Heritage sporting events: theoretical development and configurations

ABSTRACT

Although sports heritage is increasingly recognized as a potential catalyst of tourism, heritage sporting events (HSEs) are still an emerging concept in the academic literature. Notions that associate sports events and heritage remain rare, and are usually analysed through the scope of nostalgia sport tourism. This can be partly explained by an inclination to associate the notion of heritage with conventional ideas about folklore and traditional culture. Through a constructivist approach of heritage, this contribution argues that contemporary sports events, which would generally have competition as their primary focus, might also be perceived as HSEs. A comprehensive framework, built on a multi-disciplinary literature review, is presented to show the process that transforms an initial resource (a sports event) into an accomplished resource (a HSE), which might represent a competitive advantage for the territory. A qualitative–comparative analysis is conducted among 24 sports events in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, to observe the configurations of HSEs and understand which characteristics are necessary for the perceptions of a sports event as a heritage good. Interestingly, this contribution shows that if the event needs to be sustainable in the territory to be perceived as a HSE, it is not sufficient. Indeed, a differentiation strategy should be set up to distinguish the event from other more or less similar events, to be perceived as an authentic feature of the territory by the local population.     

New media environments’ comparative effects upon intercultural sensitivity: A five-dimensional analysis

An experimental 2 (channel) × 2 (gender) × 3 (time) mixed factorial design (N = 159) was applied to test and compare how individual dimensions of intercultural sensitivity might be affected by two channels: a virtual environment (i.e., Second Life^®) versus a Web environment. Using a modified version of Chen and Starosta's Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS), the study sought to identify which of the five ISS dimensions played the most influential role in intercultural sensitivity outcomes: interaction enjoyment, interaction engagement, interaction confidence, interaction attentiveness, or respect for cultural differences. Results showed that one's willingness and effort toward understanding an intercultural interaction – interaction attentiveness – played the greatest and most statistically significant role in intercultural sensitivity outcomes, and that this effect was greatest within the virtual environment channel. Gender effects were also found, in which men experienced greater enjoyment but women expressed more attentiveness.     

Physical Activity Practices in Elementary Schools and Associations With Physical Education Staffing and Training

Purpose: Authorities recommend that schools provide a variety of opportunities for students to obtain physical activity (PA) before, during, and after school. This study assessed the prevalence of several school PA practices—including measures of quantity and quality of physical education (PE)—in elementary schools and examined the associations of PA practices with school resources (PE staffing, training, and facilities). Method: Surveys were obtained from respondents in nationally representative samples of elementary schools from 2009–2010 to 2011–2012 (1,831 schools). Results: Few schools (20.8%) provided students with PE class every day, but most (76.3%) had an appropriate PE student-to-teacher ratio ( ≤ 25:1). Many schools (74.0%) offered 20 min of recess daily, but fewer than half offered organized opportunities for PA before or after school (e.g., sports). After controlling for demographics and school size, having a full-time PE teacher and requiring PE teachers to obtain PE-related continuing education (CE) were associated with PE practices such as offering ≥ 150 min of PE per week (for 3rd-grade students) and testing PE knowledge, skills, and fitness. Required CE was also associated with a higher likelihood of offering PA during the school day (i.e., activity breaks and PA outside of PE class) and before or after the school day (i.e., afterschool PA programs). Conclusion: Few schools offer a broad array of PA programming. However, PE staffing and CE are positively associated with many PA practices including those outside of PE, possibly indicating that PE staff serve a crucial role in promoting a whole-school PA-supportive environment.     

Effect of Practice on True Score and Intra-Individual Variability for Reaction and Movement Times for Simple and Complex Movements

Abstract

The effect of practice on individual differences and intra-individual variability in reaction and movement times were studied for simple and complex, discrete, motor tasks. Changes with practice for intertrial correlations of adjacent trials and the effects of an increasing number of interpolated trials on intertrial correlations were also observed. For both tasks and for both reaction and movement times, the intra-individual variability decreased with practice. The true score variability for reaction time on both tasks and for movement time on the simple task shows little change with practice. On the complex task, true score variability for movement time decreases with practice. For movement time, adjacent trial correlations increase during the early practice trials then remain stable. For reaction time adjacent trial correlations increase throughout practice. Remoteness effects on intertrial correlations were found for both movement and reaction times for both tasks.     

Lifestyles and gendered patterns of leisure and sporting interests among Irish adolescents

This paper strives to provide an insight into the multifaceted relationships that young people have, examining the social, cultural and institutional discourses, which shape their lives. We set out to discuss, from an empirical poststructuralist perspective, the way in which Irish adolescents write about the reality of their lives and privilege certain practices and forms of subjectivity. We are particularly interested in the role and significance of physical activity in the lives of young people, asking what institutional and cultural discourses are brought into play to construct particular identities and social practices associated with leisure and sporting interests. This paper focuses on a purposeful sample of 168 written narratives of Irish post-primary students (14–17 years of age), chosen to represent the gender of students, a range of rural and urban school locales from different geographic locations and single sex and co-educational schools. We focus on the inter-relationships between (1) family and friends; (2) community-localism and tradition; (3) commodification and globalisation; (4) popular culture; and (5) gendered patterns of leisure and sporting interests. The family is a strong focal point for these young people as are their friends and being part of a community. The young people (boys in particular) are significant consumers of ‘media sport’ and both girls and boys were knowledgeable of national and international politics. We also comment on the extent to which female and male adolescents negotiate, similarly or differently, culturally dominant discourses within physical activity and sport, with significantly more boys choosing to write about physical activity and sport in their narratives.     

Alterations in Strength and Maximal Oxygen Uptake Consequent to Nautilus Circuit Weight Training

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a Nautilus circuit weight training program on muscular strength and maximal oxygen uptake ([Vdot]O ₂ max) by comparing these effects to those produced by adhering to either a free weight (FW) strength training program or a running (R) program. Male college students who voluntarily enrolled in either a FW training class (n = 11), a Nautilus (N) circuit weight training class (n= 12), or a R conditioning class (n= 13) were subjects for this investigation. All groups participated in their respective programs 3 days per week for 10 weeks. Strength was assessed using a Cybex II isokinetic dynamometer set at an angular velocity of 60° · s ^?1 and a damping of 2. The FW group served as the control group for the assessment of [Vdot]O ₂ max changes, while the R group served as controls for the assessment of strength differences. ANCOVA revealed that the N and R groups experienced significant (p < .01) increases in [Vdot]O ₂ max expressed in L · min ^?1 (10.9 and 11.4%), ml · kg ^?1 · min ^?1 (10.8 and 11.7%), and ml · kgLBW ^?1 · min ^?1 (7.1 and 7.5%) when compared to the FW group. There were no significant differences between the N and R groups. There were no significant differences among groups in final peak torque values (after covariance), and torque at the beginning and end of the range of motion for the knee extensors, knee flexors, elbow extensors, and elbow flexors. In general, isokinetic strength values elicited by the N group compared favorably to those generated by the FW group. It was concluded that for a training period of short duration, Nautilus circuit weight training appears to be an equally effective alternative to standard free weight (strength) and aerobic (endurance) training programs for untrained individuals.