Industry ARTICLES

Industry News and Research

Insights into Strength & Conditioning in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association

The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) has not only been a place for student-athletes to continue their post-secondary athletic pursuits for over 50 years, but it is also becoming a place for strength and conditioning coaches to start and grow in their careers. Like some of the student-athletes they work with, S&C coaches can gain the experience needed to transition to USport, national, and/or professional organizations. Over the last 5 years especially there has been a big boom in schools adding strength and conditioning to their athletic departments to stay competitive and assist in the recruitment of prospective student-athletes. In [...]

January 15, 2020|Categories: Industry, Interviews|

Advisory Team Spotlight

CSCA – How did you get started in the industry?   In 1994, I was attending Simon Fraser University, taking Forensic Psychology courses hoping to be the next Jodie Foster (referencing her role in the movie Silence of the Lambs). But in all honesty, like most young adults, I was not sure what to study and where my true aptitudes lay.   In second year, I ended up taking a Kinesiology course which I found both intriguing and refreshing, plus I earned my first decent mark. I was always a sporty girl and grew up playing everything like most kids in the [...]

November 14, 2019|Categories: Industry, Interviews|

From Calgary to Toronto to LA

Head S&C Coach for the Los Angeles Kings shares his wisdom about working in the NHL  CSCA - How did you get your first job working in pro sport?   I’m currently in my first pro sport team position. I worked in the private sector training elite athletes after my undergraduate degree, and then after completing my master’s degree in 2007, I began working with our National Olympic athletes for the next 7 years. I was able to get an interview with the LA Kings through my colleague Ryan van Asten, who was leaving the role I was seeking for the [...]

November 14, 2019|Categories: Industry, Interviews|

Working in the CFL

Jordan discusses his experience working in the Canadian Football League  CSCA - How did you get your first job working in pro sport?   I got it the old-fashioned way, they posted a job and I applied, sort of. Much like many others, it is no secret that Strength & Conditioning is a people business and I had a prior connection to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, in the Canadian Football League, through my network. I have never kept it secret that most, if not all, of my opportunities, came from prior connections and I am quite proud of that. I don’t think [...]

November 6, 2019|Categories: Industry, Interviews|

NFL to MLB to Special Forces

Patrik has worked with the New York Jets in the NFL, the Toronto Blue Jays in MLB and is now working with Tactical Special Forces officers in Alberta.   CSCA - How did you get your first job working in pro sport / tactical forces?  My first opportunity to work in and experience professional sports came in the Summer of 2013 with the New York Jets in the National Football League (NFL). I had just completed my first S&C position, a 12-month placement at the University of Michigan in their Olympic Sports S&C Department and I was looking for my next [...]

November 6, 2019|Categories: Industry, Interviews|

Working with Special Forces

From elite high performance sport to working with Canadian Special Operation Forces. Dale works with professionals who train because it can be a matter of life or death.   CSCA - How did you get your first job working tactical forces individuals?   This has been my 10th year working within the field of high performance. I began my career working part-time for the Queen’s University Varsity Strength and Conditioning program where I was completing my undergraduate Bachelors of Physical and Health Education.   As soon as that first door opened in the performance world, I knew that was exactly what I wanted [...]

November 6, 2019|Categories: Industry, Interviews|

Networking is a Lifelong Journey of Curiosity

Networking is not about taking or getting something, it is a lifelong journey of curiosity, of finding ways to help people. CSCA - How did you get your first job working in pro sport?   In the early 1990s was fortunate to study at Concordia University and work in the Athletic Department under Scott Livingston and Ron Rappel, learning the foundation of Athletic Therapy and Strength & Conditioning.  In my final year of university, I met Gaetan Lefebvre, the Montreal Canadiens Athletic Therapist, and I had the privilege of being selected for their first internship. I was then able to see [...]

October 31, 2019|Categories: Industry, Interviews|

Key To Success – Be Humble

My first job in professional sports was with the Toronto Maple Leafs and I was fortunate to be recommended for the position by a few colleagues and friends. I had been working with the Oshawa Generals as well as some NHL athletes on the private side and that work led to the opportunity. I went into the interview and was thrown into the gym and asked to coach a bunch of athletes. I think because I was prepared and confident in my abilities as a young (somewhat cocky) coach I did well. I was offered the job immediately after that [...]

October 31, 2019|Categories: Industry, Interviews|

International Hockey Summit

This summer in Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada, Scott Livingston and Jaime Livingston and their company Reconditioninghq.com will be hosting the return of the International Hockey Performance Summit.   Scott hosted a similar Summit back in 1998 and 1999 to great success in conjunction with Perform Better.  This time they have created an impressive lineup of some of the best Performance Professionals in the world of hockey and this event stands to be a game-changer in hockey performance! Take some time to have a look at the Summit program online HERE and we think you’ll be impressed with the opportunity to connect with [...]

October 25, 2019|Categories: Business, Industry|

Advisory Team Spotlight

CSCA Advisory Team Q and A with Steve Lidstone CSCA - How did you get started in the industry? SL - My interest in performance training began in October of Grade 9 (Early 90’s) when we initiated fitness testing for our grade 9 class. We completed various tests such as 20m sprints, broad jump, vertical jump, push-ups, and chin-ups. The class ranking was then posted outside of the physical education office and I distinctly remember finishing in the bottom third of the class. This did not sit well with me as my ranking did not match my confidence level in [...]

October 13, 2019|Categories: Career, Industry|

The Power of Mentorship: An S&C Family Tree Perspective

By Chris Chapman, Steve Lidstone, Joe Vecchione, and Jeremy Watkin Power is defined as the rate of work or work divided by time. This is the perfect descriptor for mentorship “as many hands make light work”. Mentorship can greatly increase the rate at which young professionals grow, it can increase the volume and quality of work that is produced through collective effort, and it can prevent the decay of relevance by keeping young unbiased minds learning, questioning and challenging the current systems.    This article portrays 4 stories of mentorship through 3 generations of an S&C family tree. Chris Chapman [...]

August 13, 2019|Categories: Career, Industry, Interviews|

Using an Integrated Team Approach to Help Clients Reach Their Potential

(by Sarah Applegarth MSc, CSCS, R.Kin, CSEP-CEP) Whether it’s an NHL level hockey player, a teenage provincial lacrosse player or a Masters ski racer it’s not just about working out hard to achieve health and performance goals.  Time needs to be spent “working in” and connecting the mind and body together to ensure everything is firing in the proper sequence when it should be in order to optimize workouts and stay injury free.  When new clients come through your door they will have a sense of why they are coming to you but not necessarily a plan of how to [...]

April 1, 2019|Categories: Industry|

Current State of Strength & Conditioning at the University & Collegiate Level in Canada

The Past The strength and conditioning profession at the university and collegiate levels in Canada has grown significantly over the past 10 to 15 years. I can remember being hired as the first full-time OUA strength and conditioning coach by York University in 2004 and wondering if I had any colleagues north of the border.  I was aware of previous coaches like Scott Livingston, hired at Concordia in 1990 within the RSEQ, however those positions were few and far between.  When I acquired the position at York, various universities were beginning to post positions for full-time strength and conditioning coaches. [...]

February 19, 2019|Categories: Industry|

About the Canadian Strength and Conditioning Association

BRIEF HISTORY Conversations about the formation of a Canadian S&C Association have been on-going in pockets across Canada for over 20 years. On April 4, 2013 we were close. However, debates centred around what the association’s focus should be, without conclusion. Nevertheless, there is a debt of gratitude that needs to be expressed to many individuals for their outstanding work and time devoted in attempting to get an association off the ground at that April 4th meeting in Toronto. In attendance at that meeting were practitioners who worked in the universities, colleges, public sector, private sector, amateur high-performance sport and [...]

January 26, 2019|Categories: CSCA, Industry|
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