The calibration and application of an individual scrummaging ergometer

Although the characteristic morphology of rugby forwards playing different positions in the rugby scrum has been well documented, a complete picture of the force characteristics that different players produce has not been evaluated. This is especially true for the movement of the centre of pressure (CoP) elicited during scrummaging in a forward direction. An individual scrummaging ergometer was therefore developed to measure the CoP of an individual scrum action using conventional torque calculations. Calibration of the measurement system revealed measured force errors within 16.6 N of the actual force and errors of less than 3.96 mm for CoP location determination. Thirty-nine club level rugby union players (22 front rows, 11 locks and six back rows) scrummed against the ergometer on an outdoor rugby field. Differences between the three groups were tested using one-way ANOVAs. The maximum force for different players was 2253.6 ± 649.0 N over the entire subject group. There were no differences in the individual compressive force between the groups [front rows: 2404.0 ± 650.3 N; locks: 2185.6 ± 568.9 N; back rows: 1826.9 ± 670.2 N (p = 0.143)]. Individually, front rows started at a higher position than back rows (p = 0.009) and were at a higher vertical position than locks when producing maximum force (p = 0.028). Front rows had lower variation in the CoP (p = 0.044) and less movement to achieve their maximum force (p = 0.020) than locks. Front rows moved less overall than back rows (p = 0.028) during the scrum trial. The design and application of the individual scrum ergometer showed with good limits of agreement that differences in force magnitude and CoP exist within scrummaging players. Practically, the application of this ergometer may assist in the individual optimisation of scrummaging performance.     

Physiological responses to 1000-m ergometer time-trial performance in outrigger canoeing

Abstract

Graded exercise tests are commonly used to assess peak physiological capacities of athletes. However, unlike time trials, these tests do not provide performance information. The aim of this study was to examine the peak physiological responses of female outrigger canoeists to a 1000-m ergometer time trial and compare the time-trial performance to two graded exercise tests performed at increments of 7.5 W each minute and 15 W each two minutes respectively. 17 trained female outrigger canoeists completed the time trial on an outrigger canoe ergometer with heart rate (HR), stroke rate, power output, and oxygen consumption ([Vdot]O₂) determined every 15 s. The mean (± s) time-trial time was 359 ± 33 s, with a mean power output of 65 ± 16 W and mean stroke rate of 56 ± 4 strokes · min^?1. Mean values for peak [Vdot]O₂, peak heart rate, and mean heart rate were 3.17 ± 0.67 litres · min^?1, 177 ± 11 beats · min^?1, and 164 ± 12 beats · min^?1 respectively. Compared with the graded exercise tests, the time-trial elicited similar values for peak heart rate, peak power output, peak blood lactate concentration, and peak [Vdot]O₂. As a time trial is sport-specific and can simultaneously quantify sprint performance and peak physiological responses in outrigger canoeing, it is suggested that a time trial be used by coaches for crew selection as it doubles as a reliable performance measure and a protocol for monitoring peak aerobic capacity of female outrigger canoeists.     

Higher education: Paradise lost?

Universities in many cultures and times have had golden ages the most recent throughout the Western World lasted from the end of World War II to about 1970. Now the prevailing mood is one of pessimism: the golden age is over. In fact, however, universal access postsecondary education is healthy and continuing to grow in most nations; mass access higher education is generally static; and it is the elite sector of higher education that most suffers a decline in prestige, in faculty morale, in rate of growth of enrollments and financing, in independence, and in other ways. The paper analyzes some of the reasons for the comparative decline of the elite sector, including (1) the historical transition from elite to mass access to universal higher education, (2) the politicization of higher education, and (3) the increasing submergence of higher education under external social controls. The author argues that elite, or highly selective, higher education is useful for the creation of knowledge and for training the highly skilled persons needed by modern nations and economies, and suggests that a differentiated system of postsecondary education, such as exists in some countries now, is essential for its survival. Differentiated by function, the different segments are also distinguished by different levels of admission requirements, principles for selection of faculty, levels of financial support, amount of institutional autonomy, and the relative importance of academic freedom. A series of guidelines are suggested for the preservation of an effective highly selective segment.Adapted from an address given in connection with the ceremonies commemorating the 500th Anniversary of the founding of Uppsala University, September 1977.     

Why we all want it to work: towards a culturally based model for technology and educational change

This paper explores reasons why the use of technology in education may be so attractive to so many people. Two emerging perspectives—memetics, and the social history of technology—are explored, and a typology of technology‐as‐cultural‐tool is presented. Finally, implications of these ideas for educational change are considered.