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The relative age effect (RAE) describes the physical and cognitive (dis)advantages experienced by athletes based upon when their birthdate falls relative to a pre-established cut-off date. Despite RAEs being present in a number of sports, few studies have explored how relative age influences the positive youth development (PYD) of athletes. This study examined the mechanisms that facilitate and hinder athletes' acquisition of PYD outcomes and whether these are influenced by relative age. A secondary objective included determining how athletes employed these skills in other contexts. Twenty competitive female ice hockey players were interviewed (mage = 17. 2 years). Thematic analyses revealed that all athletes, regardless of their relative age, developed a range of PYD outcomes in the personal, physical, and social domains, and have applied these skills in a variety of contexts outside of sport. Across relative younger and older athletes, three interrelated themes emerged and served as the overarching mechanisms that facilitated or hindered athletes' development of PYD outcomes: the social features of the sport environment, the structure of female travel/rep ice hockey, and negative ice hockey experiences. Our findings have implications for creating sport environments that foster PYD. Keywords: positive youth development; relative age effect; female ice hockey; negative developmental experiences; qualitative research, Within sport, it is common practice for athletes to be categorized by chronological age (Baker et al., 2010; Musch & Grondin, 2001) to ensure fairness in competition, age-appropriate instruction, and [...]

Relative age effects (RAEs) explain the (dis)advantages individuals experience as a result of when they are born relative to a pre-determined cut-off date. Within an interuniversity setting, academic timing (AT) may moderate the RAE pattern due to some student-athletes having eligibility years that do not correspond with their birth years. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of the RAE and AT on interuniversity football players. A series of chi-square goodness of fit tests (?2) revealed no RAE when all student-athletes were analyzed together as well as among those who were delayed (i.e. eligibility years that correspond with a younger cohort), and a traditional RAE among those who were on-time (i.e. eligibility years that correspond with their year of birth). Student-athletes ranged between 1 and 12 years delayed, with the majority of these athletes being delayed by one (30.76%) or two years (30.97%). This study suggests that there may be advantages to student-athletes delaying their participation within football, as these delays may help mitigate the overall RAE by equalizing playing opportunities for relatively younger student-athletes. However, delaying eligibility raises concerns about equity, particularly for those progressing to interuniversity football directly out of high school who may have to compete for roster spots against student-athletes who may be up to 12 years delayed.

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In an attempt to offset the widespread anticipated impact of aging populations, active aging programs have become nearly ubiquitous in Western society. Nonetheless, older adults tend to remain relatively inactive. The perspectives of older adults constitute a key resource to help guide active aging efforts. Moreover, gender-sensitized and ecological approaches to physical activity programming may contribute markedly to the efficacy and inclusiveness of such initiatives. Considering the paucity of research regarding older men's suggestions for physical activity programs, this study involved semistructured interviews to ascertain the perceptions among 19 older men (aged 75–90 years). Through a thematic analysis, seven key attributes emerged that participants believed physical activity programs should possess: affordable, available, accessible, adapted, alternative, accompanied, and awareness. The complexities and implications pertaining to these attributes are discussed in the context of ecological theory and ideals of masculinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current investigation examined the impact of academic timing and the relative age effect (RAE) in men's and women's intercollegiate basketball. Academic timing is particularly important in the context of intercollegiate sport, and has received very little attention since Glamser and Marciani (1992) introduced the topic in this journal more than two decades ago. When a student's actual athletic eligibility year is consistent with her or his anticipated athletic eligibility year (based on year of birth), she or he is classified as 'on-time.' Those whose actual athletic eligibility years coincide with a younger age cohort are categorized as 'delayed.' The birthdates of 475 female and 429 male National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 basketball players were collected from the rosters of top-ranked teams and identified as either on-time or delayed based on their birth date and eligibility status. Chi-square goodness of fits tests ([X.sup.2]) were used to compare the distribution of birthdates for the female and male student-athletes with that expected within the United States across each quartile. The analyses revealed that on-time student-athletes were more commonly born in the early months of the selection year whereas delayed student-athletes were more likely to be born in the latter months. Our results suggest that on-time student-athletes born late in the selection year are disadvantaged and that delaying entrance to university may be an option for equalizing the playing field and/or gaining an advantage., Children are traditionally placed into age cohorts as an organizational strategy within educational and sport systems. This categorization is an attempt to ensure equal opportunity and fairness, yet evidence suggests [...]

A major concern in the context of aging populations is improving patterns of active leisure involvement. However, there is insufficient knowledge pertaining to the relationship between successful aging and active leisure. Preliminary evidence indicates older Canadian women have varying beliefs about the ways they can age successfully and the role physical activity may have in this process. To more fully inform health promotion initiatives, the current study explored the related perspectives of 19 older Canadian men (75–90 years of age) who varied in their level of physical activity involvement. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed through the use of standard coding and comparison procedures. Overall, older men appeared to also use multiple perspectives to frame the intersection of successful aging and physically active leisure. Researchers, practitioners, and policy makers should be aware of these nuances so that aging-related programs and policies may be tailored accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the moderating effects of academic timing on the relative age effect in men's and women's U Sports (formerly Canadian Interuniversity Sports) volleyball. Interuniversity sport exists within an academic setting and encompasses different age groups within a single team, making it necessary to account for the academic timing of student athletes when studying the relative age effect. To be considered "on-time," a student athlete's birthdate and expected athletic eligibility status must coincide, while a "delayed" student athlete will have an athletic eligibility corresponding with a younger cohort. We collected birthdates and eligibility years from the U Sports eligibility certificates of 2,780 male and 3,715 female athletes for the years 2006–2007 through 2013–2014; we then classified athletes as either on-time or delayed. We used a chi-square (χ2) goodness-of-fit tests to compare the observed distributions of student athletes' actual versus "expected" births across each quartile. Our analyses demonstrated an advantage for athletes born in the first half of the selection year. These results suggest that delaying entry into university may help equalize the playing field for relatively younger athletes wishing to compete in U Sports volleyball. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]