Ross Shand

The Society’s Stage 2 Qualification in Sport and Exercise Psychology (QSEP) has been developed to provide an appropriate training route for those seeking to forge a career within our relatively fledgling domain. QSEP represents a positive advancement for the personal and professional development of aspiring practitioners, whilst also ensuring greater transparency for service users regarding the competence of Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologists. Although QSEP has evolved into a rigorous and fairly standardised process of professional training, there remains a great deal of variation in the approaches to supervision and subsequent experiences of candidates. The aim of this symposium is to provide a descriptive and reflective account of a particular model of supervision being adopted at one host institution within the UK. In paper 1, Andrew Manley will provide an overview of this institutional model of supervision, setting the scene for the remainder of the symposium. Paper 2 will be delivered by Ross Shand, who will offer a reflective account of his QSEP experiences under this institutional model. In paper 3, Charlotte Hinchliffe will outline her role in the development and functioning of the Applied Sport Psychology Special Interest Group, as it looks to become an integral part of the institutional supervision model. Paper 4, delivered by Andrew Manley and Susan Backhouse, will provide a reflective summary of the QSEP process from perspectives of two Supervisors and Assessors. Finally, Jo Hudson will act as discussant, offering some conclusions and implications based on the presentations. The primary aim of this symposium is not to advocate a specific approach to QSEP supervision as an example of “best” practice, but rather an opportunity to share some insights regarding the benefits and challenges of operationalising a particular model of supervision from the perspectives of Trainees, Supervisors, and Assessors.

This three-part study aimed to 1) investigate the most common profiling practices in male rugby union; 2) identify factors profiled within youth players; and 3) assess the importance of these factors for player progression and their measurement feasibility. Part one employed a systematic scoping review. For part two, expert practitioners participated in a Nominal Group Technique session to identify factors to profile within youth male rugby union. Part three included practitioners from a Tier One rugby nation and researchers, who ranked their agreement for importance of the identified factors, and their measurement feasibility. The review identified 107 studies profiling 50 factors across five themes: physical (n=67 studies), demographic (n=25), psychological (n=20), technical (n=20), and tactical (n=6). Expert practitioners reported an additional 20 factors that should be profiled. Over 70% of survey participants agreed that 40 factors were important for progression and 28 factors were feasible to measure. Only 15 factors reached 70% agreement for both importance and feasibility, including strength, power, and games played. Factors across all themes were considered important, re-emphasising the need for multi-dimensional profiling within youth male rugby union. Further research is required to enhance the feasibility of measuring these factors and create a multidimensional player profile.

INTRODUCTION: Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT) helicopters fly at altitudes of 3,000m in Afghanistan (9,843ft). Civilian hospitals and disaster-relief surgical teams may have to operate at such altitudes or even higher. Mild hypoxia has been seen to affect the performance of novel tasks at flight levels as low as 5,000ft. Aeromedical teams frequently work in unpressurised environments; it is important to understand the implications of this mild hypoxia and investigate whether supplementary oxygen systems are required for some or all of the team members. METHODS: Ten UK orthopaedic surgeons were recruited and in a double blind randomised experimental protocol, were acutely exposed for 45 minutes to normobaric hypoxia (fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) ~14.1% - equivalent to 3000m/10,000ft) or normobaric normoxia (sea-level). Basic physiological parameters were recorded. Subjects completed validated tests of verbal working memory capacity (VWMC) and also applied an orthopaedic external fixator (Hoffmann® 3, Stryker UK) to a plastic tibia under test conditions. RESULTS: Significant hypoxia was induced with the reduction of FiO2 to ~14.1% (SpO2 87% vs. 98%). No effect of hypoxia on VWMC was observed. The pin-divergence score (a measure of frame asymmetry) was significantly greater in hypoxic conditions (4.6mm) compared to sea level (3.0mm), there was no significant difference in the penetrance depth (16.9 vs. 17.2mm). One frame would have failed early. DISCUSSION: We believe that surgery at an altitude of 3000m when unacclimated individuals are acutely exposed to atmospheric hypoxia for 45 minutes, can likely take place without supplemental oxygen use but further work is required.

There is an increasing awareness of the importance of the environment in academy players’ development, yet limited research has investigated players’ perceptions of their talent development environments (TDEs). This study focused on academy soccer players’ perceptions of their TDE and compared perceptions across the English soccer academy categorization (CAT) system. A total of 136 U.K.-based male soccer players (M age = 17.7, SD = 1.03 years) representing all four categories (1 = highest to 4 = lowest) of soccer academies aligned to professional soccer clubs completed the TDE Questionnaire-5 (TDEQ-5). The players within the CAT1 academies had significantly more positive perceptions of their support network (p = .01) and holistic quality preparation (p = .03) than their CAT3 counterparts. Across CAT2–CAT3, holistic quality preparation was the least positively perceived subscale within the TDEQ-5, suggesting the need for additional coach education in this area. Soccer academies should consider how they ensure that all areas of their service are associated with optimal TDEs by offering a well-communicated and holistic development experience for their players to enhance effective personal and player development. The findings may have implications for player experience and associated progression rates of lower categorized soccer academies.