Professionals register now to create your own content and profile, and gain other potential financial, networking and marketing benefits.
Consumers (athletes, enthusiasts) use our quick registration to enhance your experience of the site
Olympic Ticket Madness!
Have you seen the footage of people queuing for the last tickets for the Olympics in Beijing?More than 800, 000 tickets went on sale this morning, and people had queued for up to 48 hours. In the heat of over 35 C things got a bit out of hand.
I was particularly amused to see some guy in tears because he couldn't get tickets. I paraphrase: "If I had managed to get tickets for the diving my life would have been worthwhile". Blimey. I hope he's got company tonight!
Here's a report.
--
Rob Robson
Co-founder, iStadia.com
Open Golf Championships: Padraig performs while Norman fades...
Wow! What an Open Championships we've just had at Royal Birkdale. From a sport psychologist's point of view it was all the more fascinating.
The most open Open for a long time, with up to 20 players in contention at the start of the last day saw Greg Norman leading into the final round at the age of 53, an amateur (Chris Wood, 20) in contention for the championships, and Padraig Harrington taking the title with a magnificent display of golf in the last six holes.
So, what about the pschology?
Well, first of all, the way that Harrington played the last six - at 4 under par when the general trend was backwards. He played as if there was no pressure at all, stepping up and performing when it was needed the most. Mental toughness, you might call it.
The other big story was Greg Norman, a man with whom Harrington had something in common. At 53 Norman, like Harrington, had no real expectatons. He hasn't payed much golf in the last 18 months, undergoing several operations, and has just had his honeymoon (after marrying ex-tennis player Chris Evert). Harrington's expectation to finish the championship was only 50:50.
The role of expectations is important in sport. Expectations are the bedfellow of anxiety. Anxiety and good golf don't mix. Freedom from expectations, on the other hand, can help players to play in the moment, which is where "flow" or "the zone" occurs. Of course, as an amateur, I doubt that Chris Wood has any real expectations either.
Of course Norman didn't quite live up to the possibilities that lay ahead of him on Sunday morning. On Saturday evening he said, "Physically and mentally I feel very good. I'm going to keep the same routine and the same mindset. You have got to stay in the present. You really don't pay attention to anyone else", but I'm not sure that he succeeded. One must suspect that he allowed his mind to look ahead to the end of the day, perhaps when it looked like things were running away from Harrington?
However, with Norman there's another obvious point of discussion, and that's to extent to which contentment and happiness in one's own life can aid peformance in competition. He is well-documented as being happy with his marriage to Evert (and why not, the old dog?). But his approach to golf has clearly changed too, "I came here with a good attitude and a fresh approach to life and it has shone through in my game. I don't grind it out on the golf course any more. I just play when I want to and practice when I want to.". It's not that he didn't care, but he clearly doesn't get hung up on his golf any more. At 53, I'd hope not, but it is quite common for elite athletes to find balance between life and sport, as they mature. Indeed, it may be what prolongs their careers.
All in all, a fascinating championship. And not a Tiger in sight. But then, would he have coped well with the conditions?
--
Rob Robson
Co-founder, iStadia.com
No Olympics for Chambers, as court upholds BOA byelaw
So Dwain Chambers won't be going to the Olympics. I think, on balance, that it is best for the integrity of the Olympic team, but I still feel for Dwain.
I can still remember talking to Mike McFarlane, Dwain Chamber's coach, in 2002 - just before he went off to the States and got involved in doping. My impression is of a young, relatively uneducated man who was easily influenced and made bad decisions. I feel sorry for the guy. He's thrown away his talent and his career, and it will hurt for the rest of his life.
I also think that UK Athletics played a part in all of this, but have escaped criticism. Yes, I know that people have to take responsibility for their choices, but. at that point of time their athlete/talent management was woeful. Athletes were on a free reign. They could do what they like. Other, more professionally run sports would have kept their athletes closer to them and ensured that this sort of thing didn't happen.
But UK Athletics have been getting their act together, so we all move on. Hopefully Dwain will be able to move on and live a life without regret
--
Rob Robson
Co-founder, iStadia.com
Dwain Chambers: The Saga Continues
So Dwain Chambers has qualified for the Olympics after winning the British trials in 10.00 (the fastest clean run by a British sprinter in 9 years).Of course, he's not yet selected, and a judge will decide on Wednesday whether he will be selected to run.
Most of the arguments that I've heard against him running have been moral arguments, and I'm all for banning athletes for life that are caught doping. However, the important arguments will be the legal ones. Is his Olympic ban a restraint of trade? Is it unfair (only GB and Norway have this rule)? Should the BOA have the autonomous right to decide the standards that they expect from their athletes?
Dick Pound, the former head of the Word Anti Coping Agency (WADA) certainly thinks Chambers has a case.
I hope that once this is over, that the WADA will look again at lifetime bans, or that the International Olympic Committee make the rules consistent for all nations.
Until either of these happen, I've a lot of sympathy for Chambers. He's served his ban, and until the rules change, should still be allowed to run. But then, the BOA rule was in place when he took drugs. Oh, I don't know. I'm so 'conflicted'.
Which way should the decision go?
--
Rob Robson
Co-founder, iStadia.com
Dwain Chambers vs. the British Olympic Association
The British Olympic Association has confirmed that it will appear at the High Court tomorrow, for a Directions Hearing in respect of the case issued against the BOA by the sprinter Dwain Chambers.
Of course, most readers will know that Dwain Chambers served a ban for taking performance enhancing drugs, before returning to competition, and representing Great Britain at the European Championships in 2006 and the World Indoor Championships in 2008, before failing to secure a trial with rugby league side Castleford Tigers.
Chambers is now disputing the BOA's right to ban him for life from Olympic competition, as he has served his ban andhte BOA are the only National body that takes this position.
So what does this mean?
My understanding is that a 'directions hearing' is an informal court appearance to look at the direction that the matter is heading in the courts and to discuss with the parties their options to resolve the matter. The purpose is to discover the position of each party and whether there is any possibility of settling any of the issues. If the matter cannot be settled, it may be set down for mediation or for a trial.
It has been interesting to hear what athletes and other high-profile people in sport have said on the matter. They appear to focus on one point of principle, which is very much a moral one: Should a ban be for life? However, the principles upon which a decision will be made by the court are legal ones; such as whether the BOA can set its own rules and contradict the rule and conventions of international sport.
The case will be interesting. There is a lot less disagreement out there on whether a doping ban should be for life, than there is on the actual merits of Chambers case against the BOA. That is much less easy to call.
This article in the Times provides a good summary of the legal arguments but in my simple view of the world, it boils down to the authority of the WADA code and the need for fair and consistent sanctions versus the automous right of an individual Olympic committee to set out the standards it expects of its athletes in order to make the Olympic team. It is not, however, a question of what is an appropriate length of ban for drug cheats.
Of course, Lord Colin Moynihan, chairman of the BOA, has promised that “money will be no object” when it comes to defending his organisation's position, but I can't help wonder if the time, money and effort would be better spent lobbying WADA for the introduction of a lifetime ban...
Knowledge, Quality and Web 2.0 in Sport & Exercise Science
One of the things that comes up in conversations about iStadia is the lack of quality control, or the lack of quality control as perceived by sport scientists that have been indoctrinated into the epistemologies that dominate scientific research, and processes such as peer review.But what is "quality" in (or on?) Web 2.0?
Web 1.0 was one way communication, from 'authoritative" sources. Web 2.0 is about user generated content, and two-way communication.
So, in this world, what is "quality", and who decides?
My response is that iStadia is "by the community, for the community", so the community decides. Whether that be in the form of comments or ratings on the site, or "diggs" or other bookmarks off it, it is up to the community itself to challenge poor quality and support high quality posts. And in the community, everyone has a voice....
Formal qualifications do not matter as much in this new world. I would rate Dan Peterson as our best contributor since he joined. His posts are well-researched (particularly for a guy that isn't at a University and doesn't have unlimited access to journals or databases or articles), thoughtful and stimulating. What's his background? He's an IT director, parent and sometime coach, but he's out there, putting himself on the line, while "authorities" in the field of sport and exercise stay in their comfort zone - the academic community. What's also important is that Dan writes with the humility of someone who knows their limits (or actually overestimates their limits) and doesn't claim to be an authority on anything - just an interested observer.
And peer review? Well, playing the devil's advocate: so what? Who should be the judge and arbitrer of what's good or not so good? In sport and exercise science shouldn't the coaches, the athletes, the trainers and the exercisers be the ones that judge?
Indeed, while I'd never suggest scrapping peer reviewed communication, is it good enough for sport and exercise scientists simply to talk among themselves when they have the tools to talk to a wider audience?
If you have an opinion on this - please comment!
--
Rob Robson
Co-founder, iStadia.com
At 41, Dara Torres wins US Trials and heads for 5th Olympics
What an incredible story. Dara Torres, a mother of 41, has made her 5th Olympics after winning the 100m freestyle at the US Olympic Trials in Omaha Nebraska. She'll be the oldest female to compete in Olympic swimming, 8 years after being the oldest member of the US team in Sydney!After swimming 53.78, and touching out Natalie Coughlin for gold, Dara will be aiming to add to the haul of 9 Oympic medals, won between 1984 and 2000.
Michael Phelps calls her "Mom", and Dara admits that she finds it harder to recover these days. The solution? She trains less. She's in the pool 5 times per week, and does additional work on core strength and flexibility.
She's been subject to a lot of rumours, that her youthful performances have been pharmacologically enhanced. So much so that she begged the US Doping Agency to test her, as stringently as they could, on an ongoing basis.
Speaking of her victory, the former model said "I don't really think of it as winning or losting. I think of it as making the Olympic Team. A lot of hard work got me here, but I have a lot of great people working with me too. I also have a lot of support from my family"
The following artice from the NY Times is very interesting. Not short, mind:
A Swimmer of a Certain Age
--
Rob Robson
Co-founder, iStadia.com
Psychological momentum, turning points and the case of Murray vs Gasquet
Watching the incredible round match between Andy Murray and Richard Gasquet at Wimbledon this week I was reminded of a concept in sport psychology that I hadn't really come across for some time: Psychological Momentum (note: since writing this Mustafa Sarkar has also posted on psychological momentum in team sports).Psychological momentum is an intuitively appealing concept that is frequently observed by commentators and fans (but despite this hasn't really been underpinned by a great deal of academic research and isn't all that well understood). Just as physical momentum refers to a force that acts upon an object and creates motion, psychological momentum refers to a psychological force, or power, that appears to act in favour of one competitor or team at the expense of another. This bi-directional force is, quite obviously, a perceived force which may have cognitive, physiological, emotional , motivational and behavioural components.
This Monday evening I could have been convinced, however, that there was indeed a tangible force acting first on behalf of Richard Gasquet as he moved towards his seemingly inevitable victory, and then more noticeably for Andy Murray, from the point that he broke Gasquet's serve - in what could have been the last game of the match but was instead a turning point and the start of an incredible comeback.
What was amazing was that as I sat at home, I started to feel the inevitability of Murray's win when he was still behind in the match. The crowd clearly sensed something special, as could Murray, as he responed to each point and the noise of the crowd like a gladiator, roaring and pumping his fists. This was not a calulated display. This was a man living right in the moment. Unlike Gasquet who, as the match slipped further from his grasp, started to pick fights with the crowd and the officials.
In a review of the psychological momentum literature, Crust and Nesti (2006) describe 3 models: The Antecedents-Consequences Model of Psychological Momentum (Vallerand et al., 1988); The Multidimensional Model of Momentum (Taylor & and Demick, 1994); and Projected Performance Model (Cornelius, Silva, Conroy, & Petersen, 1997)
Without going into a review of my own, all would appear to have their merits, but if I were Richard Gasquet or his coach (or indeed Andy Murray, for often we forget to learn in the euphoria that follows a great win), I would be looking to unpick the events of Tuesday night, and really understand what happened, what was the real psychological turning point in the match, and why? I don't know if I could really do that with confidence using any of these models.
Reversal Theory, however, puts the emphasis on the meaning of the events to the players involved. A player's motivational states can be followed, rather like a series of switches on a dashboard, or movements in a dance, that change their emotional experience. These swings or 'Reversals' are perfectly placed to understand the whole picture - with the player at the centre.
A 'Reversal' can occur for three reasons.
1. A change in situation (or perceived situation). A bad call, a missed point, a lucky break, the crowd, the referee - all can change the situation.
2. Frustration - if a player is not getting satisfaction from their current state. A common example of this will be frustration turning into anger.
3. Satiation - this is an interesting one from a sporting point of view, because sometimes we just change states because we need to from time to time. Some people seem to be more 'stable' than others. This would suggest that it pays to be aware of the states that you are more likely to perform in, and to find ways of ensuring that you stay there.
So any of these 'events' can trigger a reversal. Over the course of a few games in tennis, for example, a player could go through a number of Reversals, that if unpicked carefully enough, and slowly enough, can very precisely map out the route that a player took from inevitable victory to impending defeat, or vice versa. Once you have this picture, of course, you have the means to intervene.
References:
Crust, L., and Nesti, M. (2006). A Review of Psychological Momentum in Sports:
Why qualitative research is needed. Athletic Insight, 8(1)
Taylor, J. & Demick, A. (1994). A multidimensional model of momentum in sports. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 6, 51-70.
Vallerand, R. J., Colavecchio, P. G., & Pelletier, L. G. (1988). Psychological momentum and performance inferences: a preliminary test of the antecedents-consequences psychological momentum model. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 10, 92-108.
--
Rob Robson
Co-founder, iStadia.com
