TALENT IDENTIFICATION

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Wednesday 2nd April 2014 8:30 – 9:30 Registration

Opening Session: Welcome Message / Keynote Lecture

9:30 – 9:45 “Welcome Address” Mr. Khalid Abdullah Al-Sulaiteen, Chief Executive Officer, Aspire Zone. Prof. Tim Cable, Director of Sport Science, Aspire Academy

9:45 – 10:30 “Talent identification and development: Perspectives from the young athlete”

Prof. Robert Malina (USA)

10:30 – 11:00 Coffee Break

Session 1: Physiology / Anthropometry

Chaired by: Prof. Tim Cable

11:00 – 11:40 “The talent equilibrium: Finding balance between scientific prudence and strategic prerogatives” Dr. Ross Tucker (SA)

11:40 – 12:20 “Use of anthropometry in talent identification and development” Prof. Robert Malina (USA)

12:20 – 12:30 Questions & Answers 12:30 – 1:30 Lunch

Session 2: Skill Acquisition / Sports Psychology

Chaired by: Dr. Pitre Bourdon 1:30 – 2:00 “Identifying and developing skill with the chance of an afternoon storm”

Prof. Damian Farrow (AUS)

2:00 – 2:30 “Social-psychological aspects of Talent Identification in Sport “ Dr. Joe Baker (CAN) 2:30 – 3:00 “Becoming skilled: The psychology of expert athletes”

Prof. Mark Williams (UK) 3:00 – 3:10 Questions & Answers 3:10 – 3:30 Coffee Break

Session 3: Genetics Debate

Chaired by: Andrew Douglas

3:30 – 4:10 ”The use of genetics profiling for identifying sporting talent” Prof. Yannis Pitsiladis (UK)

4:10 – 4:50 “Ethical aspects of genetic screening for talent identification” Prof. Mike McNamee (UK) 4:50 – 5:00 Questions & Answers 8:00 Conference Dinner

Thursday 3rd April 2014 Session 4: TID Models from Across the Globe Chaired by: Esa Peltola 9:00 – 9:25 ‘’Sifting the sands - Talent identification at Aspire Academy, Qatar.’’

Andrew Douglas (QAT) 9:25 – 9:50 “To the London Olympics and beyond – talent identification practices in the UK”

Dr. Stewart Laing (UK)

9:50 – 10:15 “Talent identification in South Australia. Challenges, interventions and successes” Dr. Annette Eastwood (AUS)

10:15-10:30 Questions & Answers 10:30 – 11:00 Coffee Break 11:00 – 11:25 ”Targeting Tokyo 2020 and beyond: The Japanese TID model” Dr. Taisuke Kinugasa (JPN)

11:25 – 11:50 “Aiming for Talents – A Talent ID Framework for Shooting”

Kevin Wong (SIN) 11:50 – 12:15 “Prospecting for Gold- a novel talent identification and development approach at the

Queensland Academy of Sport” Dr. Megan Mewing (AUS)

12:15-12:30 Questions & Answers 12:30 – 1:30 Lunch

Session 5: Young Investigator Award Presentations

Chaired by: Dr. Pitre Bourdon.

1:30 – 1:45 “Lessons learnt from a national golf program: Performance testing considerations for talent identification and development”

Dr. Sam Robertson (AUS) 1:45 – 2:00 “The family portrait as an indicator of sporting talent” Dr. Melissa Hopwood (AUS) 2:00 – 2:15 “Talent - Croatian expert system for talent scouting in sport” Ante Burger (CRO) 2:15 – 2:30 “Non-invasive talent ID by MRS-based estimation of muscle fiber type composition”

Tine Bex (BEL) 2:30 – 2:45 “From tank to track: Identifying Paralympic talent from injured members of the armed

forces” Dr. Anthony Papathomas (UK)

2:45 – 3:00 “Talent transfer into combat sports: Application of special forces selection methodology”

Dr. Clare Humberstone (AUS) 3:00 – 3:10 Questions & Answers 3:10 – 3:30 Coffee Break

Closing Session Consensus Discussion Chaired by: Prof Tim Cable 3:30 – 5:00 “Group discussion working towards developing a consensus statement for sporting TID” Combination of speakers from all 5 sessions.

SPEAKERS Prof. Robert Malina Professor Emeritus

Robert M. Malina, FACSM, has earned doctoral degrees in physical education (University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1963) and anthropology (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 1968), and honorary degrees (doctor honoris causa) from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium (1989), Bronislaw Czech Academy of Physical Education, Krakow, Poland (2001), University School of Physical Education, Wrocław, Poland (2006), and University of Coimbra, Portugal (2008). He is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education of the University of Texas at Austin, and Adjunct Research Professor at Tarleton State University, Stephenville, Texas. His primary area of interest is the biological growth and maturation of children and

adolescents with a major focus on youth sports in general and on young athletes. He has worked extensively with the growth and maturation of youth in several sports including swimming, diving, gymnastics, track and field, American football and soccer among others.

Dr. Ross Tucker Exercise physiologist – University of Cape Town

Dr Ross Tucker is an exercise physiologist with the University of Cape Town and Sports Science Institute of South Africa. He currently researches the limits to elite exercise performance, East African runners, barefoot running and the determinants (genetic and training) of elite sporting performance. He is an NRF-rated research scientist, who has also worked with sports teams and athletes, including the South African Sevens Rugby team who won the IRB World Series Title in 2008/2009. Ross previously obtained a Post-Graduation diploma in Sports Management and worked in sports sponsorship and marketing as a strategic consultant for three years. He now

consults widely on the application of sports science to strategies in high performance sport.

Prof. Damian Farrow Professor of Sports Science, Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living (ISEAL)

Damian holds a joint appointment within the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living at Victoria University, and the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) where he is responsible for the provision of quality research and applied service for both institutions. Damian completed his PhD in Sport Expertise at The University of Queensland (2001). He was then appointed as the inaugural AIS Skill Acquisition Specialist (2002) and Head of Psychology and Skill Acquisition (2009). Damian publishes and presents extensively on his research interests, centered on understanding the factors critical to sport expertise and talent/skill development, with a specific focus on perceptual and decision-making skill and practice methodology. He is also an editor of the text “Applied Sport Expertise” and co-author of three general interest sports science books “Run Like You Stole Something”, “Why Dick Fosbury Flopped” and “It’s True: Sport Stinks”.

Dr. Joe Baker Head of the Lifespan Health and Performance Laboratory, York University,

Dr. Joseph (Joe) Baker received his PhD in Applied Exercise Science from Queen's University (Canada). He is currently head of the Lifespan Health and Performance Laboratory in the School of Kinesiology and Health Science, at York University, Canada. Joe has held visiting researcher/professor positions at Leeds Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom, Victoria University and the Australian Institute of Sport in Australia and at Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster in Germany. His research considers the varying influences on optimal human development, ranging from issues affecting athlete development and skill acquisition to barriers and facilitators of successful aging. Joe is the author/editor of 5 books and more than 100 peer reviewed articles and book chapters. More information about his research can be found at www.yorku.ca/bakerj.

Prof. Mark Williams Head of Sports Science at Brunel University, London

Mark Williams is Professor and Head of Sports Science at Brunel University, London. His research and teaching interests focus on the psychology of expertise and its identification and development. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles in journals in exercise and sports science and in experimental psychology. He has written 13 books, more than 60 book chapters, and over 60 professional articles. He has delivered more than 200 keynote and invited lectures in upwards of 30 countries, across five different continents. His research work has been funded by research councils such as the Australian Research Council, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Economic and Social Research Council and British Academy in the UK, commercial companies such as Nike and Umbro, as well as sport associations such as the FA, UEFA, FIFA, and UK Sport. He is actively involved in policy making for international associations and National Governing Bodies of Sport and is currently a Special Advisor to the English Institute of Sport.

Prof. Yannis Pitsiladis Professor of Sport and Exercise Science, The Brighton Centre for Regenerative Medicine (BCRM)

Professor Pitsiladis has an established history of research into the importance of lifestyle and genetics for human health and performance. Following 15 years at the University of Glasgow (Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences) where he created the largest known DNA biobank from world-class athletes, he was appointed Professor of Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Brighton (School of Sport and Service Management). Here he is in the process of establishing state-of-the-art laboratories in human systems biology with special applications to sport and exercise science, sports medicine and sports nutrition. His current research priority is the application of “OMICS” (i.e. genomics,

transcriptomics, metabolomics and proteomics) to the detection of drugs in sport with particular reference to recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEpo) and growth hormone (rHuGH). His most recent research is funded by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), he has sat on two WADA committees and an expert group of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). He is a member of the scientific commission of the International Sports Medicine Federation (FIMS), a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and an expert committee pool member of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). He is an adjunct Professor of Medical Physiology at the University of Technology (Kingston, Jamaica), Moi University (Eldoret, Kenya) and Addis Ababa University (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia). He has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers, written and edited a number of books and has featured in numerous research documentaries (e.g. BBC, NHK Japan, CNBC) and popular books (e.g. Bounce, The Sports Gene).

Prof. Mike McNamee Professor of Applied Ethics in the College of Engineering, Swansea University, UK

Mike McNamee is Professor of Applied Ethics in the College of Engineering, Swansea University, UK. He has lectured and published widely in the philosophy and ethics of medicine, research and sport. His edited/authored 15 books including Ethics and Sports (1998); Philosophy and the Sciences of Exercise, Health and Sport (2006) Sports, Virtues and Vices (2008); Sports Ethics: a reader (2010); Doping and Anti Doping Policy (2011); Olympic, Ethics and Philosophy (2012); and Sport, Medicine, Ethics (2104). He is Founding Editor of the international journal “Sport, Ethics and Philosophy” (2007+) and is Series Editor of Routledge’s “Ethics and Sports” series that comprises more than twenty volumes.

He is former President of the International Association for the Philosophy of Sport, and Executive Committee member for the European College of Sport Science, the International Council for Sport Science and Physical Education, and the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain. His research has been funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK); the Economic and Social Research Council (UK); and the European Commission. His most recent research interest is in the governance of bioengineering in sports and sports medicine.

Andrew Douglas Talent Identification Program Coordinator - ASPIRE Academy, Qatar.

Andrew Douglas, is an Honours graduate from Edith Cowan University with a BAppSc (Sport Science) B.Sc. (Hons). As an athlete, he was a national medallist and representative for Australia in Track sprinting and after retiring from competitive sport, Andrew remained within the Sport Industry as a coach and fitness adviser to some professional teams before specialising in the area of Talent Identification. Working as a Physiologist at the Academy of Sport in Canberra, he was also a pivotal member of the National Talent Search Program before moving to the Australian Institute of Sport in 2005 and helping to initiate the newly formed National Talent Identification & Development program. Andrew joined Aspire in 2008 as the Senior Talent Identification Officer and currently overseas the Academy’s Talent Identification program.

Dr. Stewart Laing Senior Lead Performance Pathway Scientist – English Institute of Sport

Dr. Stewart Laing received his PhD from Bangor University whilst supporting Welsh development athletes in canoeing and sailing. He is currently the Senior Lead Performance Pathway Scientist with the English Institute of Sport and UK Sports Performance Pathway Team. Stewart worked as a senior sports scientist for the British Olympic Association providing athlete fitness testing, travel strategies, competition and training advice and training periodisation recommendations for winter sports, and worked at both Team GB preparation camps ahead of the 2008 Beijing and 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. Stewart’s main focuses are in providing front line solutions which help to sharpen sports approaches to accelerating athlete development, and increase knowledge and

understanding of highly functioning Performance Pathways inside and outside of sport. Stewart has been leading the team of researchers who have undertaken the Training and Practice aspects of the ‘Great British Medallists” study for the last two and a half years.

Dr. Annette Eastwood Talent Search Coordinator / Sports Physiologist –South Australian Sports Institute

Dr Annette Eastwood has been employed as Talent Search Coordinator / Sports Physiologist at the South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) for almost 10 years. Annette is responsible for managing the SASI Talent Search program which has identified a number of Olympians and World Champions in the sports of cycling, canoeing, rowing and volleyball. Annette is also responsible for providing sport science support to SASI swimming and hockey programs. Annette is originally from the UK and completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Bath in England, during which time she completed a 12 month work placement in Australia at the Queensland Academy of Sport, New South Wales Institute of Sport and the Australian Institute of Sport. Annette completed her PhD in 2012

through Flinders University, South Australia. Her research involved investigating the stability and trainability of haemoglobin mass and the potential use of haemoglobin mass for talent identification and anti-doping purposes.

Dr. Taisuke Kinugasa Head of Talent ID Unit and Senior Sports Physiologist at Japan Sport Council

Dr. Taisuke Kinugasa is Head of Talent ID Unit and Senior Sports Physiologist at Japan Sport Council. Dr Tai has been responsible for operating a National Talent Identification and Development (NTID) project since 2012. Dr. Tai gained extensive experiences working with youth athletes and Olympians at Singapore Sports School and Singapore Sports Institute. He was integral to the success of Singapore swimmers including Tao Li who became the first Singaporean to compete an Olympic Games final, finishing 5th in the Women’s 100m butterfly event at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Dr Tai obtained PhD in exercise physiology from The University of Queensland in 2004. He is currently a Research Associate with Sports Performance Research Institute, New Zealand (SPRINZ) and a member of Japan Olympic Academy (JOA). His professional interests include athlete development models using a biological approach and individualized monitoring of elite athletes using single-subject research designs, and more.

Mr. Kevin Wong Senior Talent Identification Specialist, Singapore Sports School

Mr Kevin Gerard Wong is Senior Talent Identification Specialist at Singapore Sports School. He graduated from the University of Sydney, Australia with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Ex. & Sp.Sc) (Hons) under the University of Sydney International Merit Scholarship. He was part of the task force that oversaw the inception and development of the Sports School in 2001 and the development of the sports curriculum for the school. He established a framework for Singapore national talent identification programme.

Dr. Megan Mewing Sport Scientist – Queensland Academy of Sport

Dr. Megan Mewing is a sport scientist at the Queensland Academy of Sport. Her role is to oversee the Prospecting for Gold Project which aims to actively unearth athletes for the Olympic Games using an individual case approach to talent identification. She previously worked in the area of skill acquisition, advising coaches across many different sports including field hockey, swimming, basketball, rowing, cycling, and water polo. Since beginning as a sport science trainee at the Victorian Institute of Sport in 2002, she has spent time at the Australian Institute of Sport, Melbourne Victory Football Club and has also worked with Netball Australia. She completed her PhD on the topic of cognitive effort in contextual interference and implicit motor learning under the guidance of Rich Masters, Damian Farrow and Tony Morris in 2010 with the support of a PhD scholarship from the Australian Institute of Sport.

Young Investigator Awards - Abstracts

Young Investigator 1: Dr. Sam Robertson, Lecturer in Biomechanics, Deakin University

Lessons learnt from a national golf program: performance testing considerations for talent identification and development

Sam Robertson, PhD 1,2

1 Centre for Exercise and Sports Science, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University

2 High Performance Team,

Golf Australia Aim: Performance tests are commonly used within talent identification (TID) and development (LTAD) programs (1, 2). However, debate exists regarding their usefulness due to considerations relating to their design (3, 4), measurement properties (5) and suitability for adolescent athletes (6, 7). A series of projects were undertaken utilising participants from the Australian National Golf Squad. This research focused on: a) Developing a performance testing battery to inform identification of talented junior Australian players, b) Investigating the relationships between player results in this battery and their data obtained from actual tournament performance. Methods: A range of questions relevant to TID and LTAD were identified throughout the undertaking of this research, including: a) When assessing adolescent athletes, what is the ideal number of trials required in order to obtain a ‘true’ indication of their ability? b) How can the ecological validity of performance tests be optimised, without experiencing subsequent reductions in test-retest reliability? c) Can a test be designed that is able to accurately predict future athlete performance? Results: Seven publications resulted from these projects; based on this work proposed solutions to the questions stated above are provided: a) Monte Carlo simulation techniques are a novel method of modelling repeated test performance a priori. Even when implementing familiarisation procedures, more than 5 repeated trials may be needed when testing adolescents in order to obtain indicative performance (1, 8). This is recommended in order to avoid athlete non- or de-selection errors (5). b) By designing tests that i) replicate conditions experienced in competition and ii) utilise contextual interference, predictive validity can be optimised (9, 10). This allows for a test to be used to improve practice specificity and monitor longitudinal player development. c) Utilising non-linear statistical learning techniques such as decision trees allows for relationships between testing and athlete performance to be better understood (10). Decision tree output has the advantage of being easy to interpret by players and coaches. Conclusions: The challenges discussed are relevant for those designing or adapting performance tests in structured TID and LTAD programs. However through adoption of the methodologies presented here, these challenges can be largely overcome. References 1. Robertson SJ et al. European Journal of Sport Science, 2013. 2. Gabbett TJ et al. International Journal of Sports Physiology & Performance, 2006. 3. Vilar L et al. Journal of Sports Sciences, 2012. 4. Kingsley M et al. Journal of Sports Sciences, 2012. 5. Robertson SJ et al. Sports Medicine, 2013. 6. Gulbin JP et al. Journal of Sports Sciences, 2013. 7. Lidor R et al. International Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 2009. 8. Robertson SJ et al. Journal of Sports Sciences, 2012. 9. Robertson SJ et al. Journal of Sports Sciences, 2014 10. Robertson SJ et al. European Journal of Sport Science, 2014.

Young Investigator 2: Dr. Melissa Hopwood, National Pathway Manager, Australian Canoeing

The family portrait as an indicator of sporting talent

Melissa J. Hopwood 1,2

, Clare MacMahon 3, Damian Farrow

2,4, Joseph Baker

5

1 Australian Canoeing, Sydney, Australia

2 Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia

3 Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia

4 Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra, Australia

5 York University,

Toronto, Canada

Sporting talent is commonly assessed through objective measures such as test results and competition performance, as well as

subjective judgements from coaches and talent scouts; however, contextual factors beyond the sporting field should not be

ignored in the talent identification process. The family has long been considered an important source of support for athletes as

they progress along the pathway toward sport expertise, yet recent evidence suggests the family may also be a valuable

indicator of sporting talent.

Aim: To explore associations between sporting achievement, family demographics, and familial involvement in sport and

physical activity.

Method: Family demographics and details of familial involvement in sport and physical activity were collected from a mixed

sample of 229 athletes. Athletes were male and female, Australian and Canadian, and participated in 36 sports. Based on

highest level of competition reached, athletes were classified into three skill groups (elite, pre-elite, and non-elite) and

comparative analyses of familial characteristics were performed.

Results: A number of skill level differences with implications for talent identification were observed. Parents of elite athletes

were more highly educated than parents of non-elite athletes, and elite athletes were more likely to be later born children. Both

parents and siblings of elite athletes participated in physical activity more regularly than parents and siblings of non-elite

athletes, and were also more likely to have participated in competitive sport at the elite level themselves, although not

necessarily in the same sport as the athlete.

Conclusions: Along with the numerous high profile examples of successful sporting families, these results indicate that family

demographics and involvement in sport and physical activity may be important indicators of sporting talent. Therefore, this

research has practical implications for talent identification methodologies and recruitment strategies. Practitioners are

encouraged to consider family demographics and sporting backgrounds within talent identification test batteries and screening

procedures, and may even wish to target later-born children in sporting families for talent identification initiatives.

Young Investigator 3: Ante Burger, PhD Student

Talent - Croatian expert system for talent scouting in sport

Ante Burger, B.A., Croatian Handball Association, Josefina Jukid, B.A., Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Split, Marijana Čavala, PhD, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Split, Željko Kovačevid, M.S., Medical faculty, University of Split, Nenad Rogulj, PhD,

Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Split

Introduction – Aim: Selecting children for appropriate sport is the most demanding and the most responsible task for sport experts and kinesiology in general. Due to the importance of the objective selection of children for a particular sport, the only expert system for recognition of sport talents in Croatia – TALENT has been developed within the project “Talent scouting in sport” at the University of Split since 2008. The project outcome was the creation of a system that is able to give reliable quantitative estimation of potential effectiveness of an individual for various sports. Methods Based on the knowledge of 107 excellent sport experts, various motor skills tests, morphological characteristics measurements and functional tests are quantized according to their importance for a chosen set of 15 different sports. The obtained values entered the knowledge database along with the grades of the measured results for each test. Fuzzy logic is implemented in order to make the system more flexible and robust. The whole system is web-oriented, i.e. developed ASP.NET application is available to the Internet users with a proper login and password. The developed expert system gives reliable prediction and proposal for the most suitable sports for the person tested. With the purpose of establishing normative values of anthropological features in children in Split region, which are the basis of the expert system, we conducted a number of preliminary researches to analyse their motor, morphological and functional characteristics. This research analyses the level of six basic motor abilities (speed, explosive power, coordination, agility, flexibility and equilibrium) and determined appropriate normative values. The research was done on the sample of 328 boys aged 7-9. We calculated the average results value and relative development index of the motor abilities obtained as the relation between the partial and summed up standardized values (rm). Results

ability Mean age 7 Mean age 8 Mean age 9 Mean age 10 rm

Explosive power (long jump from a spot)

123,42 126,12 132,13 141,97 ,124

speed (sprint 20 m) 4,93 4,88 4,57 4,45 ,126

agility (Japan test) 22,03 20,77 19,45 19,17 ,125

Flexibility(touch-toe)

37,91 39,71 41,07 43,72 ,123

Coordination (training site)

11,78 10,78 9,86 9,54 ,125

Equilibrium (standing on the bench)

3,28 3,48 5,25 5,87 ,128

Conclusion The table reveals recognizable even structure of the development of motor abilities with equilibrium and speed slightly domineering. The obtained results show that children from the Split region have equally developed motor abilities, which are good preconditions for efficiency in various sports. A slight domination of equilibrium and speed reveals greater predisposition in children from this area for sport activities requiring a high level of speed, agility and equilibrium, such as sport games and anaerobic cyclical activities.

Young Investigator 4: Tine Bex, PhD Student

Non-invasive talent ID by MRS-based estimation of muscle fiber type composition

Bex, T., Baguet, A., Derave, W. Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, GHENT University (Ghent, Belgium)

Aim: There is a continuing research interest in the relationship between muscle fiber type composition (MFTC) and the optimal discipline (e.g. running distance) in athletes. Until now, MFTC is not routinely measured in sports practice, probably because the “gold standard” to MFTC is by means of a muscle biopsy. We recently developed (Baguet et al., 2011) a new non-invasive method to estimate MFTC, based on proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (

1H-MRS) measurement of muscle carnosine.

Carnosine is a dipeptide typically present in FT fibers and only to a lesser extent in ST fibers. Therefore, muscle carnosine content is positively related to the percentage of fast fibers in that muscle. The aim of this study is to investigate in which athlete populations this new method for measuring MFTC can be used for talent identification. Methods: 65 Belgian elite athletes (47 track-and-field athletes, 7 triathletes, 11 swimmers) and 170 control subjects were recruited to measure muscle carnosine content in gastrocnemius medialis muscle by

1H-MRS. The control subjects were used as

sex-specific reference population and all values were expressed as Z-scores. Results: The Z-scores of the different athletes are represented in figure 1. In track-and-field, the short distance runners (sprinters) had a Z-score of 1.76, the middle distance runners had -0.30 and the long distance runners -1.34. The Z-score of the triathletes was -1.07. In the short, middle and long distance swimmers we found a z-score of 0.81, 0.17 and -1.59, respectively. Conclusions: Muscle carnosine content as indirect estimation of MFTC shows a good reflection of the successful disciplines of elite athletes in different sports and is able to distinguish between individual running or swimming distances. So this innovative method may have exciting applications in non-invasive talent identification and sport (re)orientation in athletics, triathlon, swimming, as well as a number of other sports. References; Baguet A, Everaert I, Hespel P, Petrovic M, Achten E, Derave W. A New Method for Non-Invasive Estimation of Human Muscle Fiber Type Composition. PLoS One 6: 6,2011.

Fig 1: Z-scores of carnosine content in the gastrocnemius muscle in the different athlete populations

-4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4Z-score gastrocnemius

Athletics

Triathlon

Swimmin

Athletics

Swimming

Short Middle

Young Investigator 5: Dr. Anthony Papathomas, Research Associate in Sport Psychology & Disability Sport

From Tank to Track:

Identifying Paralympic Talent from Injured Members of the Armed Forces

Anthony Papathomas, Brett Smith, Vicky Tolfrey

Loughborough University, Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport, School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences.

Aim: Based on physiological and psychological profiling, injured soldiers represent a potentially talent rich population for

Paralympic selectors in Great Britain. However, although many newly disabled soldiers enter the competitive sport arena, very

few make the successful transition into elite sport. This in-depth qualitative study explored the psychosocial factors associated

with those who made the grade and those who did not.

Methods: Interactive semi-structured interviews were conducted with 6 injured soldiers who had either successfully

transitioned into Paralympic Sport or who had withdrawn from sport having previously been identified as talented. Participants

were encouraged to reflect on their personal transitional experiences. All interviews were digitally recorded and fully

transcribed. Data was subject to a rigorous thematic-analysis.

Results: Analysis of the interview data revealed four broad themes determined the quality of participants’ transitional

experiences: a.) Pre-injury sporting experiences b.) Time since injury c.) Perceived distinctions between military and athlete life

d.) Perceived similarities between military and athlete life. Each of these themes impacted participants’ capacity to fulfil

Paralympic potential in both positive and negative ways.

Conclusions: The transition from sudden, life-changing injury to elite Paralympic athlete is a deeply idiosyncratic experience.

Talent selectors should invest in understanding the psychosocial histories of injured soldiers who are under consideration for

talent development programmes. Psychological readiness at point of entry into competitive sport may have critical

consequences for the quality of the transition experience and the level of success achieved.

Young Investigator 6: Dr. Clare Humberstone, Senior Physiologist, Australian Institute of Sport

Talent transfer into combat sports: Application of special forces selection methodology

Clare Humberstone1, Richard Nicholson

2, Juanita Weissensteiner

2, Morag Croser

2

Rob Medlicott2, Steve Bingley

3, Paul Cale

4, David T. Martin

1

1Australian Institute of Sport, Department of Physiology, Canberra ACT;

2Australian Institute of Sport, Athlete Pathways and

Development, Canberra ACT; 3Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra ACT;

4Veterans Sports Association, Sydney,

NSW Aim: Design and implement a talent transfer program for boxing and judo based on physiological, psychological and skill aptitudes important for success. Methods: Talent transfer programs primarily based on anthropometric and physiological attributes have been criticised for not including a psychological dimension (MacNamara and Collins, 2011). However, accepted methodology for quantifying skill aptitudes (e.g. ability to respond to opponent’s movements, rate of learning) and psychological characteristics (e.g. motivation and hardiness) important for success in combat sports is not established. In the military, candidates who complete Special Forces selection courses have been shown to be intrinsically motivated and “hardy” (Maddi, 2007). Thus, Special Forces selection methodology may represent a practical approach for revealing desired psychological characteristics in athletes. A two-phase talent transfer program was designed that included: I) regional fitness testing (vertical jump, 60sec pushups, beep test, 20m sprint), and II) centralised selection camp featuring sport-specific challenges and a special forces “selection course” designed to reveal relevant skills and desired psychological characteristics. A combat fitness performance index was created based on a Z-score conversion of Phase I test results that were combined for an overall score. Results: 163 athletes were tested in Phase I, of which 37 were invited to participate in Phase II. Coaches and sport science staff ultimately selected 12 athletes (7M; 5F) to participate in regionally-based fast-track development programs based on their observations of athletes’ combined physical, psychological and skill competencies. Interestingly, there were no significant differences in combat fitness performance index between Selected (M: 0.22±0.7, F: 0.38±0.8) and Non-Selected athletes who participated in Phase II (M: -0.18±0.7, F: -0.21±0.5; p=0.25 and p=0.18 for M and F, respectively). Conclusions: These data indicate that National Team coaches and scientists selected athletes into the boxing and judo fast-track development programs based on more than just fitness. Selection methodology used by special forces can be modified and implemented into talent transfer evaluation to facilitate valuable insight into psychological characteristics and skill aptitudes important for sporting success. Future reflections on the successful or non-successful progression of the 12 selected athletes will reveal the true value of the selection program undertaken. References: MacNamara, A. and Collins, D (2011). Comment on “Talent Identification and promotion programmes of Olympic athletes”. Journal of Sports Sciences, 29 (12), 1353-1356. Maddi, S.R. (2007). Relevance of Hardiness Assessment and Training to the Military Context. Military Psychology, 19(1), 61-70.