Transplant Australia’s Post

Cheerleading deserves federations (local, national and international) who operate in the best interests of our sport. Here is my checklist for a well functioning federation. - [ ] Create long term growth & development plan - [ ] Prioritize athlete protection - [ ] Create safety rules & regulations - [ ] Regulate scoring - [ ] Provide equal acceptance of all facets of cheer (scholastic, recreational, all-star, collegiate, professional, etc) - [ ] Consider the well being of our participants physically, emotionally & psychologically. - [ ] Provide education and training to all stakeholders - [ ] Prioritize DEIAB efforts. We must also make cultural adaptions where necessary to make cheer as appealing as possible - [ ] To ensure that our sport is respectful, inclusive and safe for all athletes & stakeholders - [ ] To promote opportunities for AA, ParaCheer & Special Olympics globally. - [ ] To protect & elevate the experience of women in our sport. Cheer is primarily female. Opportunities should be reflective of this. - [ ] To address rising costs & commercialization of cheer that negatively impacts growth & access - [ ] Build relationships with ALL entities in a fair & equal way. Do not interfere with spirit industry business or to politicize opportunities in our sport - [ ] Hold meaningful discussions within the community to establish priorities, gain feedback & understand perspectives. - [ ] To conduct research, continuously look for best practices & new standards that can improve training and safety. - [ ] To advocate priorities at home and abroad. To represent the interests of its membership - [ ] To liaise with other organizations (both within our industry and outside of it) for the promotion of cheer - [ ] To communicate efforts in a clear, transparent and timeless fashion on a regular & consistent basis. - [ ] To work towards proper recognition channels to ensure the long term viability of the sport & to secure funding - [ ] To shape modern day opinions of cheerleading through proper promotion and media campaigns - [ ] To bring ALL stakeholders together in unity towards a common goal rather than actively keeping parties at bay. Discussion, debate, and compromise should always be encouraged - [ ] To keep an accurate record of the history of cheer and their efforts. To ensure that the living history of our sport is preserved - [ ] To create programming that will improve the athlete, coach, parent, official, etc experience. - [ ] Those working in our sport should be qualified, deserving and talented. Board/leadership positions should not be rewarded on tokenism or in an effort to curry favour. Boards should also have a diverse representation that is reflective of the membership. - [ ] Integrity matters. There should be limits on service to a maximum of 1 term per position and 2 terms in a lifetime to encourage new ideas and limit power. - [ ] No singular country was meant to rule us all.

New publication from Heidi Østbø Haugen and myself 👩🏻💻 Leading up to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China commissioned Norwegian sports coaches to improve performance in several winter sports. Such collaboration and knowledge transfer across national borders are well-known strategies to enhance the chances of success in the Olympic Games. In this study we delve into the complexities of coach–athlete relationships in collaborations between nations with vastly different sports systems and cultures. Emphasizing the concept of “care,” we examine how Norwegian coaches navigated the cultural, bureaucratic, and political tensions that encompassed their relations with the Chinese winter sports athletes⛷️ Want to learn more? Read it here: https://lnkd.in/d8u8MaRA

After initial efforts by the USASF to make cheerleading “safer” by restricting US Based all-star teams from having 16-17 year olds compete on International Open Teams, I am at a complete loss for words over a new proposal for a Junior Flex division. This division is one of 3 proposals initiated by the USASF in a recent call out to membership that would introduce a 10 year age range in a Junior division. Is this something our sport is seriously considering? I have had a front row seat to the absolute decimation of the International Open All Girl 6 division which was once one of the most geographically diverse and highly popular divisions in our sport. The addition of Global, Club, Level 5 and non tumbling divisions certainly played a part in spreading out the competition but the final straw was limitations placed on US based teams. In an international sporting anomaly, teams from the USA were restricted from having 16 and 17 year olds in open category by the USASF while international teams governed by the IASF had a different age grid altogether. What other sport in the world has different age categories for different countries competing in the same division at the same championship? A world championship at that. How is that fair? Cheerleading just let it happen. It’s no wonder that American based teams vacated the division amidst a completely unlevel playing field. The reasoning given at the time of this change was an immediate and urgent need for minors to be separated from adults on sports teams. They weren’t entirely wrong. But the cosmetic solution to an actual problem did not sit well with the international communities. It’s even more disappointing today to see a complete reversal in thinking within a singular calendar year and no acknowledgement of this change. Based on the previous unwavering and definitive change made by the USASF to the international open divisions it is a complete shift in theory and logic to allow for such a broad age gap in a junior division. Politics are rampant in our sport. Dueling commercial companies trade executives and ethos while yesterday’s solutions become today’s problems and today’s solutions are yesterday’s problems. Organizations we have relied on for decades to provide leadership, guidance, direction and governance are now amending their scopes and changing their purpose. Our sport deserves better. We need unwavering, principled and steady leadership. *continued in comments

Olympic Games & other major sporting events are often touted as going to lead to improved participation in sport within host communities, with associated health and other social benefits.  It is something that has come up in the Brisbane 2032 legacy planning.   However, it’s not guaranteed. Evidence is mixed on whether that sort of social impact routinely happens as a result of major sport events according to this article, which notes too that increased visibility/awareness, or expressed improved motivation, doesn’t always lead to actual increased participation levels on the ground.  #communitybenefits #socialimpact #Olympics #infrastructure https://lnkd.in/g-u7aRs5

The theme of the Paris 2024 conference is “Sport Management and Social Inclusion”. Submissions that relate specifically, but not exclusively, to the conference theme are strongly encouraged. Participants also have the opportunity to submit contributions that are not specifically related to the conference theme in parallel sessions during the conference. The main objective of all conference sessions is to encourage participants from related fields to share their knowledge, provide new insights and inspire the future of sport management.

Creating Psychological Safety in Sports Clubs: A Foundation for Lifelong Love of Sport

Really nice to see #australia coming with first #sports #participation #strategy to complement #highperformance strategy Key points: #safe, welcoming, #inclusive and fun experiences  sport needs to change so that everyone feels welcome The Strategy is built around six priority areas: Empowering people and organisations Driving lifelong involvement Activating places and spaces Building connections Equitable access Transforming culture While we have just witnessed the World Cup finals between #India and #australia. It's important to understand the context of maturity of #sports systems and future directions taken by both countries. Looking this, probably India needs a similar strategy to convert million sports viewers into sports participants to build a real sporting culture https://lnkd.in/gurUYCKP

One day out from the Olympics ending and there's really too many great takeaways to fit into one post... We're nothing without a strong support system around us -- Coaches, friends, family, those to encourage us or be with us in both good times and bad. This was on full display in every event. Athletes, and none of us, can do it on their own. You don't have to be a winner to be a winner -- Every Olympic athlete will always be an Olympic athlete. There's no taking that away from them, whether or not they won a medal. They all deserve to hold their heads up, as do we when we show up and represent to the best of our abilities. There's no one perfect body type or physique -- One amazing thing that stood out about the Olympics is that just about every body type is represented there. No matter what you look like, or your background, you are worthy of representing. Inclusion matters -- This was the first Olympics where there was equal gender representation across all sports. This is incredible. Let's keep that trend going in the places we work too. There's a lot of value in learning new things -- One of my great joys in this Olympics was watching athletic events I'd never seen before. I was enthralled and enjoyed some of these more than the 'primetime' events. Don't let yourself get stale by always doing or being the same. Learn and learn about new things. Your mind will be expanded. We're all in this together -- There was such amazing sportsmanship and camaraderie between the athletes. Even when one nation would beat another, I saw so many hugs and smiles given to the winners and the 'losers'. Even though athletes represent their nations, there's incredible tight-knit communities of support and friendship, even amidst fierce competition. ...and many more. What were some of your Olympic highlights and takeaways?

🤔 Interesting article this morning… My take 👉 Sport has been replaced by active recreation and informal sport options, due to a number of factors led by cost (cost of living pressures and higher cost to participate), commitment (a want for less commitment and formality) and capacity (lack of facilities/services/products to serve new way people want to participate). But we still continue to prioritise delivering traditional sporting facilities. We’re then likely to be hit with a perceived surge in demand for sport facilities thanks to the Olympics. While intense, this will be short lived. We need to be cautious of the vocal “squeaky wheel” and plan for the long term support of participation in physical activity in the way society now prefers. As the article says “Governments need to find sustainable solutions to ensure all Australians can continue to participate…” key word being sustainable. https://lnkd.in/gBrPS6j7

Having played multiple sports from a young age, I understand the inextricable links between the sporting and the business world, such as the importance of teaming, building relationships, bold goal-setting, and pushing boundaries. These similarities also extend to the mindset of a successful entrepreneur, requiring for instance resilience, discipline, and nimbleness.   With sports laying such a valuable foundation for young people in terms of skill development I really love the initiative taken by New Zealand’s five major sporting bodies to get its young people back on the pitch to help them realize their potential and develop different skill sets, following a decline in youth sports participation since 2017. Their philosophy: “A broader range of sporting experiences gives a wider base of skills to draw from, so less deliberate practice is needed by athletes to excel in their chosen sport.”   I would not be who I am today without the skills learned from sports and the drive that high-level sport has given me. I really encourage all ambitious, driven individuals at any age who aspire to be future leaders to get involved in any capacity they can.   Jennifer Held Tom Kingsley Tal Hewitt Matthew Walters Gemma Fairn   https://lnkd.in/eUqUs9FP