Welcome

This research area is focused upon:

  • Identifying and overcoming the barriers that impact participation in sport, with a particular emphasis on barriers related to a youth’s growth and development.
  • Understanding the mediating and moderating variables that influence sports participation.  (ie: parental involvement, coaching techniques, maturational perception, sport competence)
  • Supporting the development of infrastructure that will enhance participation in sport. Specifically, to increase understanding of the impact of adolescent growth and maturation, within the present structure of team sports in Canada, on longer term (4-year) participation in sport.
  • Using the results to fuel policy changes and create strategies to enhance participation and reduce the number of adolescents that drop out of sport.

Key Faculty and Partnerships

Principal Investigator:

Dr. Adam Baxter-Jones,
College of Kinesiology
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-5759

Co-Investigators:

Dr. Lauren Sherar
School of Exercise & Health Sciences
Loughborough University, UK
+44 (0) 1509 223285             

Mr. Warren Proctor
Provincial Sport Development
Sask Sports, Inc
(306) 975-0805

Participant Information

Thank you for visiting our website.  We appreciate your participation.

Associated Programs and Organizations:

  • Saskatchewan Hockey Association (SHA)
  • Saskatchewan Soccer Association
  • Basketball Saskatchewan
  • Sask Volleyball
  • Saskatoon Minor Football
  • Regina Minor Football
  • Sask Baseball

Moved?  New Email?  New Phone Number?

Have you moved or changed your telephone number since we last contacted you?  If so, could you please email your updated information to:  baxter.jones@usask.ca 

The Follow-Up questionnaires can also be accessed online

**Google Chrome or Internet Explorer 9/10 are recommended**

Research Results

The physiological measures have been analyzed.  Click on the links below to see how the different sports measured up.

Overviews are available for the following sports:

Related Research

Sherar LB, Baxter-Jones AD, Faulkner RA, Russell KW. (2007) Do physical maturity and birth date predict talent in male youth ice hockey players? J Sports Sci, 25;879-86.
Baxter-Jones, A.D.G., Maffulli, N. on behalf of The TOYA Study Group. (2003) Parental influence on sport participation in elite young athletes. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. 43(2):250-5. (0.5)
Sean P. Cumming, Lauren B. Sherar, Catherine Gammon, Martyn Standage, Robert M. Malina. (2012) Physical Activity and Physical Self-Concept in Adolescence: A Comparison of Girls at the Extremes of the Biological Maturation Continuum Journal of Research on Adolescence, 22;746-757.
Sean P. Cumming, Lauren B. Sherar, Joanna E. Hunter Smart, Aristides M. M. Rodrigues, Martyn Standage, Fiona B. Gillison and Robert M. Malina (2012) Physical Activity, Physical Self-Concept, and Health-Related Quality of Life of Extreme Early and Late Maturing Adolescent Girls, The Journal of Early Adolescence, 32; 269-292.

Nicholas L. Holt, Camilla J. Knight (2014) Parenting in Youth Sport: From Research to Practice. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.