The Athletic Perspective

Maji Shaikh is a doctoral candidate in the School of Human Kinetics at the University of Ottawa. His primary area of research is in exploring positive youth development through sport and recreation. His expertise lies in trauma-sensitive practices, program evaluation, and knowledge translation within the sport context. In this episode, Maji joins Mike to discuss...

Kurtis is a Ph.D. candidate and assistant football coach at the University of Alberta. He previously worked with the Edmonton Canadian Football League team in mental skills and sport science. In this episode, he joins Mike to discuss his research in the area of mental health, coaching, and knowledge translation (making research accessible). Kurtis has...

Caleb Smith is an elementary school teacher in Niagara Falls and has been instrumental in the development and growth of youth flag rugby in Canada. He helped develop the first intermediate elementary school flag rugby league in North America in 2004 and junior elementary school flag rugby league in North America in 2011. Smith has...

Christina Picton is an elite Para-Athlete that has been involved in Para Ice Hockey since 2004, playing at the local, provincial and national levels. She is currently the captain of the Canadian Women’s National Para Ice Hockey Team, was the first female sledge hockey player in Canada to try out for Hockey Canada’s Senior (Men’s)...

Andrew “Q” Quattrin joins Mike to talk about his experience transitioning to professional rugby. He currently plays for the Toronto Arrows (MLR) and recently represented Team Canada at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Mike and Q discuss the mindset he had during his university rugby career as he set his sights on professional rugby and...

After a series of knee injuries left her unable to continue to play stand-up sports, Danielle DuPlessis turned to ParaSport (wheelchair basketball) and quickly rose to the national team level. She was selected to the women’s national team in 2019 and participated in international tournaments in the United States, Germany, France, and Japan. Her rookie...

Katie is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Kinesiology & Physical Education at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her research is focused on the effects of postural control and training experience on visual perception across the athlete spectrum. She completed an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology at Laurier, a certificate in Athletic Therapy at Mount Royal University,...

Before Kristine honed her skills as an elite coach, she was an athlete on Canada’s national volleyball and beach volleyball teams, and a 2001 inductee into the University of Toronto’s Sports Hall of Fame. Named Ontario Volleyball coach of the year, 3M National High-Performance coach of the year, as well as OUA coach of the...

Steph and Mike are joined by Registered Dietician and Sport Nutritionist, Katie Jessop to discuss how nutrition fuels performance. Katie is a Masters swimmer and endurance cyclist who works with elite athletes. This episode includes a Q+A segment where Katie answers questions sent in from our listeners. Other topics include behaviour change, gut biomes, bodily...

Graham is an M.Sc. student at the University of Toronto and a former professional baseball pitcher. In this episode, Mike and Graham discuss topics around elite baseball. These topics include performance metrics, pattern recognition, the psychology of a pitcher, baseball culture, and head impact risk for catchers. Graham also shares personal stories about his athletic...