The Sport Performance Laboratory has been upgraded thanks to a generous donation from a party who wishes to remain anonymous.
The Sport Performance Laboratory is a critical component of the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary’s success because it is where much of the athletes’ training and monitoring takes place. Rosemary Neil, Director of Development and Strategic Programs at the CSIC, says that the $100,000 lab upgrade is “vitally important to gathering detailed information for athletes. We couldn’t function without it.”
Barry Heck, WinSport’s President and CEO, was instrumental in working with the anonymous foundation to secure the donation and make the improvements needed.
The majority of the donation was used to install a fume hood in order to properly ventilate gases. With the upgrades, the lab is now classified as a level 2 laboratory, meaning it can deal with biohazards. It also has procedures in place to handle pathogens, bringing it to a safety standard that is acceptable by Health Canada.
One of the main functions of the new equipment is to enable athletes to do the hemoglobin mass test, a protocol that uses carbon monoxide. A poisonous gas, carbon monoxide requires proper ventilation equipment, including a fume hood. The test is important to CSIC athletes because it has a high correlation with an athlete’s VO2 max, allowing the sport scientists to monitor and track an athlete’s development. These protocols, enabled by the lab upgrades, will increase the effectiveness of athletes’ training programs by allowing for the use of altitude or heat.
As very few labs in Canada have the ability to do these types of protocols, this technology is yet another way that Rosemary Neil says the CSIC will remain on “the leading edge, because we are able to perform these tests to help monitor and evaluate athletes.”
Canadian Sport Institute Calgary: @csicalgary
Written by Brittany Schussler: @bschussler
Photo by Dave Holland: @csicalgaryphoto
Shane Esau and Tessa Gallinger did not set out to become the country's leading parasport exercise physiologist and strength and power para-specialist. They each had set out on traditional sport career paths at the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary and fell into the relatively unchartered world of parasport science. Now, Esau and Gallinger are running programs for 32 athletes across 13 different sports. The athletes that they train are competing in spite of disabilities that include spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, amputation, and visual impairment, all with varying degrees of severity.
Esau and Gallinger firmly believe that the work of the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary is second to none in Canada. Operating under the mission to be a key contributor to Canada's world-leading Olympic and Paralympic podium performances, Esau credits the work of the Institute's leaders, Dale Henwood, Jason Poole, Rosemary Neil, and Dr. David Smith as being "instrumental in being able to have the program we do." By blurring the line that traditionally exists between able-bodied and parasports, these industry experts have allowed for the funding, time, and research necessary to improve the training systems needed to become world-leaders in the realm of parasports.
The program has already seen success, bringing home 6 medals from the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, and 5 medals from the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. Much of that can be attributed to the work done by the dynamic combination of Esau and Gallinger, who are swift to mention the support contributed by their colleague Jared Fletcher, a PhD student in exercise physiology at the University of Calgary. The parasport program, run by the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary, aims to continue its growth with the implementation of a new practicum program focusing on Paralympic strength and conditioning at the University of Calgary.
Due to the enormous range in abilities, Gallinger and Esau's positions involve conducting extensive research into every individual athlete's health concerns before creating their training programs. Even athletes with the same difficulties are treated on a case-by-case basis, because no two athletes react exactly alike to intense training.
One of the biggest challenges that Gallinger has found facing para-athletes is their unfamiliarity with basic body movements. Because of their disabilities, athletes have often been limited in their ability to participate in physical education classes and recreational sports. As an example, Gallinger points out that before working with her, "a lot of athletes did not know how to skip. Once they learn, they excel." Esau has noticed also recognized this trend, saying, "The athletes are novices in terms of learning how to move their bodies even though they are great athletes."
Esau and Gallinger are undeniably big supporters of each other's work, and have mutual admiration for the passion that their athletes exhibit. The unwavering support from the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary, along with the University of Calgary and WinSport, has enabled the parasport program to continue to grow up until this point. With a goal of being the world-leading Paralympic team in the future, the team is continuing their research and specialization by building on the incredible foundation that has been set.
Stay in the loop!
Canadian Sport Institute Calgary: @csicalgary
Written by Brittany Schussler: @bschussler
Photo by Dave Holland: @davehollandpics
Tessa Gallinger: @TessaGallinger
Shane Esau: @Parasport_sci
Le laboratoire de performances sportives a pu moderniser son équipement grâce à un généreux don provenant d’une fondation désirant demeurer anonyme.
Le laboratoire de performances sportives est une composante essentielle de la réussite de l’Institut canadien du sport de Calgary, car il s’agit de l’endroit où une grande partie de l’entraînement et du suivi des athlètes ont lieu. Rosemary Neil, directrice, Développement et programmes stratégiques à l’ICSC, dit que la modernisation de l’équipement, qui vaut 100 000 $, est « d’une importance capitale pour la cueillette de renseignements détaillés pour les athlètes. Nous ne pourrions pas travailler sans cet équipement ».
Barry Heck, président et chef de la direction de WinSport, a collaboré avec la fondation anonyme pour obtenir le don et pour effectuer les améliorations nécessaires.
La majeure partie du don a été utilisée pour installer une hotte afin d’évacuer les gaz adéquatement. À la suite de cette modernisation, le laboratoire est maintenant classé comme laboratoire de niveau 2, ce qui signifie qu’il peut faire face aux biorisques. Des procédures ont également été mises en place pour la gestion des pathogènes, ce qui correspond à une norme de sécurité acceptable par Santé Canada.
Une des principales fonctions du nouvel équipement est de permettre aux athlètes d’effectuer un test pour déterminer la masse d’hémoglobine, qui requiert l’utilisation de monoxyde de carbone. Comme ce dernier est un gaz toxique, son utilisation nécessite un équipement de ventilation approprié, dont une hotte. Le test est important pour les athlètes de l’ICSC, car il présente une forte corrélation avec le VO2 max, ce qui permet aux scientifiques sportifs de surveiller le développement d’un athlète et d’en faire le suivi. Ces tests, qu’on peut maintenant effectuer grâce à la modernisation de l’équipement du laboratoire, augmenteront l’efficacité des programmes d’entraînement des athlètes en permettant l’utilisation de l’altitude ou de la chaleur.
Comme très peu de laboratoires au Canada sont en mesure d’effectuer ce type de tests, Rosemary Neil croit que cette technologie permettra à l’ICSC de demeurer « à l’avant-garde, en étant capable d’effectuer ces tests pour aider au suivi et à l’évaluation des athlètes ».
Institut canadien du sport de Calgary: @csicalgary
Rédigé par Brittany Schussler: @bschussler
Photo de Dave Holland: @csicalgaryphoto
