Explore the vast range of titles available.

A cornerstone of the recent consensus statements on concussion is a multifaceted concussion-assessment program at baseline and postinjury and when tracking recovery. Earlier studies of athletic trainers' (ATs') practice patterns found limited use of multifaceted protocols; however, these authors typically grouped diverse athletic training settings together. To (1) describe the concussion-management practice patterns of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I ATs, (2) compare these practice patterns to earlier studies, and (3) objectively characterize the clinical examination. Cross-sectional study. Online survey. A total of 610 ATs from NCAA Division I institutions, for a response rate of 34.4%. The survey had 3 subsections: demographic questions related to the participant's experiences, concussion-assessment practice patterns, and concussion-recovery and return-to-participation practice patterns. Specific practice-pattern questions addressed balance, cognitive and mental status, neuropsychological testing, and self-reported symptoms. Finally, specific components of the clinical examination were examined. We identified high rates of multifaceted assessments (i.e., assessments using at least 3 techniques) during testing at baseline (71.2%), acute concussion assessment (79.2%), and return to participation (66.9%). The specific techniques used are provided along with their adherence with evidence-based practice findings. Respondents endorsed a diverse array of clinical examination techniques that often overlapped objective concussion-assessment protocols or were likely used to rule out associated potential conditions. Respondents were cognizant of the Third International Consensus Statement, the National Athletic Trainers' Association position statement, and the revised NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook recommendations. Athletic trainers in NCAA Division I demonstrated widespread use of multifaceted concussion-assessment techniques and appeared compliant with recent consensus statements and the NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook.

The purpose of this investigation was to investigate the concurrent validity of the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R) (Scheier et al., 1994) and Optimism/Pessimism Scale (OPS) (Dember et al., 1989) by administering each questionnaire to the same group of participants. The 154 participants (84 men and 70 women) were volunteer university students enrolled in physical activity classes at a southeastern university. The questionnaires were counterbalanced to reduce possible bias due to taking one questionnaire before taking the other. Due to recent suggestions concerning scoring mechanisms for the LOT-R (Dember et al., 1989; Hummer, Dember, Melton & Schefft, 1992; Lightsey, 1996; Marshall and Lang, 1990) the instrument was scored to produce a unidimensional score and two subscale scores. The analysis suggested that the LOTR and OPS may not be measuring similar constructs. The results revealed that the LOT-R may be measuring \"trait\" optimism and pessimism, while the OPS may be measuring \"state\" optimism and pessimism. It was also suggested that future research investigate racial differences on these constructs.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

As the revenue and expenses increase in college athletics so too does the pressure on coaches to succeed. Coaches are constantly searching for ways to improve their athletes 'performance. One area that has received minimal research is explanatory style (optimism/pessimism) and its impact on athletic performance. The purpose of the present research was to: (a) determine if a relationship exists between coaches and players perception of one another's optimistic outlook: and (b) through qualitative data collection identify specific coaching techniques implemented when coaches deal with a more/ less optimistic golfer after a less successful round of golf. Participants were Division I Head Golf Coaches (N=8) and Division / male golfers (N=39). A mixed-method design was implemented with quantitative data obtained through the administration of The Life Orientation Test-Revised (Scheier, Can'er, & Bridges, 1994) and qualitative data obtained through standardized open-ended interviews with five head golf coaches. Quantitative results indicated the existence of a weak positive relationship between self-reported and perceived explanatoiy style. Qualitative analyses indicated coaches possessed an accurate understanding of explanatory style and implemented the technique of thought/self-talk redirection with their less optimistic players after a less successful round of competitive golf. These results add to the research on explanatory style and its impact on sport performance by providing coaches with a deeper understanding of how to assist athletes rebound from a poor athletic performance.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the cervical spine range of motion that occurred during application of 4 rigid cervical immobilization collars, the time of application, and the amount of active range of motion available after application. DESIGN AND SETTING: We evaluated the amount of cervical motion that occurred during application of 4 commonly used collars: NECLOC (NL), StifNeck (SN), StifNeck Select (SNS), and Rapid Form Vacuum Immobilizer (VI). Each clinician applied a properly sized collar to both a small- and medium-size model 3 times. After application, active range-of-motion testing was completed with the subject in the supine and seated positions. SUBJECTS: A total of 17 certified athletic trainers participated. MEASUREMENTS: We used 3-dimensional kinematic head and thorax data to calculate peak angular displacement, total linear distance, and total angular distance during application and peak angular displacement during supine and seated range-of-motion testing. Application time was calculated during each trial. RESULTS: Significant differences between collars were noted for application time, total linear distance, and total angular distance (P<.01). The SN and SNS were applied significantly faster and with significantly less total linear distance and total angular distance than the NL and the VI collars. The NL was applied significantly faster and with significantly less total linear distance and total angular distance than the VI. During supine and seated active range-of-motion tests, the SN and SNS permitted significantly less cervical flexion-extension, rotation, and lateral flexion than the NL and VI. CONCLUSIONS: Of the collars tested, the SN and SNS appear to be the optimal collars for use by certified athletic trainers. They were applied with the least motion in the fastest time and provided superior restriction during active range-of-motion testing.

The management of sport-related concussions at the youth and high school sports levels is often the responsibility of coaches due to the lack of qualified health care personnel on site. Active coaches have been noted to subscribe to multiple concussion misconceptions and often do not recognize typical concussion symptoms; however, completion of a formal academic coaching education program has been suggested to improve their knowledge base. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe the concussion knowledge of students enrolled in a coaching education program. A total of 150 coaching education students completed the questionnaire and correctly identified most concussion symptoms (12.3-2.0 of 16) and most concussion misconceptions (7.2-1.3 of 9). Results suggest that coaching education students are more aware of concussion symptoms and subscribe to fewer misconceptions than active coaches. However, a small subset of respondents endorsed potentially dangerous misconceptions.

This study investigated the relationship between female athletes and head coaches' perceived communication competence. Participants were members (female athletes, n=134 and head coaches, n = 13; men = 6, women = 7) of two NCAA Division I institutions in the southeastern United States. Perceptions of coaches and athletes were examined to determine if gender differences existed in the measured domains. Results indicated that coaches perceived themselves as communicatively competent, while athletes' perceptions were positive, but not as equivocal. There was a significant relationship (p<.05) between the sending and receiving domains of the Communicative Competence Questionnaire (Mange et al., 1981) and the positive and negative conflict domains of the Scale for Effective Communication in Sports Teams (Sullivan, 2000). The findings suggested that effective head coach communication is not based on gender, but on the perceived communicative competence of the individual. Significant correlations were also present for several dimensions of the ICCS and CCQ. Immediacy, social relaxation, empathy and expressiveness were the dimensions in which head coaches viewed themselves most competent.

The perceptions of momentum in basketball games by a basketball-experienced, momentum-educated, trained observer were investigated. The observer attended 11 college and 3 high school basketball games thereby recording 50 instances of perceived momentum. The trained observer indicated on a momentum chart the particular game events that began, sustained, and ended each momentum period. The results indicated that the beginning of momentum was most often characterized as a combination of good performance by one team and poor performance by the opposing team. The five most frequently occurring actions at the beginning of perceived momentum in rank order were a 3-point shot, defensive stop, steal, fastbreak, or a turnover. During momentum, the five most frequently (in rank order) occurring actions were turnovers, crowd noise, defensive stops, steals, and \"string\" of unanswered points. The five actions most frequently observed (in rank order) at the end of momentum were turnovers by momentum team, missed shots by momentum team, time outs, fouls, and end of the playing period. The number of points scored by each team during a time of perceived momentum was analyzed. The momentum team scored significantly more points than the opposing team, but scored only five more points than the opposing team.

An exploratory investigation of 25 basketball officials' perceptions of trait anxiety, and state anxiety before, during (half time), and after a basketball game was conducted. Twenty-five male high school and college basketball officials were administered a demographic questionnaire and basketball officiating-modified version of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2; Marten, Vealey, & Burton, 1990).