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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 purpose of this paper is to examine the talk of older athletes, with particular focus on how the context of sport helps them negotiate the ageing process. It draws on personal stories provided by 44 World Masters Games competitors (23 women; 21 men; aged 56-90 years; "M" = 72). Four themes emerged: "There's no such thing as old" (a story of avoiding old age); "Keep moving" (a story of fighting the ageing process); "Fun, fitness, friendship... [and] competing" (a story of redefining self and "old age") and; "Making the most of your life... with the capabilities that you still have" (a story of adaptation and acceptance). Together, the four themes show how through sports participation older individuals can simultaneously resist, redefine and accept the ageing process. These stories of a "sporting later life" allow for alternative meanings to the dominant "declining body" narrative of ageing. Therefore, these narratives present the possibility for personal, pedagogical and social transformation.

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 [...]

Previous research suggests that seniors' short-term performance is affected by stereotype threat--defined as a situation in which an individual is at risk of confirming a negative characterization about one's group. The current study attempted to replicate and extend these findings to areas of cognitive and physical functioning considered important to seniors' quality of life and known to decline with age. In total, 99 seniors were tested on six dependent measures: recall performance, reaction time, grip strength, flexibility, walking speed, and self-concept. While seniors were affected by the stereotype intervention, they suffered no performance decrements on the main dependent measures. This raises the intriguing possibility that a certain segment of seniors may be immune to popular stereotypes of aging. (Contains 3 tables.)

This paper reports the results of two studies. The purpose of the first study was to determine if lifestyle variables and past involvement in physical activity was related to current activity levels in master athletes and sedentary older adults. Retrospective interviews were conducted with 12 master athletes and 12 sedentary older adults. Results demonstrated that education level, spouse participation, smoking, and recent physical activity levels were indicators of current involvement. The second study investigated the reliability of the data collected in the retrospective interviews. Similar to results with younger samples, we confirm that lifestyle variables and physical activity involvement could be accurately recalled for a period of 25 years, making this tool a useful addition for the study of physical activity in older adults. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)

Research suggests there is a connection between stereotypes, beliefs, and behavior in older individuals. To explore this link of stereotypes affecting beliefs and beliefs affecting behavior, we interviewed young (age 60 to 75) seniors in an effort to further examine these relationships. Semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 seniors. Questions focused on the broad themes of aging stereotypes and attitudes towards active living. Responses from the participants indicated the variety of opinions and beliefs seniors hold about the aging process. Intriguing results emerged on the topic of role models. Participants often had someone in their lives who represented what it means to age successfully. Generally, this was an individual older than themselves, active, vigorous, and illustrative of the high quality of life that is possible into a very late age. In addition, these individuals provide a direct contrast to the most negative stereotypes of aging. (Contains 1 table.)

Sport scientists have examined numerous factors influencing the acquisition and manifestation of high levels of performance. These factors can be divided into variables having a primary influence on expertise and variables that have a secondary influence through their interaction with other variables. Primary influences on expertise include genetic, training, and psychological factors while secondary influences include socio-cultural and contextual elements. This paper reviews the factors affecting the development of expert performance in sport and suggests directions for future research.

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 investigation makes three noteworthy contributions to literature on the Relative Age Effect (RAE); 1) it adds to the small number of studies in women's sports, 2) it is one of very few papers to examine the RAE in intercollegiate athletics, and 3) it (re-)introduces "academic timing" to the discussion of RAEs in this context. The 50 top-ranked NCAA Division I women's softball teams at the conclusion of the 2011 season served as the focus for this investigation. Student-athletes were grouped into quartiles according to their birth date and identified as "on-time" or "academically delayed" based on their birth year and eligibility status. On-time student-athletes were over four times more likely to be born in quartile one than in quartile four, demonstrating a traditional RAE. This pattern was reversed for those who were academically delayed, with quartile four birth dates constituting more than half of the entire sample. [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]

Demographic studies indicate a remarkable aging trend in North America. An accurate profile of the decline in physical and cognitive capabilities over time is essential to our understanding of the aging process. This study examined the maintenance of skilled performance across the careers of 96 professional golfers. Data were collected on scoring average, driving distance, driving accuracy, greens in regulation, putts per round, and number of competitive rounds played using online data archives. Analyses indicate that performance in this activity can be maintained to a greater extent than in activities relying on biologically constrained abilities. Although the generalizability of these results to "normal" aging populations is not known, they suggest that acquired skills can be maintained to a large extent in the face of advancing age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]