My Child: The Athlete

Twitter: @OU_SportConf

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The 4th annual OU Sport and Fitness Conference focuses on youth development in sport with particular attention paid to contemporary issues such as:

• Youth physical development
  

  • E.g. Strength and conditioning | Injury prevention | Physical literacy | Skill acquisition

• Psychological development
  

  • E.g. Building resilience | Coping with and learning from failure

• Parental support for talented athletes
  

  • E.g. Research to support parents of talented athletes | Effects on siblings and family members | Family dynamics and youth development

• Coaching considerations when working with children
  

  • E.g. Planning training and practice | Coaching behaviours | Managing expectations | Managing the needs of each athlete | Working with talented athletes

With three world-leading keynotes confirmed, this promises to be an illuminating and thought-provoking two days:

Toni Minichiello - UK Sports Coach of the Year 2012, Senior Coach Representative for British Athletics, and Coach to GB's 2012 gold medal-winning Olympian Jessica Ennis-Hill. (Day 1 evening keynote presenter)

Presentation: 'From Beginner To winner'

Dr Jean Côté - Professor at Queen's University, Canada and world-renowned researcher within the fields of youth sports and coach development.

Presentation: The Interaction of Activities, People, and Settings for the Development of Personal Assets through Sport

Dr Camilla Knight – Associate Professor at Swansea University and leading expert on the psychosocial experiences of children in sport, with a particular focus upon the influence of parents.

Presentation: Understanding and Optimising Parental Involvement in Sport

Whether you're an academic, a student, a coach, teacher or parent, we invite you to join us for two action packed days full of dissemination, discussion, and learning opportunities.

Conference Presentations:

We have an exciting and packed programme lined up with presentations from academic researchers disseminating their findings in a variety of topics areas, coaches discussing their work in the field of youth sport and their application of theory into practice, through to athletes sharing their highs and lows throughout their journey in youth sport pathways. Below are all of the conference presenters with their presentation titles:

The Open University Student Keynote Presenter:

Annabel Chaffey

GB Bobsleigh Youth Athlete, 2014-2018

Sliding to Success: The Realities of Youth Sport

Breakout Presentations:

Theme: Physical Development

Ben Pullen

PhD Student, Youth Physical Development Centre, Cardiff Metropolitan University and School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Swansea University

The effects of strength and conditioning in physical education on athletic motor skill competency, physical self-efficacy and motivation to exercise: a pilot study.

Daz Drake

Owner of Athletic Performance Academy (APA) Ltd, and Head of Strength & Conditioning Gosling Tennis Academy

Developing strength and power in the rotational sport youth athlete: A tennis case study.

Graham Williams

Lead Practitioner & Athletic Development Coach, Millfield School, Somerset, UK

A longitudinal analysis of movement competency, fundamental movement skill and muscle capacity in sports pupils in a UK independent school.

Theme: Parent and Child Voice

Francesca Cavallerio

Senior Lecturer in sport psychology and qualitative research, Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University

Using ethnodrama to encourage reflection: workshops to support youth sport parents.

Olivier Rouquette

PhD Student, Laboratoire Sport et Environment Social (SENS), Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France and School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Swansea University

Young athletes’ perceptions of parental responsive support.

Linda Plowright

PhD Student, Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies, The Open University

“I like to climb and pick coconuts”: towards a child-guided agentic participatory research methodology to better understand 7-11 year olds’ expectations of physical activity.

Theme: Siblings, Confidence and Pathways

Robin Taylor

Lecturer in Sports Coaching, Institute of Coaching and Performance, University of Central Lancashire

The reported impact of siblings on talent development in sport.

Iain Greenlees

Professor of Sport Psychology, University of Chichester

Elite youth soccer players’ sources and types of sport self-confidence.

Sean Connor

UEFA Pro-Licence coach and MSc Student, Sport & Exercise Psychology, Ulster University

Do developmental pathways exist in elite soccer players?

Theme: Injury and Pain

Aaron Ryan

Lead Physiotherapist, Millfield School, Somerset, UK

The impact of injury and subsequent time loss on the development and performance of pupils at an independent boarding school within the UK.

Nicole Kimpton

St Mary's University, Twickenham

Parental perceptions of their child’s pain and injury experiences in elite women’s gymnastics.

Theme: Parents in Sport

Charlotte Downing

PhD Student, Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences

Early specialization in aesthetic activities: perceptions of parental involvement.

Maita Furusa

PhD Student, School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Swansea University

Parental involvement and children’s enjoyment in sport.

Theme: Engaging young people in sport

Emily Owen

PhD Student, School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Swansea University

A realist evaluation of a sport-based multi-component intervention for disengaged young people.

Emily Reynolds

Head of Sport, Youth Sport Trust

Redefining competitive school sport.

Theme: Children and Coaches in Sport

Jennifer Agans

Assistant Professor, College of Health and Human Development, The Pennsylvania State University, USA

Sampling and specialising in youth sport: what is the goal?

Maria Laura Elvira

PGA Senior instructor (PGA Argentina & Spain) at JR Golf Coaching, Retamares Golf Club, Spain

A non-linear approach when coaching junior golfers (a case study).

Sergio Lara-Bercial

Reader at Leeds Beckett University

No Coach, No Maximum Gain: The central role of the coach in the deliberate personal development of youth performance athletes.

Theme: Wellbeing and drop-out

Katie Uzzell

PhD Student, School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Swansea University

An interpretive description of wellbeing in elite development swimming.

Graham Williams

Lead Practitioner & Athletic Development Coach at Millfield School, Somerset, UK

“I didn’t make it, but…”: Examining experiences that facilitated future success of athletes deselected from formalised and selective talent development pathways in youth sport.

Neil Graney

Assistant Professor in Management and Marketing, Durham Business School

“From wonderkid to Billy Elliott to a world class academic” - featuring a nervous breakdown.

Programme*:

(*subject to change)

Delegates:

Full conference packages:

Access to the whole two days - keynotes and breakout sessions

Three course conference dinner on day 1*

Lunch and refreshments on both days

*Please note - we have a limited number of tickets for the evening session - book early to avoid disappointment.

Evening only package*:

Access to the evening session on day 1

Keynote presentation from Toni Minichiello

Q&A Panel with Toni, Dr Jean Côté and Dr Camilla Knight

Three course conference dinner

*Please note - the evening session will take place at Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre, MK7 6BZ. There are a limited number of tickets available for this session so please book early to avoid disappointment.

Joining instructions, accommodation discount codes and further details will be communicated with all registered delegates.

We look forward to welcoming you to My Child: The Athlete in March 2019!

For any conference queries please contact WELS-Research-Events@open.ac.uk