Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

U of T and Blue Jays sports doc on serving as Taylor Swift's primary care physician in Toronto

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 14:20:45 +0000

U of T and Blue Jays sports doc on serving as Taylor Swift's primary care physician in Toronto

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 12/02/2024 - 09:20

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David Lawrence, medical director and staff physician at U of T's David L. MacIntosh Sport Medicine Clinic and assistant professor in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, attends a Taylor Swift concert in Toronto with his wife (photo courtesy of David Lawrence)

Jelena Damjanovic

Topic

City & Culture

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Music

Toronto Blue Jays

Subheadline

David Lawrence says the physical and mental demands on Swift are comparable to those of elite athletes

David Lawrence is used to ensuring that high-level performers are healthy and ready to deliver on the big stage. A staff physician and medical director of the ��߲ݴ�ý’s David L. MacIntosh Sport Medicine Clinic, Lawrence is also lead team primary care physician for the Toronto Blue Jays.

So when the opportunity arose to serve as primary care medical doctor for Taylor Swift during the Toronto stop of her Eras Tour, he approached it like he would caring for high-level athletes and teams.

“Just like in an athletic team, the focus was on ensuring the health and readiness of a high-performing individual – in this case, Taylor Swift – along with her core team and supporting personnel,” says Lawrence, who is also an assistant professor in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s department of family and community medicine. “The physical and mental demands on her as an artist are comparable to those of elite athletes, with grueling schedules, significant physical exertion and the pressure to perform at peak levels.”

Lawrence was approached by senior front office members of the Rogers Centre and Blue Jays organization for the job. “It’s fairly common for high-profile artists to reach out to local professional sports teams for logistical or medical support during large events,” he says.

His role: provide primary care services on-call for Swift, her crew, support staff, family members and even children traveling with her team.

He says the dynamic of working with a large, well-organized team behind the scenes felt familiar. “Crew members, much like the staff supporting athletes, often face their own physical and mental stresses,” he says. “The overarching goal in both scenarios is the same: to address any issues quickly and efficiently so the performance, whether on stage or on the field, can continue seamlessly.

“The pressure to ensure readiness and a rapid return to performance if anything arose was another parallel, making this experience feel very much in line with my usual work.”

While Lawrence wouldn’t have called himself a Swiftie before this experience, he says he was incredibly impressed by the pop star’s performances. “The production was staggering and Taylor’s ability to perform for over three straight hours was nothing short of remarkable, making it clear how much preparation and effort go into delivering a show of that calibre,” says Lawrence. “It was a true showcase of an incredible combination of talent and hard work. It gave me a whole new appreciation for the dedication and effort behind such performances.”

Lawrence was also struck by the passion of Swift’s adoring fans.

“It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” he says. “The energy in the crowd was electric. With everyone singing every lyric so passionately it felt like the audience was just as much a part of the performance.”

Negative body image affects ability to learn and perform physical movements: Study

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 15:10:56 +0000

Negative body image affects ability to learn and perform physical movements: Study

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 11/08/2024 - 10:10

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The negative impact of body-related embarrassment on movement time was greater among men than women, according to a new study by researchers in U of T's Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (photo by Charday Penn/Getty Images)

Jelena Damjanovic

Topic

Breaking Research

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Research & Innovation

Subheadline

"We believe this finding could have impacts on learning and life-long participation in sports and physical activity"

Self-consciousness about one’s body has a direct impact on the ability to learn and perform movement tasks, according to a new study by researchers from the ��߲ݴ�ý’s Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE).

For the study, published in the journal Body Image, participants were asked to recall and write about a time when they felt either proud or embarrassed about their bodies, before completing a movement task.

“Overall, participants in the embarrassed group performed worse than the participants in the proud group, suggesting that evoking negative emotions about the body negatively impacted performance,” says Jude Bek, a post-doctoral fellow who co-authored the study with Professors Catherine Sabiston and Tim Welsh and PhD candidate Delaney Thibodeau.

The researchers also found that the negative impact of embarrassment was stronger among men than women; specifically, re-living body-related embarrassment showed great impact on movement time in men, and on task accuracy in women.

“I was surprised to see a stronger effect of embarrassment in the men, but it is possible that many women already have a heightened sense of body-related embarrassment, so this may have caused them to be less impacted by being asked to recall a time when they felt embarrassed about their body,” says Bek.

Sabiston says she, too, was surprised that embarrassment had a stronger effect in men than women. “For men, the requirement to re-live an embarrassing experience pertaining to their body may have elicited a stronger stress response and therefore greater attention bias that impacted motor performance,” Sabiston says, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity and Mental Health

The study builds on previous work by Sabiston and Welsh aimed at testing the impact of body image factors on cognitive and motor performance outcomes. The main foundation of the work is that these emotions lead people to shift attention away from the task at hand to their appearance.

“If they are focused on their body, they are not focused on the task and therefore the performance on the task could be impaired,” says Sabiston, who worked with Welsh on a study that found that tight and revealing clothing negatively impacts motor performance compared to loose, concealing clothing.

“It is interesting to see emotions also having an impact on motor performance – such findings have been commonly observed in cognitive and academic tasks, but this is the first time it was shown in motor performance,” says Welsh. “We believe this finding could have impacts on learning and life-long participation in sports and physical activity.”

Sabiston has carried out several studies that have shown that negative body image is related to drop-out from sports and physical activity due to decreased motivation to participate. She says the sport world is “ripe with body-focused cues and stimuli” ranging from uniform fit and narratives of idealized athletic body types to teammate comparisons and spectator comments.

“Recent public discourse from the Olympics and Paralympic Games also show athletes are often the targets of body-focused stimuli,” she says.

The researchers hope their findings will lead coaches and trainers to reconsider how they provide feedback – if making athletes feel embarrassed leads to decreased performance and learning during training and competition, it might also affect their motivation to stay involved, potentially quelling the benefits of sport participation.

Sabiston says that coaches, parents and guardians are in the best position to make the change in sport culture through thoughtful and intentional communication that doesn’t focus on appearance, but rather on positive role modelling.

“Sport administrators can benefit from designing or allocating uniforms that de-emphasize the body shape and appearance and are comfortable, so they are not a constant focus for athletes,” she says. “Administrators can also reduce appearance-focused media, like posters and print material, in training and performance centres.

“And, athletes can benefit from an awareness of the impact that these body-focused stimuli and cues have on their performance by proactively engaging in stress management and coping strategies such as motivational self-talk, mindfulness and self-compassion practices.”

While these findings have implications for sport skill development and competence, the researchers suggest they may go beyond sport to other important achievement-focused domains such as academics. They also say this study makes clear the need to continue to include men in research focused on body image.

Up next, the researchers intend to delve deeper into the broader implications of negative body image resulting from excessive body scrutiny in sport, including injury risk.

First 48 Hours: Documentary spotlights the journey of international students

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 19:53:06 +0000

First 48 Hours: Documentary spotlights the journey of international students

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 10/01/2024 - 15:53

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(supplied image)

Adam Elliott Segal

Topic

Global Lens

Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation

Centre for International Experience

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Global

Graduate Students

Student Life

Subheadline

International Students: First 48 Hours will be screened across U of T’s three campuses this fall

The first few days of a new school year can be as frantic as they are exciting – but for several international students at the ��߲ݴ�ý, there was an extra wrinkle: a new country.

The students are featured in a 22-minute documentary called International Students: First 48 Hours in Canada, which is directed by Cal Campos and was shot at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year.

It uses a combination of the students’ own footage and sit-down interviews to provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the excitement of packing, traveling and finally setting foot on each of U of T’s three campuses.

Obinna Ezeani (supplied image)

Obinna Ezeani, who is featured in the film and spent 17 hours traveling from Lagos to Toronto, says he is thrilled to see the final product come to life.

“It’s an opportunity to relive those moments and memories from a year ago and remind myself why I embarked on this journey,” says Ezeani, who is working on a master’s degree in health informatics and recalls his first few days in Canada as “exciting.”

A joint partnership between U of T’s Centre for International Experience and the Innovation Hub in the division of Student Life, the documentary is being screened across the three campuses in October and November – with the first screening scheduled at U of T Scarborough this week.

It will later be available for streaming on YouTube.

Julia Allworth, the Innovation Hub’s manager of innovation projects, says the goal of the project was to shine a light on the multitude of diverse global perspectives that make up nearly a third of the university’s student body.

“We wanted to zoom in on what it’s like for students when they first arrive in Canada. What challenges do they face as they step off the plane and into Canada? What decisions do they need to make along the way?” says Allworth.

“International students bring tremendous value to the university.”

The biggest challenge, according to Campos, was figuring out how to show the diversity and complexity of student life at U of T in just 22 minutes.

Jo Antonia Sepulveda Guzman (supplied image)

“The beauty of documentary is you think it’s going to go in one direction, and then it goes a totally different way,” says Campos, who was selected to helm the project for their thoughtful approach to equity and diversity.

Jo Antonia Sepulveda Guzman, who is from Chile and is working on a bachelor’s degree in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, says she is looking forward to sharing the doc with her family.

“[They were] so excited when I told them I would be doing the 48 hours project,” she says. “My sister started giving me tips on how to record and took me to change my phone screen protector so that the camera was not blurry. My mom is expecting to cry.”

Sepulveda is nostalgic about the experience.

“The person I was then is completely different from the person I am today. I worked so hard to come here. Remembering the beginning will be emotional for me.”

Shraddha Prasad, associate director, international student experience and global fluency at the Centre for International Experience, says she couldn’t be prouder of the year-long project, which received support from U of T’s International Student Experience Fund.

“International students have such impact in the U of T community through the perspectives they bring to the university through their lived experiences and their cultural backgrounds,” she says, noting that funding is already underway for a second film project titled International Students: Life After Graduation.

“Being able to elevate these stories has been a huge highlight for us.”

U of T prepares to mark Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 13:06:56 +0000

U of T prepares to mark Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 09/27/2024 - 09:06

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The Survivors' Flag, raised at U of T Varsity Stadium on Sept. 20, will be lowered to half-mast on Sept. 30, when the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is observed across Canada (photo by Jill Clark)

Jelena Damjanovic

Melinda Mattos

Topic

Our Community

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Orange Shirt Day

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

The Survivors’ Flag, which honours Indigenous lives and communities impacted by the residential school system in Canada, has been raised across the ��߲ݴ�ý’s three campuses as the community prepares to mark Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30.

On the St. George campus, the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE), in partnership with First Nations House and the U of T Office of Indigenous Initiatives, raised the Survivors’ Flag at Varsity Stadium earlier this month.

It will be lowered to half-mast on Sept. 30 when the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is formally recognized across Canada.

U of T Mississauga (photo by Julia Le)

Flags have also been raised at U of T Scarborough and U of T Mississauga.

“Recognizing the painful history of Canada’s residential school system, and the tragic consequences that are still being felt today, is a vital component of the reconciliation process,” said Professor Gretchen Kerr, dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education.

“It’s also a time for settlers to reflect on what they can do to strengthen relationships with Indigenous Peoples in order to build a better future together.”

The U of T community is invited to honour the experiences of residential school survivors by joining a tri-campus event being held in the Great Hall at Hart House on Sept. 30 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. Participants will have the option to register to attend the event in person or register to watch the live-stream on YouTube.

The event will feature a keynote address by Shirley Cheechoo, Canadian Cree actor, artist, filmmaker and founder of Weengushk Film Institute, who will be introduced by Benji Jacob, a fourth-year psychology student from U of T Mississauga. There will also be a land acknowledgement by Jay-Daniel Baghbanan, a student at the Faculty of Music and vice-president of student life at the faculty’s undergraduate association, welcoming remarks from David Kim, warden of Hart House and remarks by U of T President Meric Gertler and William Gough, acting vice-president of U of T and acting principal of U of T Scarborough. U of T Chancellor Wes Hall will deliver closing remarks.

U of T Scarborough (photo by Harry Xu)

While wearing any orange shirt is a show of solidarity, the Office of Indigenous Initiatives has partnered with the U of T Bookstore on a limited supply of orange t-shirts that feature an award-winning design by MJ Singleton, an Ojibwe, two-spirit student from Migisi Sahgaigan First Nation who is studying at U of T Mississauga. All proceeds from the sale of the shirts will be directed to the Orange Shirt Society.

Members of the U of T community are also encouraged to use the Orange Shirt Day virtual background and profile icon, featuring Singleton's design.

Virtual and augmented reality can temporarily change the way people perceive distances: Study

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 17:23:24 +0000

Virtual and augmented reality can temporarily change the way people perceive distances: Study

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 08/30/2024 - 13:23

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U of T researchers found that people moved differently in virtual reality and augmented reality, and that these changes led to temporary movement errors in the real world (photo by D-BASE/Getty Images)

Jelena Damjanovic

Topic

Breaking Research

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Research & Innovation

Virtual Reality

Subheadline

'We wanted to understand if the way our brains and bodies adapt to these digital environments changes how accurately we can move and interact with real objects"

Researchers at the ��߲ݴ�ý have found that using virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) can temporarily change the way people perceive and interact with the real world – with potential implications for the growing number of industries that use these technologies for training purposes.

The study, published recently in the journal Scientific Reports, not only found that people moved differently in VR and AR, but that these changes led to temporary errors in movement in the real world. In particular, participants who used VR tended to undershoot their targets by not reaching far enough, while those who used AR tended to overshoot their targets by reaching too far.

This effect was noticeable immediately after using VR or AR, but gradually disappeared as participants readjusted to real-world conditions.

“Our study explored how using mixed reality (MR) technologies, like virtual reality and augmented reality, affects our ability to perform everyday physical tasks once we return to the real world,” says Xiaoye Michael Wang, a research associate in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education who co-authored the study with Professor Tim Welsh.

“Specifically, we wanted to understand if the way our brains and bodies adapt to these digital environments changes how accurately we can move and interact with real objects after using VR and AR.”

Research associate Xiaoye Michael Wang fits a VR display onto study participant Colin Dolynski (photo by Molly Brillinger)

The researchers say they were surprised by two findings: first, that movement patterns in VR and AR transfer to real-world movements; and second, by how quickly the effects of AR wore off compared to VR, with study participants readjusting to real-world conditions faster after using AR.

The difference between VR and AR, they suggest, might be because people in AR can still see and interact with their actual surroundings, which helps them maintain a more accurate sense of depth and distance.

“These findings are crucial because they highlight a potential challenge in transferring skills learned in VR or AR to the real world,” says Welsh. “As more industries and training programs adopt these technologies for skill development, it's important to understand how they might affect real-world performance.

“For example, this could be relevant for training surgeons, pilots or even everyday skills like driving. Knowing the limitations and effects of VR and AR helps ensure these technologies are used effectively and safely.”

The researchers will next be exploring how different types of VR and AR experiences, like those involving more complex or immersive scenarios, affect real-world performance. They’re also interested in seeing how training duration and individual differences such as prior experience with these technologies, influence adaptation and readjustment.

“This research will help us better understand how to design VR and AR systems that minimize negative after-effects and maximize their potential for training and skill development,” Wang says.

'Etched my name in history': Kylie Masse talks to CBC about winning bronze at Paris Olympics

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 18:13:25 +0000

'Etched my name in history': Kylie Masse talks to CBC about winning bronze at Paris Olympics

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 08/09/2024 - 14:13

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(photo by Jack Guez/Getty Images)

Topic

Global Lens

Alumni

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Subheadline

U of T alumna is the first Canadian swimmer to win an individual medal in three consecutive Olympic Games

With the Paris Games set to wrap up with Sunday's closing ceremony, ��߲ݴ�ý alumna Kylie Masse says she’s proud to have secured her place in history as the first Canadian swimmer to win an individual Olympic medal in three consecutive Games, CBC reports.

Masse, who graduated from the ��߲ݴ�ý Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education in 2019, took home the bronze in the women's 200-metre backstroke final in Paris last week, adding to her impressive medal collection.

Masse first ascended the podium during her Olympic debut in Rio in 2016, clinching bronze in the 100-metre backstroke. She earned both individual and team accolades at the previous Summer Games in Tokyo, capturing silver in the women’s 100-metre and 200-metre backstroke events, alongside a bronze in the women’s 4x100-metre medley relay.

In addition to her third-place win in Paris, Masse also achieved fourth-place finishes in the 100-metre backstroke and 4x100-metre team medley.

"To really be on the podium here was my goal," Masse told CBC. "But it's also such a dream to … know that I've kind of etched my name in history."

Masse was joined by four fellow Varsity Blues alumni at the Summer Games, including badminton star Michelle Li, volleyball player Heather Bansley, and track and field competitors Jazz Shukla and Lucia Stafford.

U of T talent will also be on display at the upcoming Paralympic Games, which run from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8, with former Blues rower Alina Dumas representing Brazil as the coxswain of its PR3 coxed four crew.

U of T community members head to Paris Olympics as members of Team Canada

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 13:18:06 +0000

U of T community members head to Paris Olympics as members of Team Canada

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 07/23/2024 - 09:18

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(L-R) Former U of T Varsity Blues athletes Heather Bansley, Michelle Li, Kylie Masse, Lucia Stafford and Jazz Shukla will be competing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (photos by Essene Hernandez/Eyepix Group/LightRocket/Getty Images, Shi Tang/Getty Images, Al Bello/Getty Images, Andy Astfalck/BSR Agency/Getty Images, MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Jill Clark

Topic

Global Lens

Athletes

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Olympics

Varsity Blues

Subheadline

From swimming to track, volleyball and badminton, several former Varsity Blues athletes will head to the Games alongside key staff members

Five former Blues athletes have qualified to represent Canada at the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games this summer – and will be joined in host city Paris by several ��߲ݴ�ý staff and community members.

Four-time Olympic medalist Kylie Masse has been named a co-captain of the Canadian swimming team at the Games, which take place July 26 to Aug. 11, while former Blues badminton star Michelle Li is set to make her fourth Olympic appearance and beach volleyball player Heather Bansley qualified for her third straight Summer Games.

Track and field alumnae Jazz Shukla and Lucia Stafford are off to their first and second Games, respectively.

Meanwhile, at the Paralympic Games, which take place Aug. 28 to Sept. 8., former Varsity Blues rower Alina Dumas is set to represent Brazil as coxswain of its PR3 coxed four crew.

The athletes will be joined in Paris by several U of T staff members and alumni.

Byron MacDonald, who enters his 47th season as Varsity Blues swimming head coach this September, heads to his 10th Olympic Games as a broadcaster, while assistant head coach Linda Kiefer heads to her sixth Olympic Games as a swimming coach. Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE) alumnus and U of T staff member Ron Castro was also named a massage therapist to the Canadian swimming team.

Former Varsity Blues volleyball player and head coach Ed Drakich is set for his fifth Olympic Games as a volleyball technical official. He also represented Canada as an athlete in 1996.

Jane Thornton, Team Canada’s chief medical officer, earned her Doctor of Medicine from U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine in 2014.

Here’s a brief snapshot of the U of T community members who will be representing Canada as the Games get underway later this week:

Kylie Masse reacts after competing in the final of the women's 200m backstroke at the Canada Olympic & Paralympic Swimming Trials at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre on May 16, 2024 (Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Kylie Masse – Swimming

A member of the Varsity Blues swimming team from 2014-2019, Masse has already put together a lengthy career full of highlights ahead of a third Olympic appearance.

She claimed her first Olympic medal at the 2016 Rio Games, earning bronze in the 100-metre backstroke. She then set a new world record while winning the 100-metre backstroke at the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest.

Masse would go on to defend her 100-metre backstroke world championship at the 2019 FINA World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, propelling her to a three-medal performance at the 2020 Tokyo Games, where she took silver in both the 100-metre and 200-metre backstroke events, and added a bronze as part of Canada’s 4x100m medley relay.

During her time with the Varsity Blues, Masse went undefeated at five consecutive Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championships without losing an individual or relay race. The five-time OUA female swimmer of the year, five-time OUA first team all-star and the 2015 OUA female rookie of the year also twice won the Dr. Jeno Tihanyi award for individual medley excellence and earned major grand slams in all three backstroke events.

Michelle Li poses during the medal presentation ceremony for the women's singles gold medal badminton match during the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England (Photo by Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images)

Michelle Li – Badminton

Competing with the Varsity Blues badminton team during both the 2009-2010 and 2012-2013 seasons, Li is appearing at her fourth Olympic Games.

She made her Olympic debut at the 2012 London Games, competing in both the women’s singles and doubles events, earning an impressive fourth place result with her partner Alexandra Bruce. She then went on to qualify for both the 2016 Rio Games and 2020 Tokyo Games in the women’s singles, achieving a top 10 finish at the latter.

Among the most successful Canadian female badminton players ever, Li is a six-time Pan American Championships singles gold medalist and the first Canadian woman to win singles gold at the Commonwealth Games.

At U of T, Li helped the Varsity Blues to their first OUA championship title in 10 years, earning OUA female MVP and OUA all-star honours during the 2012-13 campaign. In that season she won both the OUA and Canadian university women’s singles titles, while partnering with Grace Gao to win the women’s doubles titles.

(L-R) Gold medalists Heather Bansley and Sophie Bukovec of Team Canada pose for photos after the women's final match of the NORCECA Olympic Beach Volleyball Qualification Tournament (photo by Essene Hernandez/Eyepix Group/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Heather Bansley – Beach Volleyball

A former Varsity Blues student-athlete between 2005-2010 and assistant coach during the 2021-22 season, Bansley is now getting set to head to her third Olympic Games as a member of Team Canada.

Considered among the best defensive players in the world, she previously competed at the 2020 Tokyo Games and the 2016 Rio Games with partner Brandie Wilkerson, placing fifth overall at both international showcases. Bansley has been a dominant player throughout her career on the FIVB beach volleyball world tour, winning the world's best defender honour three times (2018, 2016 and 2015). In 2018, she and Wilkerson reached the No. 1 ranking in the world.

While a student-athlete at U of T, Bansley was a two-time all-Canadian who finished first on the OUA and U SPORTS leader board in points, kills and serving aces per set during the 2009-2010 season. She helped lead the Blues to a provincial title and a spot in the U SPORTS national championship.

Lucia Stafford reacts during the women's 1500m heats at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 2, 2021 (photo by Li Yibo/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Lucia Stafford – Track and Field

An alumna of the Varsity Blues track and field and cross country teams between 2016-2020, Stafford will be heading to her second Olympic Games after winning her third Canadian women’s 1500-metre title. A semifinalist at the 2020 Tokyo Games, Stafford recently set a new Canadian record in the women’s 2000-metre in her Diamond League debut, breaking the previous mark set 30 years ago by Angela Chalmers.

While with the Blues, Stafford was named both U of T’s T-Holders’ female athlete of the year and the OUA female athlete of the year across all sports in her senior season. She earned individual OUA and U SPORTS gold medals, an OUA silver with the women’s cross country team, nine provincial medals and 10 national medals with the track and field team across her four seasons of competition.

Jazz Shukla prepares for the start of the women's 800m semi-final heat three during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary on Aug. 25, 2023 (photo by Li Yibo/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Jazz Shukla – Track and Field

A Varsity Blues track and field and cross country athlete between 2016 and 2022, Shukla qualified for her first Olympic Games after winning the Canadian women’s 800-metre title. After a steady ascent up the rankings since graduating from U of T, her 1:58.20 time at the Canadian Olympic trials marked the second fastest trials time in North America.

Since jumping back into competition in the 800-metre event in 2022, Shukla has continued to improve her time with each outing. She most recently competed at the 2023 Canadian National Championships, 2023 World Championships and 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships.

Shukla’s time at U of T coincided with impressive results and recognition. With the cross country team, she earned U SPORTS first team all-Canadian and OUA first team all-star honours in 2021.

Incoming U of T post-doc to research how body image affects sport participation

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 14:47:35 +0000

Incoming U of T post-doc to research how body image affects sport participation

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 07/11/2024 - 10:47

Cutline

A recipient of a Provost's Postdoctoral Fellowship, Chelsi Ricketts is passionate about promoting inclusive sport and physical activity environments for all (supplied image)

Jelena Damjanovic

Topic

Our Community

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Research & Innovation

Subheadline

Chelsi Ricketts will carry out her research at the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education's Mental Health and Physical Activity Research Centre

For Chelsi Ricketts, research on body image is a scholarly interest borne out of personal experiences. She participated in track, her brother is a collegiate athlete and her father was a competitive bodybuilder.

“Growing up, I was fascinated by my father's drive and discipline in the pursuit of muscularity and my brother's effortless prowess in the triple jump,” says Ricketts. “These experiences made me more aware of the incredible functions one's body can perform when engaged in sport and physical activity, increasing the likelihood of developing a positive body image.”

But Ricketts knows all too well that not everybody appreciates their body’s potential in sport settings – she dropped out of sport in high school due to body image concerns. As a researcher, she now strives to promote inclusive and welcoming sport and physical activity environments for all, regardless of body shape, size or weight.

Rickets is a recipient of the ��߲ݴ�ý’s 2024 Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, an annual fellowship program provides funding to support the hiring of post-doctoral fellows from under-represented groups, specifically Indigenous and/or Black researchers. She will work with Professor Catherine Sabiston in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE) to explore how sex and gender intersect with body size, shape and weight diversity to influence sport participation among Canadian girls.

This qualitative research will inform the initial phase of a quantitative study that will identify key research priorities for understanding and addressing body shape and weight diversity in Canadian youth sports. The findings will also be integrated with data from a larger grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to explain how intersecting identities impact sport participation.

“I am thrilled to join U of T's dynamic research community, grow my scholarly profile and foster meaningful connections,” says Ricketts. “I was also drawn to this project because of the critical lens through which it will examine and address these issues.”

Ricketts says she’s passionate about work that amplifies the voices of under-represented groups and challenges inequities. “This is especially significant to me as a woman of Afro-Caribbean descent, a group historically under-represented in scholarly discourse.”

For her PhD dissertation in the department of kinesiology at Michigan State University, Ricketts examined the role of positive body image in the sport confidence and performance of Jamaican and Botswanan athletes.

The project aimed to understand the adaptive aspects of athlete body image and their implications for positive sport experiences and outcomes. Additionally, it sought to foster interconnectedness between two under-studied populations to offer transferable insights for promoting positive outcomes and experiences.

“A key takeaway was the potential to enhance sport confidence and performance among Jamaican and Botswanan athletes by fostering appreciation for their body's form and functionality,” says Ricketts. “When athletes value their bodies and their capabilities, they can approach their sport with greater confidence, leading to improved performance.”

Ricketts says she’s long been impressed by the research produced in Sabiston’s Mental Health and Physical Activity Research Centre. “Working with her offers unparalleled training opportunities and I look forward to immersing myself in a field of research that I am deeply passionate about.”

Sabiston notes she was aware of Ricketts’ promise as a researcher before she applied for the Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, even inviting her to lab meetings. “Chelsi presented at the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity annual conference [in June] and after her presentation, I had many people come up to me and suggest I approach her for a post-doctoral fellowship,” says Sabiston, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity and Mental Health. “I made a lot of sport and exercise psychology colleagues happy when I acknowledged we have already connected.

“Chelsi’s experience in global research specific to body image and sport performance and participation and her expertise in cross-cultural research and partnerships will be valuable for helping me lead specific research aims within the SSHRC Partnership Grant-funded Rethink Sport Project.”

As for Ricketts, she says she is grateful to Sabiston and KPE for the opportunity. “Collaborating with scholars who share my research interests is invigorating, and there is no better city for this experience than Toronto,” says Ricketts, who visited the city for the first time last summer. “As a Jamaican, I find comfort in the fact that in Toronto, I will have opportunities to connect with other Jamaican communities and enjoy authentic Jamaican music and cuisine.”

Federal funding linked to more medals for Canadian Olympians – but less participation in grassroots sport: Study

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 17:19:55 +0000

Federal funding linked to more medals for Canadian Olympians – but less participation in grassroots sport: Study

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 07/09/2024 - 13:19

Cutline

Canadian federal funding in sport is associated with more medals for Olympians like Andre DeGrasse, gold medalist in the men's 200-metre sprint at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and reduced participation in sport among recreational athletes, according to U of T researchers (photo by Ina Fassbender/AFP/Getty Images)

Jelena Damjanovic

Topic

Breaking Research

Centre for Sport Policy Studies

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Olympics

Research & Innovation

Sports

Subheadline

A research report from the Faculty of Kinesiology & Public Education examines the relationship between federal funding, Olympic success and participation in sports

Federal funding for sport is associated with Canadian athletes winning more Olympic medals – but this comes at the cost of reduced participation in grassroots recreational and competitive sport.

That’s according to a report from the Centre for Sport Policy Studies at the ��߲ݴ�ý’s Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education that delves into the relationship between high-performance sport and grassroot participation.

The research calls into question the notion that funding of high-performance sport – and resulting success of elite athletes on the world stage – has a “trickle-down” effect by inspiring people to participate in sport and physical activity.

“We do not dispute that excellent performances by national athletes are inspirational. However, the effect of inspiration on increasing participation is far less clear,” says Peter Donnelly, a professor emeritus of sport policy and politics at the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, who co-authored the report with Bruce Kidd, professor emeritus of sport and public policy and former Olympian.

The researchers argue that inspiration is not enough to break down the barriers that prevent many young people from participating in sport. “Family income, gender/sexuality, (dis)ability, geographical location and other factors can all, individually and in combination, have an enabling or a constraining effect on the possibilities of participating in organized sports,” says Kidd.

The researchers used data on sport participation, Sport Canada’s annual budgets and statistics on Olympics medals won by Canadian athletes since 1988 to examine the relationships between participation in sports, funding and Olympic successes.

“Prior to 1970, the federal government tried to invest in high-performance sport, broadly based participation and physical education in equal measure, and made multi-year shared-cost grants to the provinces and territories to assist with broad-based participation,” says Kidd. “In 1970, it established Sport Canada with a high-performance mandate and unilaterally withdrew from its support of provincial and territorial programs.”

This led to an ongoing decline in participation in organized, competitive sport among Canadians over 15 years of age – from 44 per cent in 1990 to around 27 per cent today.

While there are other factors that can help to explain this decline, including an aging population and rising costs of participation, the researchers point to shifting federal priorities and the structure of Canadian sport policy as the reasons for increased investments in international sport success and decreased investments in grassroots participation.

“Data in other countries show a similar pattern – more money means more medals, and medals cost a lot,” says Donnelly.

In the 16 years since the Beijing 2008 Olympics, the Sport Canada budget has more than doubled, now sitting at more than a quarter of a billion dollars each year, according to the report.

”As other countries in the ‘sporting arms race’ increase their budgets and expectations, it will cost more and more money just to stay in the same place in the Olympic medal table,” says Donnelly.

“This has the potential to distort a national sport system in two ways: First, most funding is directed to those sports where national sport leaders see the greatest chance of being able to win medals; and second, the vast majority of government funding for sport tends to go to high-performance sport.”

The researchers offer the following solutions in their report:

Survey national, provincial and territorial sport organizations to determine their capacity to incorporate new participants.
Develop an ‘open house’ strategy during and immediately following major Games for the public to try out different sports, with coaches, athletes and – where possible – former Olympians present to talk about their sports.
Target children and youth; low-income individuals; Indigenous, ethnocultural and immigrant communities; and, for certain sports, persons with a disability and older individuals looking for a form of physical activity.
Re-invigorate school physical education programs, intramural and extracurricular sports; engage coalitions of sport organizations in offering free basic skills development programs for those past school age.
Ensure widespread publicity for the participation initiatives.
Develop a clear subsequent use policy for major Games facilities that includes grassroots participation, similar to the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, jointly managed by the City of Toronto and U of T.
Develop an evaluation strategy to determine the success of participation initiatives introduced in association with major Games.

The researchers say they are encouraged by the recent announcement by Carla Qualtrough, Canada’s minister of sport and physical activity, that she will review the Canadian sport system and recommend options for reform.

“People may be inspired by the achievements of high-performance athletes,” says Donnelly. “However, if the material and structural conditions of participation are the same after the Games as they were before, then all the claims of a legacy of increased participation become empty promises.”

A lifelong advocate for Indigenous Peoples, Wilton Littlechild receives U of T honorary degree

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 20:04:17 +0000

A lifelong advocate for Indigenous Peoples, Wilton Littlechild receives U of T honorary degree Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 06/06/2024 - 16:04

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(photo by Steve Frost)

Scott Anderson

Topic

Our Community

Convocation 2024

Faculty of Information

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Honorary Degree

Indigenous

Truth and Reconciliation

As a youth, Wilton Littlechild, like so many Indigenous children, was removed from his home and sent to a nearby residential school. Since then, he has devoted much of his life to helping others overcome the legacy of this experience and promoting respect and justice for Indigenous Peoples in Canada and around the world.

Today, in recognition of his inspirational and transformative advocacy for Indigenous rights and human rights, Littlechild will receive a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from the ��߲ݴ�ý.

Born in Hobbema, Alta. (now Maskwacis) in 1944, Littlechild was initially raised by his grandparents in the Ermineskin Cree Nation and taught the traditional ways of the Cree people. At the age of six, he was taken from his family and placed at a nearby residential school; he later attended others. In an interview with Cultural Survival, he recalled the physical abuse he experienced at the schools and the trauma of being separated from family.

“Your family bond, if not broken, is really stretched to the limit,” he said.

At school, he wasn’t allowed to speak his own language or practise his own culture. “They were outlawed completely,” he said. Nor was he permitted to see his siblings, even though they attended the same school.

To escape this grim reality, he started jogging – several kilometres around the school compound – every night. “I didn’t know why I was doing it and often times I’d break down and cry, but after I finished the run, I would feel better,” he said at an event last year at U of T’s Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education. “Sport became my escape and my salvation … it gave me an opportunity to go to university and play, to compete and travel the world.”

(photo by Steve Frost)

Littlechild came to believe so strongly in the power of sport for personal advancement that he founded and coached the first all-Indigenous junior hockey team in Alberta, and helped establish the North American Indigenous Games and, later, the World Indigenous Games. “Finding that balance between looking after your physical health and your mental health, and being proud of who you are culturally, provides a wholesome foundation for life,” he said.

Littlechild excelled at hockey, swimming and baseball. At the University of Alberta, he swam competitively and played on the hockey team, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1967. He went on to get a master’s in the subject and then enrolled at law school, becoming the first status Indian from Alberta ever to earn a degree in law in 1976.

After graduating, Littlechild established a law practice on Ermineskin reserve and in 1977 was invited to be part of the Indigenous delegation that contributed to the writing of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

That experience marked the beginning of a lifetime of advocacy for Indigenous rights in Canada and around the world. In 1981, he appeared before British courts to make a case against patriating the Canadian constitution until it included guarantees of Indigenous rights.

He decided to run for federal office, and in 1988 was elected as a Progressive Conservative in the riding of Wetaskiwin, Alta, becoming the first MP ever to hold Treaty Indian status. Years later, in Saskatchewan, he chaired a commission to investigate and make recommendations about the treatment of First Nations and Métis people by that province’s police and justice system. Its final report, issued in 2004, made more than 100 recommendations to address systemic racism against Indigenous people.

Not long after, Littlechild was named a commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Its final report, released in 2015, argued that the residential school program had resulted in cultural genocide. It made 94 Calls to Action. At the time, he told Cultural Survival that he saw the role as “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to contribute to building a better Canada – one that is inclusive of everyone.”

In the Cree language, “reconciliation” is called Miyowahkotowin, which translates as “having good relations.” Sometimes, Littlechild said in the same interview, that means letting go of a bad experience and practising forgiveness. “There needs to be the truth, an apology, forgiveness and a sense of justice. Then we can talk about true reconciliation.”

For his advocacy for Indigenous rights and the advancement of Indigenous peoples, Littlechild has received numerous awards. He was made a member of the Order of Canada in 1998 and was promoted to companion in 2023. He received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and an Indspire Award for law and justice. In 2018, he was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.

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A lifelong advocate for Indigenous Peoples, Wilton Littlechild receives U of T honorary degree