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The encounter of American Protestant evangelicalism and Japanese imperialism formed in Korean society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries became a steppingstone for the acceptance of modern winter sports in Korea. In particular, skates introduced by American Protestant missionaries and the Young Men's Christian Association formed an imaginary space to counter Japanese imperialism in Korea during Japanese colonial era. Ice hockey introduced along with skating is a representative product that evolved in this process. The history of the introduction of American ice hockey to Korea also had a dual imperial influence between the United States and Japan, and in another direction, there was a voluntary acceptance process by Koreans who recognized ice hockey as a modern product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The early history of basketball and its diffusion to Scotland is yet to be fully acknowledged and recorded. Two themes are addressed in this article: the spread of basketball worldwide and the process of its translocation to a new country; and whether it was voluntarily accepted or culturally imposed or both upon its new host. Some of the preliminary contributions to knowledge about the global diffusion of basketball during its infancy are added to and reimagined, with a specific focus regarding the arrival and infancy of basketball in Scotland. Based on a body of empirical evidence from the British Newspaper Archive alongside the Archive and Special Collection at Springfield College in conjunction with secondary sources which document the inception of basketball in Britain and Scotland, four potential entry points and groups who were responsible for translocating basketball to Scotland are examined. The four: Hampstead College graduates; Scottish-based Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) workers; Scottish sojourners; and Mormon Missionaries. In the process, other possibilities including Springfield graduates and James Naismith are disregarded. To start, the origins of basketball in the United States and its Scottish connections are outlined, before denoting the inception of basketball in the United Kingdom and Scotland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the historical significance of Jang Gwon's activities in the sport promotion carried out by Korea's YMCA. At its birth, the Korean YMCA's sport promotion was closely linked with the Korean nationalist movement under Japanese colonial rule, and this link was most evident around 1920, when Jang Gwon worked as a judo master. Citing the Sokol movement in Czechoslovakia, Jang Gwon took initiatives to enlighten Korean people's consciousness and popularize sports, including judo and basketball, across the country through the Korean YMCA's sport promotion. In particular, Jang Gwon introduced modern judo--formally known as Gangdogwan (Kodokan judo), initiated by Jigoro Kano--in Korea and took initiatives to establish the Korean Basketball Association and the Korean Basketball Referee Association. Through the Korean YMCA's sport promotion, Jang Gwon motivated the Korean people to aspire to liberation and independence from Japanese colonial rule. Moreover, amid the prevailing social climate, in which physical activities were discouraged due to the influence of Neo-Confucianism, he provided a paradigm shift that called for "sport for all," which enabled the modernization of sports and physical education in Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article reconstructs the history of the Indian YMCA's Orientalist knowledge production in an attempt to capture a significant, if forgotten, transitional moment in the production and dissemination of scholarship on the religions and cultures of the Indian subcontinent. The YMCA's three Orientalist book series examined here flourished from the 1910s to the 1930s and represent a kind of third-stream approach to the study of South Asia. Inspired by the Christian fulfillment theory, "Y Orientalism" was at pains to differentiate itself from older polemical missionary writings. It also distanced itself from the popular "spiritual Orientalism" advocated by the Theosophical Society and from the philologically inclined "academic Orientalism" pursued in the Sanskrit departments of Western universities. The interest of the series' authors in the region's present and the multifarious facets of its "little traditions," living languages, arts, and cultures, as well as their privileging of knowledge that was generated "in the field" rather than in distant Western libraries, was unusual. Arguably, it anticipated important elements of the "area studies" approach to the Indian subcontinent that became dominant in Anglophone academia after the Second World War. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on an evidenced-based review and report by the United States Lifeguard Standards Coalition (USLSC). It says that the project was sponsored by American Red Cross and U.S. Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA). Moreover, it aims to improve the training of lifeguards and the practice of life guarding. It cites several studies that were evaluated by the USLSC which include one by Y. Liu and C. D. Wickens on the role of vigilance in scanning and intentional blindness.

The article discusses the rise of the political, social, and economic power of the U.S. through a comparison to the birth and rise of basketball. It describes the idea of "Muscular Christianity" that emphasized masculinity, physicality, and practical religion, the role of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) in popularizing a Christian cultural identity and work ethic, and the ways in which basketball symbolized the ideals of Muscular Christianity and practical religion. Other subjects under discussion include basketball inventor James Naismith, the characteristics of American identity in the early 20th century, and the International Training School in Springfield, Missouri.

Why are young swimmers smiling after two hours of intense, daily swim team practices filled with swimming countless laps and focusing on improving their various swimming strokes? What drives parents to willingly transport their children to and from their local YMCAs for swim team practices? Why are swim team participants willing, and even eager, to sit in steamy, hot swimming pool areas and watch or swim in competitive events that last for hours and hours? These are simply a few questions one might have when considering the amount of time, involvement, and commitment required while participating in a community-based YMCA swim team program. This study investigated the perceptions of parents and children about their participation in such a program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study statistically compared operators certified as YMCA pool operator on location (POOL) with noncertified operators managing YMCA aquatic facilities with respect to water chemistry (pH and Langelier Saturation Index [LSI]) and chlorine levels (free-available and combined-chlorine levels). The study used a convenience sample of 572 pools and spas located at approximately 250 YMCAs. Certification was used as the factor, and the responses included pH, compliance with pH, free chlorine, compliance with free chlorine, combined chlorine, compliance with combined chlorine, LSI, and compliance with LSI. The results indicate that the POOL certification program does provide some significant results related to the proper care of pools and spas at YMCAs. Significant differences (p < .05) were found between certified and noncertified operators in the level of pH, the level of combined chlorine, and compliance with combined-chlorine standards. The findings of this study underscore the need for increased training for pool and spa operators and greater responsibility on their behalf in maintaining safe chemical conditions in the water. This research supports the YMCA and the aquatic profession in that POOL-certified operators do make a difference in maintaining water quality and safer water-chemistry standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is little data on hiking patterns in national parks to support hiking behavior as a vehicle to meet the joint YMCA, CDC, and National Park Service initiatives to encourage physical activity through public land use. Methods: The YMCA of the Rockies hiking program provided data from Hike Report forms completed after 343 supervised hikes for one summer season in Rocky Mountain National Park (ROMO) to assess visitor hiking patterns. Results: Of the total hikes, 64.4% were categorized as easy, 27.1% moderate, and 8.5% difficult. There were 1937 individual hikers which represented 13.3% of the estimated potential hiker sample. The majority of hikers (69%) only took easy hikes with 72.7% participating in only one hike and 27.3% doing two or more hikes. Energy cost estimates for hike categories indicated mean MET levels between 4.0 to 5.7. Conclusion: Hiking patterns at ROMO may be reflective of general population inactivity suggesting the need to design strategies to promote visitor hiking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helen Noble Curtis was a prominent race woman, peace advocate, Pan-African spokesperson, and the first African American woman to serve in France during the First World War. Although scholars have focused on the totality of the war moment for African American male soldiers, less attention has been given to the African American women who served as Young Men's Christian Association canteen workers in France. The fact that they were African American and women magnified the risks they faced and intensified the extent of their sacrifice. In applying a microhistorical analysis of Curtis's activism, this article describes the particulars of the African American female experience in the First World War and the processes by which these experiences cultivated and emboldened an internationalist and militant activism in the postwar period. It is imperative that the experiences of the African American women who served in France be brought out of the shadows of the past and their service acknowledged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the development of sports psychology in India. Although aspects of sports psychology have been used often since in India since the opening of the YMCA in the 1920s. Sports psychology journals and education came to India in the 1960s and 1970s and the first meeting of the Sport Psychology Association of India was held in 1986. Two major factors added to the development of the profession: a recognition of the importance of sports psychology in performance by psychologists, and a recognition of the role of mental training amongst coaches and athletes.

This analysis of the organizational character of the YMCA focuses on factors leading to the successful transformation of a welfare organization. It is argued that the organization's broadly stated goals and unrestricted clientele encourage a wide diversification of programs and target populations. Federated structure leads to decentralized decision making, and to control by local elites. Since YMCA professionals do not have a well-defined ideology, and since the organization is linked to an enrollment economy, the organization is highly responsive to the needs of its relatively integrated and typically middle-class clientele. Possible role dilemmas stemming from the organization's structure are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The man who sells us pizza moonlights here, lambasting women on stationary bikes up imaginary hills. His class, my friend says, always fills. There is something touching about this: a [...]

Background: This paper looks at the history of physical education and sport in the German Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA). Objective: The aim of this article is to show the contribution of the YMCA to the formation of modern sports and the Olympic movement in Germany. Methods: Standard historical methods are used therein. Everything is written in chronological order. Results: The first local German YMCA was established in 1883. It gradually began to assume responsibility for much of the physical education sphere in Germany, although sport had clearly not yet become a prominent part of German physical education. That did not change until the 1920's, when the German YMCA teamed up with other Protestant groups to form the Reichsverband der Evangelischen Jungmännerbünde Deutschlands (the German Reich Association of Protestant Young Men). Physical education and sport were organized through its Eichenkreuz division but that was banned in 1934. After being restored in 1947, the Eichenkreuz division again began to shape physical education in Germany, which the YMCA still does today. Conclusions: The article shows that even though the YMCA in Germany did not have an influence on formation of sports and the Olympic movement comparable to the one in the neighboring Czechoslovakia and Poland, it undoubtedly became known for German inhabitants in this field. That means it should not be omitted from the history of physical education and sport in Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how missionary educational institutions and Young Men's Christian Association physical education and sport programmes, in conjunction with the nation-building project of the Nationalist government, transformed and modernized physical education and sport in China from 1840 to 1937. The concepts of cultural imperialism and nationalism are central to this study, to understand how the two interacted in the process of the development of modern physical education and sports in China. This paper argues that the cultural imperialism model is ineffective for an understanding of the impact of missionaries on Chinese society and the subsequent transformation and indigenization of physical education and sport in modern China. More precisely, the way in which Chinese nationalism played an active role in resisting, selecting, and reshaping the cultural products (modern physical education and sport) evidences a process that was an active negotiation, rather than a passive consumption, of Western culture. This said, Christian physical education and sport programmes had long-lasting effects on how physical education and sports became the way to define 'modern' bodies as they were incorporated into the wider education programme of modernizing China under the Nationalist government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the early stages of the War of Resistance Against Japan (1937-1945), organizations such as the YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association) were vital to the local and regional humanitarian relief effort in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province. While the city endured intense bombing from Japanese planes, YMCA volunteers cared for the wounded and dug victims out of rubble. The work of Sophia Zhu Tierong 朱铁荣 (1915-2009) and her husband, Zhang Yifan 张以藩 (1906-1957), were integral to the YMCA's leadership and organization. Prior to Changsha's Fire of 1938, the YMCA also organized an evacuation of refugees from the outskirts of the city to West Hunan. This paper argues that, in the wake of the Nationalist government's preoccupation with the larger war effort, non-state agencies such as the YMCA were critical to the humanitarian relief effort in both the city and region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between cancer survivors' socio-demographic and clinical characteristics and aerobic fitness changes following a physical training program.Methods: We assessed the association between participant's characteristics and aerobic fitness in the six-min walk test (6MWT) after a 12-week LIVESTRONG® at Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) exercise program for adults with an oncologic diagnosis using linear mixed effects models.Results: Fifty-one percent of participants had a breast cancer diagnosis and 22 % had received treatment within 1 year of enrollment. At baseline, participants who reported good/excellent health status performed better in the 6MWT than those who reported poor/fair health status (384.2 vs. 345.0 m, p = 0.035). After 12 weeks, all participants increased their average 6MWT performance by 54.2 m. After adjustment for age, gender, physical activity level, and smoking status, participants who were 60 years old or younger had a greater increase in the 6MWT score than participants older than 60 years (63.2 vs. 43.9 m, p = 0.041) while those who had never been YMCA members had a greater increase in the 6MWT compared to those who had ever been a YMCA member (62.2 vs. 40.3 m, p = 0.041).Conclusion: Overall, aerobic fitness among adults with an oncologic diagnosis increased after a 12-week exercise program, particularly among participants who were 60 years old or younger or were not YMCA members at enrollment. Participants with poorer health had lower aerobic fitness at baseline, though they had a similar positive response to the program as healthier participants. Future study designs may include randomization and an additional untreated arm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the results of the study which aims to determine the effectiveness of "YMCA Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program" provided by the charitable organization Young Men's Christian Association which for the expansion of community-based programs and reduction of Medicare spending. Results show the total average weight loss of prediabetic Medicare patients, the lowering of total Medicare spending in the treatment period, and the decline of hospital admission and visits.

This article will focus on the wartime cinema facilities provided by the philanthropic association the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA). At the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, the YMCA turned its attention to supporting troops fighting for Britain and her Empire. YMCA huts were built to provide soldiers with food and a place to rest on the frontline, or at home in military camps and railway stations. Alongside the arrangements for entertainments made by the Army at Divisional level, the YMCA had a central role in providing morale-boosting entertainment and moral-strengthening education to British soldiers. Films became a central mode of entertainment for British servicemen serving on the Western Front and the Mediterranean. Cinema shows were the most popular part of the concert party programme, with many cinema halls also acting as theatres. The YMCA had 77 cinema plants, the majority of which were portable units providing free showings to men in forward positions. There were 20 specially constructed cinema theatres in principal Base Camps, each with a capacity of up to 1500 men, and towards the end of the war, the organisation estimated that it had shown films to 35,000 men for every night of the conflict. This article will show how valuable the medium of film became to the British Army in terms of morale and discipline. An effective ‘counter-attraction’ to less wholesome forms of recreation, the cinema was an essential element of wartime life for British troops serving in the First World War. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study examined the effectiveness of a nine-week summer emergent literacy program implemented in a Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) summer program that serves families from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Participants were four- and five-year-old children attending a YMCA summer camp. After being placed in appropriate respective skill-level groups, children received one-hour, daily emergent literacy instruction from their camp counselors, who were trained as novice reading teachers. The teachers used emergent literacy activities to support letter-naming fluency and growth in letter-sound correspondence recognition in addition to mastery of read-aloud texts. The 28 participants experienced positive growth on both dependent measures (letter-naming fluency and letter-sound fluency), indicating the efficiency of the intervention as a tool for improving school readiness for children from low-income families. Additionally, the results suggest that beginning reading teachers may be able to conduct effective emergent literacy instruction, making the intervention replicable. Limitations and associated future research directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the role that the Young Men’s Christian Association’s (YMCA's) physical education director Elwood Stanley Brown played in developing the athletic competition the Far Eastern Championship Games (FECG) from the 1910s through 1934 in Japan, China and the Philippines. The intended efforts of the FECG to bring Western civilization and American Protestantism to East Asia and the Philippines through cultural imperialism are discussed. The role that Brown played in developing physical education programs in Asian schools is also discussed.

The significance of sport, especially mega sport events, has been widely acknowledged as contributing to the development of nationalism and national identity.1 The use of the National Games by the nationalist government to promote Chinese nationalism and manage national identity in the Republic of China from 1910 to 1948 is examined in this paper. It begins with an interpretation of how Western sport was introduced to China, how China achieved its sovereignty of sport and how sport aided national salvation and nation-building. It examines the birth and the development of Chinese National Games, and the interplays of National Games and nationalism in the context of political and economic perspectives. It concludes that the promotion of National Games met the demands of China's national salvation and the principles of Chinese nationalism such as sovereignty, territorial integrity and patriotic sentiments. The National Games in the Republican China era played a role that was more than that of a sport event but one of shaping Chinese independent nationhood and national identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Far Eastern Championship Games (FECG), held between 1913 and 1934, were a precursor to the Asian Games and among the first international athletic competitions in the Asian region. The FECG were launched in Manila, the Philippines, and supported by the Young Mens' Christian Association. Three countries participated in the Games: the Philippines, Japan and China. It is noteworthy that Korea, one of most powerful sports entities in Asia now, also participated in the FECG, but as part of the Japanese team. Although Korea was a powerless Japanese colony during the era, this paper argues that Korea's participation in the FECG permitted the colonized country to express its nationalism and become the cornerstone of modern sports development in Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]