Academic literature on the topic 'Australian motor sport'

Purpose This paper aims to report on empirical research that investigated the records management practices of two motor sport community-based organisations in Australia. Design/methodology/approach This multi-method case study was conducted on the regulator of motor sport, the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport Ltd (CAMS) and one affiliated historic car club, the Vintage Sports Car Club (VSCC), in Western Australia. Data were gathered using an online audit tool and by interviewing selected stakeholders in these organisations about their organisation’s records management practices. Findings The findings confirm that these organisations experience significant information management challenges, including difficulty in capturing, organising, managing, searching, accessing and preserving their records and archives. Hence, highlighting their inability to manage records advocated in the best practice Standard ISO 15489. It reveals the assumption of records management roles by unskilled members of the group. It emphasises that community-based organisations require assistance in managing their information management assets. Research limitations/implications This research focused on the historic car clubs; hence, it did not include other Australian car clubs in motor sport. Although four historical car clubs, one in each Australian state, were invited to participate, only the VSCC participated. This reduced the sample size to only one CAMS-affiliated historical car club in the study. Hence, further research is required to investigate the records management practices of other CAMS affiliated car clubs in all race disciplines and to confirm whether they experienced similar information management challenges. Comments from key informants in this project indicated that this is likely the case. Practical implications The research highlights risks to the motor sport community’s records and archives. It signals that without leadership by the sport’s governing body, current records and community archives of CAMS and its affiliated car clubs are in danger of being inaccessible, hence lost. Social implications The research highlights the risks in preserving the continuing memory of records and archives in leisure-based community organisations and showcases the threats in preserving its cultural identity and history. Originality/value It is the first study examining records management practices in the serious leisure sector using the motor sport community.

Introduction Sport and recreation is beneficial for health and wellbeing but comes with a probability of loss, including occasional fatal injuries. Following high-profile injury deaths in Australia, concerns are raised regarding the safety of sport participation. To understand the scale and scope of injury deaths, and identify potential prevention opportunities, the aim of this investigation was to describe the number and nature of fatal injuries in Australian sport and recreation. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study of injury deaths reported between 1 July 2000 to 31 December 2019 using data from the National Coronial Information System, Australia. Unintentional deaths with an external cause, where the activity was recorded as sport and exercise during leisure time were included. Drowning deaths were excluded. Presented are the number and % of cases by age, sex, sport, broad cause and annual crude death rate (population). Results There were 1192 deaths, averaging 63 per year. Deaths were mostly in males (84.4%), with the largest proportion in people aged 15–24 years (23.1%). Wheeled motor (26.9%) and non-motor (16.2%) sports accounted for the highest proportion of cases. The primary mechanism of death was most commonly blunt force (85.4%), followed by piercing/penetrating force (5.0%). The years 2001 and 2005 recorded the highest crude injury death rate (2001, n = 92, 0.47 per 100,000 population; 2005, n = 95, 0.47 per 100,000 population). Conclusions On average, there is more than one injury death per week in a sport or recreation setting in Australia. Cases occurred in many sports and recreation activities, including those generally considered to be safe (e.g. individual athletic activities, team ball sports.) Detailed investigation of the coronial recommendations that are present within each case is now needed to understand and identify potential prevention opportunities.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the leisure information behaviour of motor sport enthusiasts, examining: their information needs; their information seeking and sharing; what personal information they had; and their satisfaction with their information seeking and personal information management efforts. Design/methodology/approach This exploratory study examined participants’ information behaviour from a postpositivist and inductive research approach. An online survey was completed by 81 motor sport enthusiasts. The quantitative survey data were analysed using descriptive statistics, whilst the qualitative data were analysed using thematic coding. Findings The research findings highlighted that enthusiasts engaged in mixed serious leisure. They required information before, during and after race events, and sought this primarily from online sources, as well as from other individuals. Totally, 90 participants shared information about their interest in motor sport with family, friends and fellow enthusiasts, primarily via e-mails (69 per cent) and Facebook (49 per cent). They also gathered information about motor sport, including photographs and memorabilia. Participants were satisfied with their information management strategies for their personal collections. Research limitations/implications Participants were limited to motor sport enthusiasts in Australia, hence findings cannot be generalised more broadly. Practical implications Understandings of enthusiasts’ information behaviour provide information management professionals with insights to work with this user community. Originality/value This study fills a gap in the literature about leisure information behaviour of motor sport enthusiasts in Australia. It identifies and provides a typology of the 12 categories of information needed by enthusiasts. Provides a preliminary motor sport information behaviour model guided by the conceptual frameworks of the everyday life information seeking model; general models on information behaviour; and the information problem solving behaviour model.

Motor racing, as it is currently practiced in Australia, may have a range of implications for public health. These effects are not limited to the active participants. The health of spectators and the wider community may also be influenced. Motor racing presents some positive public health messages; for example, some Australian motor racing personalities have promoted safe driving practices, including limiting alcohol consumption while driving. However, motor racing may also impact negatively on public health. The negative health impacts of motor racing relate to road accidents, alcohol and tobacco sponsorship, noise and air pollution, and the disruption of "healthy" modes of transport such as walking and cycling. Motor racing on city street circuits can also have negative impacts on the efficient functioning of hospitals, medical practices and emergency services. Some changes in the way that motor sport is conducted in Australia may provide some high profile opportunities for the promotion of healthier lifestyles.

Mild brain injuries are frequent in athletes engaging in collision sports and have been linked to a range of long-term neurological abnormalities. There is a need to identify how these potential abnormalities manifest using objective measures; determine whether changes are due to concussive and/or sub-concussive injuries; and examine how biological sex affects outcomes. This study investigated cognitive, cellular, and molecular biomarkers in male and female amateur Australian footballers (i.e. Australia’s most participated collision sport). 95 Australian footballers (69 males, 26 females), both with and without a history of concussion, as well as 49 control athletes (28 males, 21 females) with no history of brain trauma or participation in collision sports were recruited to the study. Ocular motor assessment was used to examine cognitive function. Telomere length, a biomarker of cellular senescence and neurological health, was examined in saliva. Serum levels of tau, phosphorylated tau, neurofilament light chain, and 4-hydroxynonenal were used as markers to assess axonal injury and oxidative stress. Australian footballers had reduced telomere length (p = 0.031) and increased serum protein levels of 4-hydroxynonenal (p = 0.001), tau (p = 0.007), and phosphorylated tau (p = 0.036). These findings were independent of concussion history and sex. No significant ocular motor differences were found. Taken together, these findings suggest that engagement in collision sports, regardless of sex or a history of concussion, is associated with shortened telomeres, axonal injury, and oxidative stress. These saliva- and serum-based biomarkers may be useful to monitor neurological injury in collision sport athletes.

Material and methods. Unobtrusive research, content analysis, narrative review. Aim: The purpose of the research is: presentation of an opinion on a matter undertaken for the first time in Anthromotorics. Journal of Kinesiologu and Exercise Sciences of metacognitive problems and the recommendation of a new Australian questionnaire for the study of metacognitive problems in sport Material and methods. Unobtrusive research, content analysis, narrative review. Results. The metacognitive theory in this area of sport is still in its infancy. In scientific research around the world, it has been used to a small extent for interpretation only with regard to selected problems in competitive sports. The effectiveness of research is influenced by the lack of appropriate tools to solve metacognitive problems in sport. The work published in Antropomotoryka, which is based on the Polish concept of the Metacognitive self, can be considered a more significant contribution to the issues of sports training. Conclusions. Attention should be paid to the development of issues concerning active people’s behaviour with the use of metacognitive concepts for the new Australian tool: “Development and validation of the metacognitive beliefs about performances questionnaire”.

Abstract It is unknown what teaching styles (range of pedagogies) coaches are employing during coaching sessions and whether these teaching styles are associated with recommended pedagogical principles advocated by sport and coaching scholars. It is unknown whether twenty years of coach education has shifted coaching practice as the insights into the pedagogical diversity and preference of teaching styles that underpin and inform the coaches’ decisions to employ particular teaching strategies during coaching sessions are undetermined. This paper addresses these unknowns in the field of tennis coaching in Australia by reporting the findings of a study that address the lack of information on the teaching styles employed by tennis coaches by asking the following research question: What teaching styles are junior coaches in Australia actually using during coaching sessions? This study used The Spectrum (Mosston & Ashworth, 2008) of teaching styles as a tool to assess the observed teaching styles of twelve junior coaches. Contrary to the educational convictions of Australian sport coach education materials the results from this study indicated that the coaches in this study potentially did not offer players developmental opportunities beyond a limited range (i.e., motor skill development in the physical learning domain) due to a narrow pedagogical mix in their coaching.

In a mixed-methods design, the current study aimed to evaluate the acceptability of a junior Australian rules football program across two ‘AllPlay Pre-Learn’ days for children aged 5–11 years with disabilities, based on parent and child responses. Three online surveys were created by health professionals based on existing participation models. Surveys were completed by parents immediately before (n = 23), after the ‘Pre-Learn’ days (n = 15) and following the conclusion of the community version of the program (n = 13). Quantitative findings indicated significant improvements in child ratings around enjoyment of the sport. Qualitative analyses generated three themes around enjoyment in a low-stress environment; the education provided around the sport for parents/children; and, contemplation about playing the football program within their community. Four families (22% of the original attendees) went on to play the sport within a community setting. Despite acknowledged limitations, this study demonstrates preliminary evidence in support of an ‘AllPlay Pre-Learn’ day as a stepping stone to facilitate later participation in a football program within a child’s community. Increased participation would allow children to experience the benefits associated with sport participation, such as motor and social skill development.

BackgroundVideo review has become an important tool in professional sporting codes to help sideline identification and management of players with a potential concussion.AimTo assess current practices related to video review of concussion in professional sports internationally, and compare protocols and diagnostic criteria used to identify and manage potential concussions.MethodsCurrent concussion management guidelines from professional national and international sporting codes were reviewed. Specific criteria and definitions of video signs associated with concussion were compared between codes. Rules and regulations adopted across the codes for processes around video review were also assessed.ResultsSix sports with specific diagnostic criteria and definitions for signs of concussion identified on video review participated in this study (Australian football, American football, world rugby, cricket, rugby league and ice hockey). Video signs common to all sports include lying motionless/loss of responsiveness and motor incoordination. The video signs considered by the majority of sports as most predictive of a diagnosis of concussion include motor incoordination, impact seizure, tonic posturing and lying motionless. Regulatory requirements, sideline availability of video, medical expertise of video reviewers and use of spotters differ across sports and geographical boundaries. By and large, these differences reflect a pragmatic approach from each sport, with limited underlying research and development of the video review process in some instances.ConclusionsThe use of video analysis in assisting medical staff with the diagnosis or identification of potential concussion is well established across different sports internationally. The diagnostic criteria used and the expertise of the video review personnel are not clearly established, and research efforts would benefit from a collaborative harmonisation across sporting codes.

Skills that are learnt implicitly (i.e., without the accumulation of task-related rules and knowledge) have been shown to result in performance that displays stability in conditions of psychological stress, fatigue, multi-tasking, and over prolonged periods of time. Despite the wealth of evidence supporting the use of implicit motor learning strategies, the majority of this evidence has been generated from studies of novice performers rather than of experts. The aim of this paper is to describe some of the challenges faced by high-performance coaches and athletes who may wish to use implicit motor learning and to frame potential solutions with respect to the elite Australian National Rugby League competition. Practical training activities and techniques (e.g., errorless learning, random practice, cues, dual-tasking, and analogies), designed to facilitate the development of implicit skills that transfer robustly to high-performance competition environments, are presented.

Talent identification (TID) is a pertinent component of the sports science discipline given the considerable influence it may have within the pursuit of excellence. Thus, research has attempted to identify the determinants of a talented performance through the use of objective testing procedures. However, many of these ‘traditional’ approaches have been operationalised by mono-dimensional objective physical performance tests that do not inherently account for the multi-dimensional requisites of game-play, particularly within a team sporting context. This is problematic when attempting to identify talent, as a successful performance in team sports is often the combination of physical, technical and tactical elements. For example, a physically inferior junior may still succeed against their physically superior counterparts given additional technical and tactical skills; commonly referred to as a compensation phenomenon. Hence, forecasting longitudinal performance based upon one element of effective play (e.g. physical) will likely lead to an unsubstantiated and biased identification. Despite the aforementioned, TID practices in junior Australian football (AF) are predominately facilitated by physically biased objective performance tests. Given the combative nature of game-play, physicality is an important attribute, but solely basing identification and selection on isolated physical attributes can be misleading given the previously mentioned compensation phenomenon. This mono-dimensionality is somewhat expected as to date there is a scarcity of objective tests measuring the multidimensional characteristics of AF game-play. Thus, through the consolidation of a number of theoretical concepts and recommendations proposed within the literature, this thesis aimed to develop a multi-dimensional objective approach to TID in junior AF, and in doing so, identify the determinants of a talented performance. To address this aim, objective physical, technical and tactical measurements were taken on both talent identified and non-talent identified junior AF players through the use of representative performance tests. Indeed, this reflected the first stage of the Expert Performance Approach (Ericsson & Williams, 1991; Williams & Ericsson, 2005) and the Model of a Skilful Player (Launder, 2001). Throughout each research study, talent identified players were defined through participation within the West Australian Football League (WAFL) State Under 18 (U18) Academy (an elite talent development program), whilst non-talent identified players were randomly chosen from the remaining cohort of WAFL U18 players not participating in the State Academy program. Thus, a cross-sectional observational research design was employed for each experimental procedure used throughout this thesis. It is of note that the first three studies utilised players from the 2013 sample, whilst the fourth research study utilised players from the 2014 sample. In the first of four research studies, a range of sport specific physical characteristics were found to differ between talent identified and non-talent identified junior AF players. However, a binary logistic regression model indicated that it was the measurements of standing height, lower body power and maximal aerobic capacity that provided the greatest prediction of talent, and thus important physical determinants of talent in AF at an U18 level. The second study investigated if measurements of technical skill could be used to accurately identify talent in junior AF. Despite the range of technical skills required in AF, the two modes of ball disposal (kicking and handballing) have been deemed critical for success based upon recent research (Parrington, Ball, MacMahon, 2013; Sullivan et al., 2014). Consequently, two representative skill tests were described; the Australian Football Kicking (AFK) test and the Australian Football Handballing (AFHB) test. Results indicated that the majority of the talent identified players possessed superior ball disposal skills in comparison to their non-talent identified counterparts. Specifically, measures of accuracy and ball speed on both the dominant and non-dominant sides reflected the strongest prediction of talent for the AFK test, and measures of accuracy on both dominant and non-dominant sides reflected the strongest prediction of talent for the AFHB test. These results reinforced the construct of each test, and highlighted their effectiveness for use as an objective TID tool in AF. Research had yet to investigate if decision-making skill was predictive of talent in junior AF despite its suggested importance for the exhibition of an expert performance in the game. The third study in this research series attempted to fill this remaining gap and objectively quantify decision-making skill through the use of a video-based decision-making task. In order to construct such a task, video footage was obtained from the Australian Football League (AFL) using an aerial behind-the-goal camera perspective. Through the use of an expert coaching panel, 26 clips out of an initial sample of 52 were deemed applicable, as each consisted of approximately three to five possible decision-making options. Results indicated that the talent identified players performed the task more accurately in comparison to their non-talent identified counterparts, and was thus a valuable objective tool for identifying talent at an U18 level. The fourth and final study in this research series investigated if the application of a multi-dimensional battery of objective performance tests provided more accurate TID in AF when compared to isolated performance measures. The construction of this test battery was informed by the results of studies one, two and three, but to ensure the translation of this test battery, it was applied to the 2014 U18 cohort, not the 2013 cohort which was done in the previous studies. However, the definition of talent identified and non-talent identified remained consistent with the previous studies. Results indicated that the majority of the talent identified players possessed a superior combination of physical, technical and tactical characteristics in comparison to their non-talent identified counterparts. Specifically, a receiver operating curve indicated a classification accuracy of 95% when summating the total scores obtained for each physical, technical and tactical test. This classification accuracy supports the implementation of multi-dimensional objective designs over the traditional monodimensional designs when attempting to identify talent in team sporting contexts. This thesis was motivated by the need to enhance the accuracy and reliability of current TID practices in AF by developing an objective multi-dimensional approach. In doing so, it contributes an important body of research to the study of TID by providing a conceptually translatable means in which the development of such an approach can be undertaken in other team sports.

 This dissertation examines sponsorship through a case study of Australian motor sport. This examination concentrates on six major variables identified by participants in the area and previous commentators: the form by which the sponsorship is manifested, the magnitude of the sponsorship agreement, the longevity of the sponsorship agreement, the setting of sponsorship objectives, the evaluation of the benefits to sponsors, and the type of sponsor. The variables are examined primarily from the perspective of the recipient of the sponsorship. 

Research was both qualitative and quantitative, commencing with a literature review, and proceeding to preliminary interviews with participants, survey questionnaires with sponsors and recipients of sponsorship, and in- depth interviews with sponsorship recipients. The dissertation proceeds through an introductory chapter which sets the background and justification for the research, a chapter which reviews previous research, a chapter discussing the methodology employed, another presenting findings, and a final chapter summarising and presenting conclusions. 

A major finding of the research was that a lack of knowledge obtains with regard to the nature of sponsorship and its place within the promotions mix. This applied in previous research and amongst practitioners in the area. It was also found that while most sponsors set objectives for sponsorship, these are not always communicated to recipients, and that evaluation of sponsorship is usually by media audit, despite known shortcomings of this method. 

There was some disagreement amongst respondents' beliefs expressed in interview and the research findings with regard to the type of sponsor. Interviewees expressed a belief that sponsors involved in a particular sport would produce products related to that sport. This was not supported by the evidence. It also appeared that little thought had been given to the forms sponsorship could take and there was confusion as to pricing policies. 

The magnitude and longevity of sponsorship agreements were found to be related to objective setting and evaluation, with a belief held that exposure, especially television exposure was the "key to sponsorship success". This was found to support the bias toward the use of media audit for evaluation purposes. The dissertation also describes the characteristics of the sponsor who will spend more for longer in sponsorship agreements. This is suggested as an area for future research along with other questions presented in the conclusion.  

Skilled sports performance demands technical and perceptual-cognitive expertise. A true understanding of any one skill requires an examination of both factors. This thesis aimed to determine the biomechanical and perceptual-motor underpinnings of the Australian football handball through the use of performance analysis, biomechanics and motor learning. A novel performance analysis system assessed 12 in-game technical, decision-making and environmental factors of handball executions. Each factor was coded in detail using between two and six category levels. The application of this system revealed that efficiency was higher when players were square, passing forward and in a knees-bent or running stance, and lower when players were under higher pressure, had fewer passing options available, were positioned in the offensive zone, and after indirectly receiving the ball. Performance analysis directed the choice of skill execution and biomechanical parameters for the subsequent three studies. The next stage of this thesis used three-dimensional biomechanics to analyse handballing technique for speed and accuracy with preferred and non-preferred hands. Factors identified as influential for performance included shoulder and elbow joint motion and hand path. The preferred-arm movement pattern involved greater use of the trunk and arm. Canonical correlation evaluated the combined factors of speed and accuracy identifying a parameter of importance (elbow range), which was not evident when speed and accuracy were analysed independently. Building on the biomechanical knowledge, the thesis then proceeded to understanding the perceptual-motor components of the skill, using two studies. This was achieved with a novel 360° stimulus-response task, which manipulated task complexity using both auditory and visual stimuli. Overall, the two studies showed kinematic and response time differences between stimulus modalities and between levels of cognitive complexity. A highlight of this thesis is the use of three sports-science disciplines, which included performance analysis, biomechanics and motor learning. The work provides contributions to each discipline, and illustrates the value of a multidisciplinary approach. Specifically, the design of this programme of study and its phased use of disciplines provides a framework for future work that similarly attempts to deliver a comprehensive evaluation of skill. The outcome of this approach is the high quality of applicable information for testing and training of the skill.