News

Congratulations to Kelly Dao and Mathusiga Sivakumar, undergraduate students in the RISE Youth Sport Lab, on their recent conference presentations.

At the Eastern Canadian Sport and Exercise Psychology Symposium (ECSEPS) in Niagara Falls, Kelly presented original research examining media discourses concerning women athletes and sport-related concussions. This presentation identified key themes regarding the identity, legitimacy, and strength of women as athletes related to their concussion experiences. A great opportunity presenting at a graduate-level conference! 

Kelly and Mathusiga presented their work at the Bertha Rosenstadt National Undergraduate Research Conference hosted at the University of Toronto.  Kelly presented on the evolution of media narratives for women and sport-related concussions across two time period (2010-2018 and 2019-2025). This work emphasized a shift in the coverage of women’s concussions, from the need to ‘protect’ women from concussions, to ‘heroic’ tales of redemption that underscore problematic narratives concerning gender, injury, and sport ethic. Mathusiga (Mathu) presented on concussion education materials within Ontario sport organizations under Rowan’s law legislation. This work highlighted how existing concussion education materials lack sport-specific contexts or adequate athlete diversity or representation, and as such, may be limited in their effectiveness to support athlete decision making concerning concussion. Incredible work by these two promising scholars, congratulations! 

Dr. Pennock was selected for the Inclusion in Canadian Sports Network (ICSN) Black Leaders in Sport Day. This national event brings together leaders in the community sport sector, along with MPs, Senators and policy leaders, to address systemic inequities in sport, develop leadership pathways, and build sustainable networks of support. Learn more about Black Leaders in Sport Day.

The RISE Youth Sport lab presented at the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport (NASSS) annual conference in Vancouver, BC. Pictured is Braeden sharing his work on risk narratives in action sports in Canada. Well done team! 

Dr. Pennock will be featured on a panel on safe, inclusive, and holistic sport at the Ontario Sport Community Summit on November 19^th. Hosted by partners from MLSE LaunchPad, the Ontario Sport Network and Brock University, the panel will discuss the importance of fostering, safe, inclusive and welcoming spaces across all levels of sport participation. More information about the event can be found at Ontario Sport Community Summit. 

Dr. Pennock delivered a talk for Parks and Recreation Ontario, entitled ‘From Participants to Partners: Transforming Youth Engagement, Access, and Inclusion in Recreation’. Drawing from her research on risk, responsibility, and harm in youth sport, Dr. Pennock discussed why rethinking the way we engage with today's youth is essential for increasing youth engagement, improving mental health outcomes, and uplifting future recreation and sport leaders.

The RISE Youth Sport Lab is pleased to welcome Gabriela Estrada as our Research Coordinator. She holds an MSc in Exercise Science from the University of Toronto, where her thesis explored the movement-based experiences of racialized women. Read more about Gaby.

Along with his co-author, Dr. Stacy Lorenz, Braeden reflects on the recent Four Nations Face-Off hockey tournament in the context of the current political climate. As tensions between Canada and the U.S. continue to rise, the tournament itself became a representation of both the origins of hockey's political history and the growing sense of nationalism around the country. 

Kaleigh and Braeden recently published Risk, Responsibility, and Prevention in Injury Management: Implications of Concussion (mis)education on Youth Athlete Knowledge Uptake in Communication and Sport. The paper problematizes the over-reliance on concussion education as a mode of injury prevention and presents primary research conducted with adolescent athletes. 

Together with her co-applicants, Drs. Nick Reed and Jeff Caron, Dr. Pennock has secured funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). The successful grant centres on a community-based approach to concussion reporting in youth girls' sport. The research begins in 2025 and will take place over a three-year period. Congratulations to Dr. Pennock and her co-applicants! 

Dr. Pennock and colleagues (including Dr. Janelle Joseph and Shalom Brown) have published their recent work in the Sociology of Sport Journal (SSJ). The research centres the idea of understanding Black hair as a safe sport issue.