A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to give a presentation to local entrepreneurs on conducting market research. The goal of market research is to identify a need for a product or service and who would be interested in the purchase of that product or service. For people that are looking to go into business, this is a very important step in the process. The summary of that presentation is below, as well as links to data and what a comprehensive market research project looks like.
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The discussion surrounding early sport specialization continues to be a hot topic in the sports medicine world. A new study from the Strength and Conditioning Journal is now examining the link between sport specialization and injury risk in female athletes. I have written on sport specialization a couple of times as new research comes out to keep up to date.
What we currently know is that adolescent boys and girls have similar movement patterns and rates of injury. As they age and go through puberty, is when differences start to occur. Females who had previously displayed appropriate movement patterns may start to have aberrant patterns that can predispose them to injury. As such, it is important to implement injury prevention and strength training programs during this time. The actual link between sport specialization and injury has yet to be clearly established. The concern is that those athletes that are participating in a single sport to the exclusion of others and devoting dedicated practice to the improvement of that sport can be setting themselves up for injury, especially overuse. In general, females are more at risk for injury in a sport than their male counterparts. This increased risk is for multiple reasons and includes that change in movement pattern, decreased strength, decreased quadriceps to hamstring strength, hypermobility and proprioception to name a few. This article highlights 9 recommendations to decrease risk of injury:
While the researchers continue to explore and examine the link between sport specialization, injury risk, long term development, predictors of performance and burnout, coaches, athletic directors, athletic trainers, recreation programs and parents can modify activities accordingly. Regardless of level of participation the goal for every sport and program should be to keep participants healthy. Knowing the injury risk per sport and the exercises to reduce that injury risk goes a long to not only decreasing injury, but actually improving long term performance potential. As the research becomes available I will continue to share it with all of you. For other information on the topic, check out my other post on the subject. http://www.fingerlakesathletics.com/blog/to-specialize-or-not-to-specialize-in-sport Reference: Jayanthi, N. & Duga, L. (2017). The risks of sport specialization in adolescent female athletes. Strength & Conditioning Journal, 39(2): 20-26. http://journals.lww.com/nsca-scj/Fulltext/2017/04000/The_Risks_of_Sports_Specialization_in_the.4.aspx There was some big news this week in the sport sponsorship world with Major League Baseball (MLB) linking a deal with Coca Cola to be the official soft drink partner of the MLB. The current partner is Pepsi, which means that Coca Cola would be displacing Pepsi as the official partner. What does this mean to the shareholders of both organizations? MLB is a large partner with lots of potential for direct revenue from sales at stadiums in addition to advertising potential and downstream revenue from increased branding awareness. To determine the acute effects of this news I looked at the stock prices for both Coca Cola (KO) and Pepsi Co (PEP) to analyze company performance over the course of the week. Compounding the results are the introduction of ads for both companies that would presumably have an effect on stock price. The daily stock prices are listed below, as well as the day to day fluctuation in stock price and weekly change. Interestingly enough, there was no real change in stock price; KO showed a mild increase over the week while PEP showed a mild decline over the week. In addition to the news of MLB, Pepsi also came under fire for their latest advertisement. Even with the negative publicity of both news items, the company’s share price did not change much. For investors looking to capitalize on sponsorship news in the sport industry, this particular news did not seem to offer a chance at higher returns. These companies may be large, well regarded business that are resilient to short term news articles. Time will tell if either company gains or loses over the long term. Timeline: 4/3/17 News is reported that MLB is partnering with Coca Cola to be the official soft drink of the MLB, displacing Pepsi as the Official partner 4/3/17 Coca Cola launches Cherry Coke in china featuring cans with the likeness of Warren Buffet 4/4/17 Pepsi releases video 4/5/17 backlash ensues over the sensitivity of the ad *All news items and data pulled from CNBC
When there’s snow, there’s a chance to ski and enjoy outdoor entertainment. Ski resorts have long been a destination for those seeking recreational activities during the winter, and the economics of the ski industry are varied depending on region and structure. Skiing as an industry is unique since the competitive environment is set: the cost of entry is so high that no new resorts enter the market. Of grave concern to the industry, however, is the impact of climate change on factors relating to the ski industry: precipitation, temperature, skier days and skier retention. In order for ski areas to continue to grow, they need to attract new skiers and convert them to a core customer. A decrease in these factors forces ski resorts to make adjustments to their product in the form of reduced hours of operation, staffing, increased snow making and variable ticket pricing. Each of those has an effect on the consumer’s decision to frequent their local area. Skiers who rate themselves as beginners are more likely to leave the sport altogether, thus losing the chance to increase this core customer group.
When looking at ski resort financials, you can see start to discover trends within the industry. While ticket sales make up the majority of revenue to a ski industry (about 50%) there is still plenty of opportunity for increased revenue from cross selling and upselling, including dining, rental, ski school programs and overnight stays if the resort owns the hotel. Resort and hotel ownership is also one of the ways for a ski area to increase its total value. Resorts that are struggling financially seem to be doing so by having a larger percentage of revenue going to operations and staff, as well as having a high debt load that increases the interest payments on loans or increased leasing costs. Financially strong resorts have been able to decrease their total debt load, while increasing revenue and controlling expenses. As resorts work on their marketing plan, they should also break their consumers into segments. Different sub groups of skiers have different preferences; women and men view resorts and amenities differently, as do intermediate and advanced skiers. Resorts that have more difficult terrain tend to attract higher level skiers, who value the difficulty of the terrain and are less concerned with amenities, while easier resorts would be better suited by focusing on the customer experience and the inclusion of a nice dining area. The current state of the industry shows positive economic impact of ski resorts, as well as providing insight for managers of resorts. To adequately see a return on investment, resorts should understand their current consumer and target skiers of similar demographics. Resorts should also focus on viewing skiing as a complete experience, including the snow, quality of runs, customer service provided members, onsite lodging and dining experiences. Viewing the experience as a whole allows resorts to increase their revenue from multiple streams, while supplying their customer with everything required to meet their needs. Conclusions:
References: Belin, D. (2016). Eye on the industry: 2014-15 economic analysis of US ski areas. National Ski Area Association Journal, Spring 2016. http://www.rrcassociates.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Economic-Analysis-1415.pdf Faullant, R., Matzler, K., & Fuller, J. (2008). The impact of satisfaction and image on loyalty: the case of alpine ski resorts. Managing Service Quality, 18(2), 163-178. Fredman, P. (2008). Determinants of visitor expenditures in mountain tourism. Tourism Economics, 14(2). 297-311. Matzler, K., et. al. (2008). Customer satisfaction with alpine ski areas: The moderating effects of personal, situational, and product factors. Journal of Travel Research, 46. 403-413. Rutty, R., et. al. (2015). Behavioural adaptation of skiers to climate variability and change in Ontario, Canada. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 11. 13-21. Thompson, D. (2012). No business like snow business: The economics of big resorts. The Atlantic; February 7, 2012. No athlete likes to be injured and the thought of doing rehabilitation means time away from the sport, training and social interaction with the team while they are on the road to recovery. On the surface it may appear that training for performance and rehabilitation are quite different, but when you dig a little deeper you can identify that the underlying goals are similar and that the opportunity exists for the rehabilitation process to lead to greater performance.
When designing a program, one starts with the end goal in mind. So, for strength that means identifying the specific needs of the athlete, sport and position, while for rehabilitation it means identifying the goals for the rehabilitation process such as restoration of motion, decrease in pain and improvements in functional movement. There comes a time in the rehabilitation process where the opportunity exists to improve sport movement. Both strength and conditioning programs and rehabilitation programs utilize testing to assess athletes, track progress toward identified goals and make necessary adjustments. The main differences are that strength testing assesses strength, power and fitness in healthy athletes, while rehabilitation focuses on assessing pain, movement quality, imbalances and weaknesses. This rehab assessment allows for the identification of functional impairments that both contribute to injury and limit performance potential. As the rehabilitation process progresses and athletes have regained pain free motion, control, balance and endurance, the next step is to introduce sport and performance based movement. This is the time to transition athletes back to the strength coach, or if that is not an option, to increase their level of rehab intensity. During this final stage of the rehabilitation process athletes are being re integrated into strength programs. Once this final stage of the rehabilitation is achieved, athletes are being retrained in movement quality. For many athletes, this also includes injury prevention. Many sports have different injuries associated with it and many of those injuries have identified prevention strategies. This phase of rehab allows the therapist to implement those strategies. This is the time to teach how to land from a jump absorbing force softly, learn to change direction by dropping their hips and generate rotational power through their legs to limit strain on the upper extremity. At the rehab level this is higher level training, but at the strength level, this is all assumed. This discrepancy can contribute to injuries in the first place. At the strength level, retraining fundamental movement can be time consuming and limit the availability for higher level conditioning, but at the rehab level, this is an ideal time to administer this training. This gap from rehab to performance is where many athletes are discharged from therapy; they have achieved their rehab outcomes, but are not quite level for the performance training necessary to their sport. When athletes are integrating back to their sport during this period it is important to recognize that while they are recovered from their injury they are not necessarily at their peak level. Throwing them back in to full participation without adequate progression may not be in their best interest. Like with all aspects of training, progression is the key to long term success. The gradual overload of increased intensity is what leads to long term sporting success. From the strength and conditioning perspective this is the time to build upon the foundational work that was done in rehabilitation. As the athlete has recovered from their injury they will be excited to work hard to keep up with their team. Adapting their rehab exercises into a warm up routine can reinforce proper movement mechanics. Strength exercises can then be built on top of this foundational movement, much like a standard strength and conditioning program. The long term goal is to exceed pre injury level of play and the best way to achieve that is to take a broad view of the variables that impact performance and implement progressive exercises that transition from injury recovery to sport training. Conclusions:
Reference: Reiman, M. & Lorenz, D. (2011). Integration of strength and conditioning principles into a rehabilitation program. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy 6(3), 241-253. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3164002/
Undoubtedly, everyone has heard of the 10,000 rule that stipulates that in order to reach expert status 10 years or 10,000 hours of deliberate practice are required. This study was initially looking at elite musicians and their non-elite counterparts and was then transferred to other fields, including athletics. This has, in part, contributed to the growth of single sport athletes and the clubs, coaches, centers and equipment suppliers that support that sport. Unfortunately, early specialization does not guarantee long term athletic success, and may potentially limit it.
Whenever a new level of sport is undertaken, fewer athletes participate. The large number of youth athletes fizzles in high school, college and beyond. For those that do move on they tend to play more than one sport in high school with extra work put in to their main sport. They still require the deliberate practice required to excel, but not at the large commitment that has been suggested. There is also concern that early sport specialization can lead to injury, burnout and other negative consequences, although sufficient data is still required to fully understand the relationship. The information that we do have can help us to have honest conversations with athletes, coaches and parents when they ask us our opinion on playing one sport or multiple sports. One study looked at athletes that were in a single sport vs. multiple sports and the injuries in the two groups. Those athletes that played a single sport and spent more hours per week in that sport had greater risks for overuse injury. This total volume of repetitive activity is related to injury risk across many sports. Female athletes that play a single sport have increased incidence of anterior knee pain than those that play multiple sports. A lot of research has gone into youth baseball players and elbow injuries and we know that the risk factors for developing elbow pain are throwing too many pitches in a day, throwing curve balls at a young age and throwing more months out of the year. This understanding has helped lead to recommendations regarding pitch counts in youth baseball, although they may not be strictly adhered to. Gymnasts are more likely to have overuse wrist and lumbar injuries while specialized hockey and soccer players suffer from hip pain and the development of impingement. These injuries are predictable based on the sport. The understanding of when those injuries occur in relation to how often an athlete plays the sport is unknown. Theoretically, participating in many sports or a neuromuscular training program can limit the repetitive motion of an individual sport and improve movement quality that can lead to fewer injuries. The constant stress, physical and psychological, of intense sport training can lead some athletes to overtrain, or even burn out from their sport. In order to adapt physiologically, the body needs time to adjust to a new stimulus. Without adequate recovery periods built in, athletes may experience these, and other, negative outcomes of participation. Right now, the best we can do is to discuss the risk of injury based on the sport and the importance of adaptation and volume control. Sports are meant to be fun and youth athletes should be exposed to many sports for enjoyment. Waiting longer to specialize may help delay an overuse injury, but nothing is a guarantee for playing at the next level. The longer sports are fun the more likely they will be to remain active throughout their life, and that is the real victory. Conclusion:
References: Brenner, J. (2007). Overuse injuries, overtraining and burnout in child and adolescent athletes. Pediatrics 119(6). http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/119/6/1242.short Cheatham, S. and Little, B. (2015). Early sports specialization: helpful or harmful? Orthopedics 38(12). http://www.healio.com/orthopedics/journals/ortho/2015-12-38-12/%7B460ea434-603f-4c5b-9903-26940ea2349b%7D/early-sports-specialization-helpful-or-harmful Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness. (2000). Intensive training and sport specialization in young athletes. Pediatrics 106(1). http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/106/1/154?trendmd-shared=0&utm_source=TrendMD&utm_medium=TrendMD&utm_campaign=Pediatrics_TrendMD_0 DiFiori, J, et. al. (2014). Overuse injuries and burnout in youth sport: A position statement from the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine. Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine 24(1): 3-20. https://www.amssm.org/Content/pdf%20files/2014_OverUse_Injuries-Burnout.pdf Fabricant, P., et. al. (2016). Youth sport specialization and musculoskeletal injury: A systematic review of the literature. The Physician and SportsMedicine 44(3); 257-262. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27121730 Hall, R., et. al. (2015). Sport specialization’s association with an increased risk of developing anterior knee pain in adolescent female athletes. Journal of Sport Rehabilitation 24(1). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24622506 Jayanthi, N., et. al. (2013). Sports specialization in young athletes: evidence based recommendations. SportsHealth 5(3). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24427397 LaPrade, R., et. al. (2016). AOSSM early sport specialization consensus statement. Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine 4(4). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27169132 McLeod, T., et. al. (2011). National Athletic Trainer’s Association position statement: prevention of pediatric overuse injuries. Journal of Athletic Training 46(2) http://www.nata.org/sites/default/files/Pediatric-Overuse-Injuries.pdf As a strength and performance coach, nothing pleases me more than when people are able to compete at the level they want to compete at. Whether that is returning to a high school sport post injury, training to make the College team or posting your personal best in a 5K fitness run or Triathlon; the drive to excel is what separates those that exercise from those that train.
For those of you that want to improve in endurance based events, I have some good news, recent research has demonstrated performance gains by modifying some training. Our first article discusses the importance of strength training on running economy and performance indicators. For those of you that have shied away from strength training as an endurance athlete for fear of becoming “too bulky” or slowing down or time commitments, the time may come to rethink how you structure your training. When incorporated, strength training does not lead to increase muscle mass (by itself), but does improve power, neuromuscular control, strength and running economy. You also don’t have to be afraid of lifting heavy; heavy strength training maximally improves those performance indicators. So, the next time you are at the gym, add some squats, lunges, hamstring work and plyometrics to your program; your running times will thank you. Speaking of running, those looking to improve their sprint triathlon performance can tweak their running to achieve faster times. Triathletes in this article didn’t change their swimming or their cycling routines, but the group that undertook High Intensity Interval Training for their running routine improved their performance over those that maintained their running program. HIIT is similar to strength in that it improves work economy, power output and economy. These sprint type workouts with short recoveries stimulate exercise adaptation of tolerance to high intensity exertion. This translates into improved ability to work at higher training thresholds, resistance to fatigue and improved power output that can manifest in faster competition times. Conclusion:
A new year is a time to set goals, evaluate performance and try to become better. As an endurance athlete interested in posting faster times, this is the perfect opportunity to adjust your training to reach new heights. The addition of strength training and sprint based running has the potential to help you have your best race season yet. References: Beattie, C., et al. (2017). The effect of strength training on performance indicators in distance runners. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 31(1): 9-23. http://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2017/01000/The_Effect_of_Strength_Training_on_Performance.2.aspx García-Pinillos, F., et. al. (2017). A high intensity interval training based running plan improves athletic performance by improving muscular power. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 31(1): 146-153.http://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2017/01000/A_High_Intensity_Interval_Training__HIIT__Based.17.aspx No matter what level of athletics you’re involved in, you probably appreciate it when you are recognized as a fan. If you happen to work in athletics, it is important that you create rapport with your fans and establish a relationship. It is also important to remember that you can create fun game time experiences and engage with your fans even if you’re on a limited budget. Thanks to social media and some outside the box thinking, there are many ways to grow and involve your fan base to create excitement surrounding your team.
The most obvious place to start is with social media, it’s free and relatively easy to use. But, instead of just relying on posts and tracking ‘likes’ you can take things a step further. You can provide videos of practice sessions, skills day, training and school spirit events. Instead of waiting for game day to make a post, you can be more proactive and provide information that builds up to each game. You can also have someone do some live updates for the fans that are interested in following the scores and the action, but aren’t able to attend. If you have sponsors, this is another great way to offer sponsors some exposure to your fan base. The more fans you have that follow your social media, the greater the potential reach for your sponsors. This greater reach and involvement with fans can also have positive financial rewards in the forms of either more sponsors, or greater sponsor contributions. The classic in game fan experiences are still fun; theme nights, give aways, competitions. Providing fans with a fun, high energy atmosphere will keep them coming back to your events. These don’t have to be large, either. Costume days are fun ways for students to get involved with their classmates on the team. Give aways during halftime, or at the entrance can be included in the game. Things like the towels or shirts that create uniformity can help create a visual impact of the fans (these also make great photos for your social media posts). Another added opportunity is that you might be able to find a sponsor willing to cover the cost of the item for some ad space like a logo. You still get to create the visual impact and your sponsor gets acknowledged, too, a win-win. Before, during and after games is a great time to get to know your fans and develop a personal relationship with them. Athletic Directors can sit in different places during games and talk with fans in attendance. Many fans enjoy the opportunity to have a conversation with the AD, although, this is an opportunity to meet one another, not air grievances. An AD might find some interesting fan stories that can be turned in to more promotional material: long standing fans can share their favorite memories of the teams, parents and grandparents, students can be highlighted on fan pages, etc. Only by making the effort to meet and interact with the fans can stories be heard and shared and opportunities taken advantage of. At different levels of play, there is higher competition for fans and sponsors, but even smaller programs and teams can take advantage of developing a fan base. Fans help create atmosphere for the athletes during the game and excitement before and afterwards. Engaging them as important parts of the team can help increase the number of fans, potentially bring in new sponsors or ticket/concessions sales and offer ways to create a greater visual impact, both at the game and online. Taylor, S. (2016). Seven ways to engage fans and drive ticket sales. Athletic Business November/December 2016. http://www.athleticbusiness.com/marketing/seven-ways-to-engage-fans-and-drive-ticket-sales.html Participation in high school athletics carries an intrinsic risk of injury, but that doesn’t mean that certain types of injuries can’t be decreased. There has been a proliferation of injury prevention programs and their ability to improve performance and decrease risk of sustaining certain injuries (especially ACL injuries and ankle sprains). While this information is readily available there has been some hesitancy to adopt these and similar programs.
In a survey conducted in Oregon on high school soccer and basketball coaches, many of the coaches were aware that programs existed, but they were not adopting those programs for their own teams (1). Some of the reasons included the belief that what they currently did was similar to the program, that their program was superior to the researched program or that they were not aware of how much actual sport performance gains occurred as a result of these programs. Those concerns have validity and merit further discussion. Many injury programs have similar features that are easy to adopt and implement such as squatting, jumping, cutting and using a balance apparatus. The key with any of these exercises is to focus on form and ensure that they athletes are appropriately performing the required the task and not going through the motions. Some of the programs are definitely more involved and time consuming than others and may cut into the limited time available for training. However, before changing or eliminating exercises, it is important to understand the mechanics and rationale behind those exercises and why they were included in the first place. Arbitrarily eliminating exercises can invalidate the program resulting in a failure to achieve the intended prevention outcomes. A relatively new option for reducing injury risk, improving fitness and performance is to adopt a training program in Physical Education classes (2). This exercise vehicle may be a great way to teach fundamental movement skills to adolescents that carry on to their chosen sport. In a study out of Canada, researchers compared a typical PE class with a specific training PE class geared toward the improvement in movement and reduction in injury and had significantly fewer injuries than the control group. The exercises regimen that they chose was similar to the FIFA 11+ and included squats, jumps, lunges, planks and running drills. The inclusion of this, or a similar program, in middle and high school may help to decrease on field injury rates during athletic participation. The potential for injury will always be a part of athletics, but accepting that there is nothing to do about it is not accurate. At this point there are many options to keep players healthy and participating safely. Knowing the common injuries in your chosen sport and available resources are essential to successful participation in athletic endeavors. Conclusion:
References: 1. Norcross, M.F., et. al. (2016). Factors influencing high school coaches’ adoption of injury prevention programs. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 19: 299-304. 2. Richmond, S.A., et. al. (2016). A school based injury prevention program to reduce sport injury risk and improve healthy outcomes in youth: A pilot cluster randomized controlled trial. Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, 26(4): 291-298. |
AuthorI write on sport management, fitness, sports medicine and business topics to help you reach your goals Archives
January 2024
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timkoba@fingerlakesathletics.com (607)279-6791 *This site is for educational purposes only, it is not meant to diagnose, treat or replace medical advice. Before starting an exercise program always make sure that you are healthy and able to do so safely.* |