand better.”

Unfortunately, the sad demise of the humble stopwatch was inevitable – the speed skating world has moved on to bigger and better things that ultimately make the sport better. “It’s a useful tool which has helped me a lot and makes my job easier,” says Parkinson. “I do less management and more coaching.”

Interesting stats from 2016-2017 season:

• Total recorded kilometers skated: 92,551

• Velocity segments recorded: ~3,855,700

• Most frequently skated lap time in seconds: 35-36

• Most kilometers skated by an athlete in a day: 51.6

 

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary: @csicalgary
Written by Kristina Groves: @kngrover
Photo by: Dave Holland @csicalgaryphoto
26/04/17

The Talent Behind the Lens

Dave Holland walked away from a career in the oil and gas industry when the full-time opportunity to pursue his lifelong passion for Olympic sport photography arose and was too good to pass by. After years of snapping sport photos as a hobby, the self-taught photographer earned his first ticket to the Olympics with SportsNet in 2014 in Sochi.

Since then, combining his passion for Olympic sport and photography, Holland has created a role for himself as the go-to photographer for the CSI Calgary, WinSport, and now the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC). It hasn’t been an easy path – his first two applications to the COC for media accreditation at the Olympics were denied. Fortunately, his unwavering persistence and quality work has begun to pay off.

As the CSI Calgary’s in-house photographer, Holland is afforded wide-ranging access to shoot events and athletes that other photographers simply do not have. The ability to capture the story behind the athlete beyond competition day is part of what sets Holland’s work apart. “I see what everybody does,” he explains. “I try to get the process behind it all, something different. So many photos are the same ones you’ve seen before. I want to showcase the athletes in a different way.”

A freelance photographer with no affiliation to any conventional agencies, he is breaking new ground – Holland has finally been approved for COC media accreditation at the 2018 Olympics and Paralympics in Pyeongchang. He is the first non-media outlet photographer to be accredited and he feels a deep sense of satisfaction in achieving this milestone. “I am the only full-time photographer in the country exclusively covering Olympic and Paralympic athletes,” he says.

Although he now works “three times the hours for a third of the salary,” Holland says there is nowhere else he would rather be. “It’s a labour of love,” he proclaims with absolute and heartfelt conviction. Lucky are the few who find and pursue their true calling in life – Dave Holland comes by his new vocation honestly.

Holland is driven by a deep desire to showcase Canada’s best Olympic and Paralympic athletes, a group he feels is largely ignored. “Working with athletes daily I have found that they are incredibly underserved in the media,” he says. Access to high quality photos from competition is a major hurdle for athletes looking for images to promote themselves. “I recall one athlete telling me that an agency wanted $800 for a photo from the Sochi Games,” says Holland.

This inadequacy resulted in Holland creating www.csicalgaryphotos.ca, a vast and comprehensive database of photographs. It allows mainstream media access to images that are unavailable anywhere else. To date there are around 10,000 images on the site. “I’m putting athletes on the map, getting them the attention and exposure they deserve,” says Holland.

Holland says three key things are necessary to capture a good photo – peak action, good lighting and a clean background. It’s about achieving a strong connection with the viewer that transcends words alone.

Holland recognizes that he is in a unique position to achieve this end and he approaches his work with the necessary humility. It took five years for him to develop the trust and relationships with the athletes he needed for them to welcome him into their world. “I know it is a job of extreme privilege, as I can come and go from the gym, the lab, the rink or the ski hill and every day I appreciate walking through the doors.”

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary: @csicalgary
Written by Kristina Groves: @kngrover
Photo by Dave Holland: @csicalgaryphoto
18/01/17

Things Are Brewing in the Half Pipe

(left to right:  Rachael Anderson, Emma Stevens, Rachael Karker)

“The Olympics are the ultimate dream.” So says young Canadian Slopestyle skier Max Moffat. The NextGen team member moved west to Calgary from Caledon, Ontario two years ago to train at what he says is the best halfpipe facility in Canada, located at WinSport. Given that that the slopestyle ski event was only added to the Olympic program in 2014, the ultimate dream has evolved at a record pace.


Freestyle Canada has moved quickly to keep up, establishing development programs like the NextGen team. The goal is to foster a highly professional training environment for its best young athletes to grow into future Olympic champions. The ‘Park & Pipe’ team, as it is known, is comprised of Slopestyle and Halfpipe athletes identified as having high medal potential in 2022.

The program was established through a collaborative partnership between Freestyle Canada, the CSI Calgary, WinSport and Own the Podium (OTP). The program operates under a camp-based model where the athletes come together in one location frequently throughout the year for intense training camps.

“We’re here because of the facilities,” says Freestyle Canada’s Director of High Performance Athlete Programs, Julie Stegall. “The half-pipe is the best in the country and is maintained at World Cup standards. Freestyle Canada and WinSport have put a lot of resources into that pipe.”

The CSI Calgary recognizes the importance of establishing a high standard of care and professionalism for the team. “We really worked hard to treat them like a National Team,” explains Miranda Sallis, Manager of Performance Services. “Before the team started training at CSI Calgary there was a high injury rate so things like physiotherapy have been a huge focus so far,” she adds.

With their sights set on the Olympics in 2022, Stegall says the level of professionalism among the athletes and coaches is impressive. “The athletes are ready for this kind of support,” she says. “We knew this was coming and we have a strong group. Things are brewing in the pipe.”

For Moffat, 18, the chance to train alongside athletes from different sports has been an eye-opening and inspiring experience. “At first it was funny to see how the other athletes train. I’d be in the gym and look over at the bobsledders running down the track dragging weights behind them,” he recalls, laughing. “At first it was a bit intimidating, like ‘I don’t deserve to be here’, but now it’s really motivating to train alongside those guys.”

Stegall says the NextGen athletes are extremely thankful for their new training facilities. “Every time they walk into the CSI Calgary they feel special and are so appreciative of the opportunity.”

Moffatt says he’s ‘stoked’ to be a part of this team and that it doesn’t get any better than where he is now. “The hill is awesome. The Halfpipe and Slopestyle setup is amazing. We have everything we need in one spot.”

The NextGen Freestyle athletes are vying for Canada's coveted World Cup spots to prove they have what it takes to make it on the world stage.

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary: @csicalgary
Written by Kristina Groves: @kngrover
Photo by Dave Holland: @csicalgaryphoto
07/12/16

To Sleep, Perchance to Win

Lying awake, staring at the clock, heart pounding, tossing, turning and worrying about not sleeping... Oh, the despair! A fitful sleep the night before a big race is disconcerting for any athlete. While this experience can be unsettling, what is more critically important when it comes to sleep is quality and duration over the long term.

According to Dr. Amy Bender, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Calgary and Centre for Sleep and Human Performance, missing a few hours of sleep the night before competition is unlikely to impact performance. Rather, it’s the persistent lack of adequate sleep throughout a training block or whole season that can negatively affect an athlete. “Chronic deprivation is the main concern and we are trying to manage that across an entire season,” she says.

“Ongoing research points to an association between performance and sleep duration and quality,” says Dr. Bender. Studies in the literature support the link between sleep and performance. However it’s difficult to control for every variable as performance improvements can be attributed to other things, such as practice.

Jess Kryski, CSI Calgary Sport Physiologist for Canada’s Cross Country Skiing and Biathlon teams, says she’s noticed a potential association between sleep and performance with her athletes. In one instance, two athletes were going through periods of decreased sleep quality and quantity during the race season. “Their performance was not good and although we can’t attribute that just to sleep issues, it definitely seemed to play a role,” says Kryski.

The lack of recovery from training and racing due to sleep issues is challenging to overcome. In Kryski’s experience, with some athletes suffering from periods of poor sleep it didn’t matter how much their training was adjusted, she couldn’t successfully load them the way she wanted to because recovery were simply not there.

Additionally, Kryski says, “over the years working with the teams and using the monitoring tools we have, it seems that when things aren’t going well in training or racing it tends to line up with sleep quality and duration.”

Dr. Bender is the primary investigator for a number of ongoing studies examining sleep and its relationship to recovery and performance in CSI Calgary athletes. She works with athletes and teams across Canada to assess baseline sleep and the impact of sleep optimization strategies. Additionally, Dr. Bender works with teams to implement jet lag management strategies, which consist of a travel plan, both pre-trip and at the destination.

Using the Athlete Sleep Screening Questionnaire and a wrist-worn activity monitor, Dr. Bender evaluates an athlete’s typical wake and sleep habits and patterns. The athlete will then implement sleep optimization strategies, for example more nighttime sleep, naps and reducing exposure to blue light before bedtime.

Finally, Dr. Bender will assess athlete sleep during the optimization period and compare it to the baseline. While sleep duration is typically measured with the wrist-worn activity monitor, sleep quality is primarily a subjective measurement achieved via questionnaires. Data is currently being analyzed and preliminary results indicate less reported fatigue and improved moods, as well as improved satisfaction with sleep quality during the optimization phase as compared to baseline.

One of the most challenging habits for athletes to change is their exposure to blue light from electronic devices in the hours before bedtime, which can negatively impact sleep. “The blue light tells our brain to wake up, which can impact how long it takes to fall asleep and waking up during the night,” says Dr. Bender. “It decreases melatonin secretion, the hormone that makes you sleepy at night.”

During the sleep optimization phase, athletes are instructed to use blue blocking glasses that block out 99% of the blue light from screens. This can reduce its negative effects on sleep for athletes who are exposed to screen time in the two hours before bedtime.

Ultimately, the goal of Dr. Bender’s research is to improve performance through better sleep. It represents another piece of the puzzle in the quest to enable athletes to achieve their potential in sport. To sleep, perchance to win!

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary: @csicalgary
Written by Kristina Groves: @kngrover
Photo by Dave Holland: @csicalgaryphoto
26/10/16

Un atelier de l’ICSC pour enseigner à parler de poids aux athlètes féminines

Le 11 mai 2015, la psychologue agréée Natasha Kutlesa a donné une présentation intitulée « How to Talk About Weight to Female Athletes » (Comment parler de poids aux athlètes féminines). Les entraîneurs et le personnel de soutien de l'Institut canadien du sport de Calgary ont occupé chacune des 24 places de la salle de conférence de l'ICSC, soulignant ainsi l'importance de cet enjeu.

Mme Kutlesa fait partie de l'équipe de performance mentale de l'ICSC depuis 10 ans. Après avoir travaillé avec de nombreux athlètes ayant des problèmes d'image corporelle, elle s'est spécialisée dans les troubles de l'alimentation. Elle a eu l'idée de cet atelier après avoir remarqué une forte récurrence des troubles de l'alimentation et des problèmes d'image corporelle parmi les athlètes. Des recherches sur ce phénomène ont révélé que les athlètes d'élite sont plus susceptibles d'éprouver des troubles de l'alimentation que la population générale.

Mme Kutlesa, ayant remarqué que les entraîneurs peinaient à trouver la meilleure façon de communiquer avec les athlètes souffrant de troubles de l'alimentation, y a vu une bonne occasion d'animer un atelier dans lequel les entraîneurs et les thérapeutes de différents sports pourraient partager leurs expériences entre eux et apprendre de celles des autres. Cette formation continue offerte par l'ICSC est l'une des façons qui permettent au personnel de soutien et aux entraîneurs canadiens d'obtenir des renseignements pertinents et actuels.

Mme Kutlesa a créé une présentation informative décrivant les choses à faire et à ne pas faire lorsqu'on aborde ce sujet délicat. Elle a discuté des signes et des symptômes des troubles de l'alimentation, et enseigné des méthodes d'évaluation générale afin d'analyser l'alimentation des athlètes et leur récupération après l'entraînement. Elle a ensuite formulé des suggestions de façons d'aborder les différents problèmes des athlètes, à l'aide d'études de cas. Mme Kutlesa a souligné l'importance pour le personnel de diriger immédiatement tout athlète qui le préoccupe vers un médecin; qui détermine les mesures appropriées à prendre. Elle s'est assurée que chaque personne puisse se rappeler les notions enseignées en lui remettant un document intitulé « Coach & Athletic Trainer Toolkit » (Trousse de l'entraîneur et du soigneur).

En raison de l'importance du sujet, l'atelier de Mme Kutlesa sera vraisemblablement offert de nouveau à une date ultérieure. De plus, la création d'ateliers propres à certains sports est envisagée, pour aborder leurs diverses façons uniques d'influencer l'image corporelle d'un athlète.

Institut canadien du sport de Calgary : @csicalgary
Rédigé par Brittany Schussler: @BSchussler
Photo de Dave Holland: @CSICalgaryPhoto

Un tapis roulant anti-gravité qui facilite la réadaptation

Les athlètes de l'Institut canadien du sport de Calgary (ICSC) se servent d'un appareil d'entraînement de pointe : le tapis roulant anti-gravité AlterG. Principalement utilisé dans le but de faciliter la réadaptation des athlètes blessés, le tapis roulant permet aux thérapeutes de l'ICSC de réintégrer des mouvements fonctionnels de course dans l'entraînement des athlètes.

Un thérapeute peut programmer le tapis roulant à un pourcentage précis du poids corporel d'un athlète pour amoindrir la charge sur le système musculo-squelettique. Par exemple, lorsqu'un athlète recommence l'entraînement après une blessure au bas du corps, il peut se servir du tapis roulant anti-gravité pour recommencer à courir en supportant uniquement 50 % de son poids corporel. Au fil de son amélioration, on peut appliquer un plus grand pourcentage du poids corporel pour augmenter la charge efficace de l'entraînement sur le corps. Il peut ainsi courir à une vitesse et un rythme normaux tout en conservant une bonne technique.

L'ICSC a accès à l'équipement depuis l'ouverture de son nouvel établissement d'entraînement au Parc olympique du Canada l'an dernier. Les athlètes de l'ICSC sont chanceux d'avoir facilement accès à cet équipement de pointe, comme le prouve son utilisation par des athlètes de haut niveau qui « renouent avec l'entraînement ». Les membres du public peuvent se procurer des laissez-passer afin d'accélérer leur propre remise en forme sous la supervision d'un physiothérapeute.

Sam Effah et Natasha Jackson sont deux athlètes qui prônent l'appareil d'entraînement. Tous deux récupèrent à la suite de blessures en préparation aux compétitions de qualification des Jeux olympiques de 2016. Sam a récemment déclaré que l'accès fréquent au tapis roulant est une « véritable bénédiction ». Natasha, qui s'est déchiré le tendon d'Achille en 2014, croit que « le tapis roulant anti-gravité est un excellent outil pour ma remise en forme [...] permettant à mon tendon d'Achille de reprendre sa force graduellement. Mon corps a ainsi pu effectuer le mouvement de course. De plus, je peux travailler mon système cardiovasculaire d'une façon qui s'apparente à mon entraînement sur la piste beaucoup plus rapidement que par les méthodes de remise en forme conventionnelles. »

Jennifer Delich, physiothérapeute de l'ICSC, a vu des athlètes de sports variés, comme le patinage artistique et le ski alpin, profiter du tapis roulant anti-gravité pour leur réadaptation. Elle est convaincue que « rien ne s'y compare » et remarque qu'il a déjà fait ses preuves chez les « athlètes qui reprennent l'entraînement » après bon nombre de blessures, dont les déchirures musculaires, la reconstruction du ligament croisé antérieur et le syndrome rotulien.

L'utilisation du tapis roulant anti-gravité AlterG par l'ICSC s'est avérée un avantage pour de nombreux athlètes. À quelques mois à peine des Jeux panaméricains, permettre aux athlètes blessés de devancer leur processus de guérison est un élément crucial pour maintenir les athlètes de l'ICSC à un niveau digne des meilleurs au monde.

Institut canadien du sport de Calgary : @csicalgary

Rédigé par Brittany Schussler: @BSchussler

Photo de Dave Holland: @CSICalgaryPhoto

Under Peer Pressure

When the last shot is taken, the last finish line is crossed or the final race is won, athletes have to create new lives for themselves. For some this task comes easily, for others it can be an exercise in despair. Fortunately, with Game Plan, powered by Deloitte, there is now a wealth of resources available to retiring athletes to help them take those first few, sometimes difficult, steps.

However, even though Game Plan is there and ready for the taking, athletes don’t always know about it or have time to engage with the services offered prior to retirement. So, Elise Marcotte, Marketing and Communications Manager for Game Plan, developed a new pilot project to help bridge the gap between athletes and Game Plan.

The idea is to recruit Champions who will act as role models within the Game Plan community by sharing their experience and positively influencing their peers with tangible actions of their own choice. The campaign also aims to raise awareness of the program beyond Game Plan’s current audience through social media.

Six Champions were selected from across Canada, including Monique Sullivan, 2012 & 2016 Olympian in track cycling, who is the Game Plan Champion at CSI Calgary. Her plan is to reach out to newly carded athletes and support or encourage activities outside of sport that will ultimately helped them when they retire.

Sullivan says she recognizes that not all athletes feel supported in their desire to pursue things outside of sport, like education or work opportunities. “I always had a couple of things outside of sport to keep me balanced while I was competing,” she says. “I want to be the voice for those athletes wishing to do the same.”

The pilot program runs from May 1 to July 31 and Marcotte says that each Champion has a different project that will be monitored to ensure they are implemented and then measured for impact. The goal of the program is to involve the athletes and encourage word-of-mouth to engage athletes with what Game Plan offers.

For most athletes, the thought of retirement or pursuing extracurricular activities is completely foreign and Sullivan says Game Plan tends to be one of those things you don’t realize you need until it’s too late. “Sport is pretty full-on and some athletes aren’t able to take on anything else or don’t need to,” she says. “But when sport is suddenly gone you have no idea how you’ll react to that.”

Sullivan says her transition out of sport has gone well – she’ll begin graduate work this fall in the new field of engineering education and is currently working full-time in community outreach for the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary, where she recruits women into engineering.

She credits her commitment to education while competing, using Game Plan and the relationship she has with CSI Calgary-based Game Plan Advisor, Cara Button, with helping her find her way in a post-sport world. Now as a Game Plan Champion she wants to help others do the same. She sums it up well: “It’s all about planning for the unknown.”

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary: @csicalgary
Written by Kristina Groves: @kngrover
07/06/17

Unique Tradition Takes Team to New Heights

The Canadian Long Track Speed Skating Team is doing extraordinary things, both on and off the ice. Recently wrapping up a breakthrough season for many athletes, the team has found a formula for success.

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary Mental Performance Consultant Derek Robinson has been a catalyst for the new team culture. Among a number of new ideas, Robinson implemented a new team custom which has athletes sign the Canadian flag when they qualify for a racing team. The athletes then have a second signing ceremony if they win an international medal.

Robinson, who works with teams including Speed Skating Canada, Alpine Canada and Hockey Canada says, “One of the great things about the CSI Calgary is how they foster personal development. The CSI Calgary encourages its staff to work with established industry leaders, coaches, and support staff. I have learned more about the psychology of performance from working with people who truly understand what it takes to win the right way than I ever did in graduate school.”

What prompted Robinson to create this unique tradition? He believes, “The psychology of performance is about the team culture. In reality, to compete against the best in the world under pressure you must be a team. You cannot do it by yourself. The challenge is how do we become a unified team? It starts with knowing the values that drive our culture and the foundation of what we are about and how we do things. The Canadian flag is signed by members of this team because there is deep personal meaning for our athletes to compete for Canada. It is the identity of the team that matters.”

One of Speed Skating Canada’s new stars, Heather McLean, took the world by storm this season winning four World Cup medals. Of the flag signing ritual, she says, “It's such a unique and Canadian tradition! I am inspired by the flag ceremony because I am so focused on my own races during the competition that I lose track of the bigger picture and the flag signing always brings it back. I love to observe and learn from other elite athletes and hearing what they have to say about their performances is really inspiring.”

As the team’s custom proves, talk is trivial unless it is backed by a strong belief and daily embodiment of the ideals. Robinson emphasizes, “Unless you are in the room with these people, you can not really appreciate what these words are saying, let alone the passion and emotional experience of the athlete who signs the flag.”

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary: @csicalgary
Written by Brittany Schussler: @BSchussler
Photo by Dave Holland: @csicalgaryphoto

Winning The Right Way

(Arianne Jones, Luge)

In a world where we have never been so connected, many of us have moments, days, weeks or months where we feel wholly disconnected and utterly alone. This disconnect is evident across a broad spectrum of mental health issues – sometimes it means having a bad day, sometimes it means struggling with severe depression.

In high performance sport, athletes are generally perceived as strong and unbreakable. But like everyone else, athletes are not immune to mental illness. Many struggle with issues such as eating disorders, substance abuse, anxiety or depression and may feel that seeking help for mental or emotional problems will make them appear weak.

Today however, the landscape surrounding mental health is shifting dramatically. In fact, mental illness has emerged as a legitimate and serious medical issue in society.

One of Canada’s most successful Olympians has worked tirelessly to bring the issue of mental illness to the fore. Clara Hughes, cyclist, speed skater and CSI Calgary alumnus, has spearheaded the Bell Let’s Talk campaign for the past five years, aimed at raising awareness and erasing the stigma of mental illness. By sharing her personal struggles with depression, Hughes has humanized mental illness and inspired countless others to speak up and seek the help they need.

At the CSI Calgary, mental health and well-being has long been upheld as a priority and support services have been readily available through Game Plan. “We’ve always had a good ability to provide mental health services to athletes,” says Cara Button, Director of Stakeholder Relations and administrator of the Game Plan Program. “Athletes have appreciated it because it has given them a place to go when they need help. President and CEO Dale Henwood deserves a lot of credit for enabling this process.”

Frank van den Berg, Director of Mental Performance, has worked with his team to incorporate general mental health into their scope of practice. This has led to the development of intervention and programming options in areas such as optimizing performance enhancement, managing performance dysfunction and addressing performance impairment.

“We focus on ‘Winning the Right Way’,” says van den Berg. “We pay attention to the human side of sport.” This holistic approach ensures that the “winning at any cost” mentality does not sacrifice an athlete’s long-term health, relationships, and well-being.

Both van den Berg and Button have seen an increase in athletes’ willingness to come forward with mental health issues. “It’s much easier to bring up the topic of mental health or illness now,” says Button. “I see way more athletes initiating the conversation with me than before.” Adds van den Berg, “I have these conversations regularly with athletes to address their mental health – what is their passion, what do they want to accomplish in sport, are they able to cope and respond to expectations and pressures in sport and life?”

When problems do arise, van den Berg stresses that early intervention is critical. “It should not be underestimated that a lot of cases can be dealt with effectively before issues become severe.” Button agrees, “There is evidence to support that depression can be well managed if it is caught early enough.”

Today, the CSI Calgary is supporting Bell Let’s Talk Day by hosting a lunch with the ultimate comfort food – grilled cheese and tomato soup – for CSI Calgary staff and athletes. The idea is to come together for a meal, share some time together and have a conversation. Simple, yes, but sometimes all it takes is a communal experience to open the door for each other to share.

“It’s a way for us to support Bell Let’s Talk Day and to encourage that sense of community at CSI Calgary,” says Button. “We want to recognize the day and work on building our own community.”

On January 25, 2017, Bell will donate $.05 more towards mental health initiatives in Canada when you use social media. For more information: Bell Let’s Talk.

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary: @csicalgary
Written by Kristina Groves: @kngrover
Photo by Dave Holland: @csicalgaryphoto
25/01/17

Wrestlers Kick-Start Olympic Preparation

For many athletes, the start of 2016 brings the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games deeper into focus. This is the case for Canada’s top ranked women wrestlers: Jasmine Mian, Danielle Lappage, Erica Wiebe, Dorothy Yeats, Michelle Fazzari, Samantha Stewart, and Jillian Gallays.

The athletes and their support team were at WinSport from January 4-8 for their Olympic kick-off training camp with the goal of building their Olympic performance plan. Athletes first went through medical evaluations led by Dr. Katie MacGregor followed by strength, physiological and nutritional assessments at the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary (CSI Calgary). This was to determine their preparation state and identify where improvements are needed leading into the Games.

Head Wrestling Coach for the Olympic Games Leigh Vierling also used the camp to work with his athletes on a Key Opponent Analysis. Strength and Conditioning Coach Mac Read saw extreme value in the camp format because, “Normally the wrestling camps have up to 40 athletes. We had seven female athletes allowing for much more individual attention and focus. They also worked together to build a strong team atmosphere.”

Physiologist Erin Sargent worked with the athletes on their cardiovascular conditioning to ensure that they can sustain high intensity throughout a match. She notes that this will also “help improve their ability to recover between matches as the athletes can have up to six or seven matches in one day.”

Under the direction of Wrestling Canada, Registered Dietitian Kelly Drager examined all aspects of the recovery and weight cutting processes that wrestlers need to perform before every major competition.

Jasmine Mian, a 48-kilogram wrestler, enthused, “The camp was a great way to kick off the new year. We were able to see how far we have come and formulate a plan to get where we need to be. I am pushing myself to be ready for Rio, but I also see how hard the staff at the CSI Calgary are working to make sure we are ready. It gives me a lot of confidence heading into the Games because even though wrestling is an individual sport, I have a whole team supporting me. The culture of excellence has been integral to my success both on and off the mat.”

75-kilogram wrestler Erica Wiebe emphasizes the sentiments of Mian, noting, “Every year the team becomes more efficient at collaborating so that our performance on the mat becomes a direct result of the work that we put in on a daily basis. They really embody what it means to work as a cohesive team. I know I am in good hands.”

A veteran of four Olympic Games, Coach Vierling is confident the kick-off camp was a success, saying, “I believe we have created outstanding practices in preparing our athletes for Olympic success. ‬‪Our team is young, keen, and ready to commit to the work ahead! ‬”‬‬‬

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary: @csicalgary
Written by Brittany Schussler: @BSchussler
Photo by Dave Holland: @csicalgaryphoto


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