Need Help With Thesis Research!

[Jessimoe30]

NEED YOUR HELP! Thesis Research...

<HR style="COLOR: #3399ff" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->My name is Jessica Horton and I am currently a Masters student at the University of Tennessee in the field of Sport Psychology. Through my program, I am focusing mainly on the injury rehabilitation side of Sport Psychology and helping athletes to come back from injury not only physically, but mentally too. I am beginning to work on my thesis which is focusing on the relationship between anxiety and fear of injury among risk taking sports, specifically snowboarders and skiiers.

The reason I am writing you is because I need some help with my thesis data collection. As you probably know, there are not an abundance of semi-professional or even professional snowboarders and skiiers in East Tennessee! As I'd like to make this study as publishable as possible and have strong implications for snowboarders, I want to get the best athletes possible. My thesis just requires my participants to take a short survey that won't take much time at all. If there is any way you can help me get in touch with some semi-professional, professional, or even retired snowboarders, or even steer me in the right direction, I'd greatly appreciate it!

I look forward to hearing from you!:)

If you could just reply to this thread or e-mail me at jhorto17@utk.edu, I'd greatly appreciate it!

[beetle3]

Hello

where is the survey. I will take it. or do we have to be screened to make sure we are professional athletes. I am not professional but i race snowboards at competitions and am hoping to qualify for serious events in the future. I would post the survey here and let people take it who feel they are qualified athletes. or set up some criteria to determine eligibilty. there are many athletes here who feel they are semi professional whatever that means. :)

[CarvingScooby]

NEED YOUR HELP! Thesis Research...

<HR style="COLOR: #3399ff" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->My name is Jessica Horton and I am currently a Masters student at the University of Tennessee in the field of Sport Psychology. Through my program, I am focusing mainly on the injury rehabilitation side of Sport Psychology and helping athletes to come back from injury not only physically, but mentally too. I am beginning to work on my thesis which is focusing on the relationship between anxiety and fear of injury among risk taking sports, specifically snowboarders and skiiers.

The reason I am writing you is because I need some help with my thesis data collection. As you probably know, there are not an abundance of semi-professional or even professional snowboarders and skiiers in East Tennessee! As I'd like to make this study as publishable as possible and have strong implications for snowboarders, I want to get the best athletes possible. My thesis just requires my participants to take a short survey that won't take much time at all. If there is any way you can help me get in touch with some semi-professional, professional, or even retired snowboarders, or even steer me in the right direction, I'd greatly appreciate it!

I look forward to hearing from you!:)

If you could just reply to this thread or e-mail me at jhorto17@utk.edu, I'd greatly appreciate it!

Shoot me an email, glad if I can help

Cheers

Roy

[AMK]

Roy,

thanks but I'm not a pro. And my poor knee, well not sure if my story will help.

[philfell]

No trying to offend anyone, but in my opinion there are no athletes who I consider to be pros who post on Bomber regularly. Posting the survey here would ruin the integrity of the results.

In my opinion to make the results accurate you must be a full time snowboard ATHLETE, who is part of a team training FULL time, traveling to FIS level events domestically AND abroad.

The people who post on BOL do not meet this critera. The athletes I coach do, as well as the athletes MJB and other coaches who post here at times meet the standards, but those athletes do not post here, and if they do it's very rare.

If you have not stood on the podium of a FIS event then you should not attempt to skew the results of a serious study.

[tex1230]

in her earlier post, she included former racers, and there are a few here.

Hey-

Thanks for responding! I have semi-professional defined in my literature as anyone who competes and does not get paid for it. Therefore, if you just compete in races without getting paid, you qualify. Professional is competing for monetary compensation. I'd like to get the best athletes possible; however, for my first go with this topic I'm just trying to get anyone who competes! Maybe in the future I can aim for getting in touch with Olympic athletes.

Please let me know if you can help me out by taking the survey. It doesn't take long and could produce some really great information for high-risk athletes!

:)

Maybe you should let her define her dataset?

[CarvingScooby]

even retired snowboarders' date=' or even steer me in the right direction, I'd greatly appreciate it!

[/quote']

50-100 days or even more and 3-10 hrs/day & only on snowboards (only Alpine:rolleyes:). Maybe still not enough... But hey, it's about FEAR she's talking about isn't it? And how you overcome that fear and in the mean time u have to decide it's physical or psychological or both...Pro's or not we all human's...(0.2 cents)

Peace...

Roy

[philfell]

Key word there are retired. That means you must have made a living at snowboarding.

Again there are very few people here who have made thier living entirely from snowboard competition, then decided to retire.

The fear a highly trained career competitive snowboarder faces is far different than the fear a recreational snowboarder faces.

[philfell]

in her earlier post, she included former racers, and there are a few here.

Maybe you should let her define her dataset?

I just want the results of her study to be valid, and for her to maybe ask a bit about those participating in this. There are a lot of people here who greatly over estimate thier abilities and they think they are a top level snowboarder, but in fact are weekend warriors who race in a weekend beer league.

Coming from someone who is very interested in the results for high level career snowboarders I do not want this tainted by guys who have no training, no high level race experience, have never won prize money, and have not had to deal with the off snow aspects of being a true professional or semi-professional.

When I read her post on what she was looking for the people who responded in this thread did not meet the requirements that she put forth.

Sorry to hurt anyones feeling, but this is a serious study and people need to be honest with themselves, and thier actual experience in the sport.

[tex1230]

I understand, but her request was pretty broad.

I never stood on an FIS podium, but I raced before FIS governed snowboarding... and I suffered a career-ending injury. I never got paid, but I had gear sponsors. So per your post, my input would be useless? Granted this was all almost 20 years ago, but if she narrows the dataset as you suggest, she's going to have a total potential sample of maybe 100-150 people and less than 10% that will respond. (I would guess getting a good sample of ski racers would be easier, as they have been getting paid about twice as long as snowboarders...but still as a mathematician I would question the usefulness of results from such a small population)

To the OP, I would generally suggest that if you want a real view of fear and sports injuries, you should expand outside of skiing and snowboarding, and include professional and semi-professional atheletes, regardless the sport. Does a football player blowing out his knee experience similar physical and emotional pain in returning to form as a ski racer? I think you would find the feelings very similar.

[BlueB]

I didn't even notice OP ever mentioning racers... Professional has many more faces then racing. Every full time snowboard instructor is a professioal. A big mountain rider who gets paid for filming is a professional. A mountain patroler is a professional. A heli guide is a professional... Injury can end any of these guys career. It is probably arguable that these individuals really make living out the snowboarding, while the racers often depend on backing by parents, donations by public or different fundations.

However, I did somehow assume she's after the racers. Just, not very nice assuming that racers are Good given and other hard working people are less worthy.

It would certainly help if the OP defined a bit better her inquiry.

[philfell]

Please don't confuss a professional snowboarder with an instructor or patroller.

A pro snowboarder gets paid to SNOWBOARD. An instructor gets paid to TEACH others to snowboard. There is a huge differance there. Plus an insturctor or patroller would not be considered a pro athlete. Yes they are a professional in their field, but thier field is not athletics, is public saftey and customer service.

Since this is in the racing and coaching forum and she is requesting the help from pro athletes. These are highly trained full time competitive athletes. I still stand firm in my opinion that few people who post here fit that criteria.

[BlueB]

As I said, I assumed that she's after racers, but she wasn't very clear about it...

You have the good point in stating that the post is in the Racing/Coaching section.

[beetle3]

Phil should be exempt from the survey because no professionals post or read on bomberonline. if he continues to state no professional snowboarders come here.

[inkaholic]

The OP also appeared twice in the Carving section, not only in the Racing/Coaching section.

Ink

[philfell]

Beetle3 please go and actually read my post. I've said that FEW people here meet the criteria. I did not say NO pros post here. That is a pretty big differance.

But to clearify I will not be taking the survey because I do not meet the criteria either.

But I have passed it along to some athletes who do fit the bill.

Ink you have been around the sport for some time. Do you think getting back on the world cup after blowing out your knee is the same for Tyler, and Justin, as it is for someone like this "I am not professional but i race snowboards at competitions and am hoping to qualify for serious events in the future", or the other post that has since been deleted claiming they are "semi-pro".

Like I said I'm not trying to be a jerk, I'm just about everyone being honest with themselves. And reading her description of what she is looking for, then seeing the responses it was getting in the racing/coaching forum, made me want to bring people's ego a little more in line with reality. There is nothing wrong with being honest about your accomplishments, there is no need to pretent you are something you are not on the internet.

[beetle3]

so you know who posts here?

[Hollywood]

I have been riding Alpine for about 15 years on and off ,an I am NO proffessional. The majority of the users on Bomber, I feel are proffessionals however, and are willing and knowledgable to share tips, and advice regarding any aspect of this sport. They eat, breathe, and sleep Alpine. That being said, it was soley the reason ,I joined this community. Where else on the web, can you find this many dedicated alpine riders, and in such great numbers? I know if I have a question, or a problem with my equipment, or technique I'll be asking these guys , an not some fis guy on a podium.

[philfell]

Actually I know most who do post here.

Plus I know all the riders on the Nor-Am cup circut and a majority of the riders on the World Cup. These are the riders I would consider to be pros or semi-pros. Of these riders I know who post here and who does not.

Professional- " participating for gain or livelihood in an activity or field of endeavor often engaged in by amateurs <a professional golfer>"

Most people who post here have a job that pays the bills that is not snowboard competition. So they are either amateurs or hobbiest. NOTHING wrong with that. But when they start labeling them as professionals or trying to pass as a professional in research studies, then it is unethical.

[bobdea]

Phil should be exempt from the survey because no professionals post or read on bomberonline. if he continues to state no professional snowboarders come here.

wow, you're one to not read posts and then flame.

[chinchillaman]

phills right, leave it to the current pros. why try and make a modern scientific piece of writing out of old, outdated expired. im sure the retired people have much experience, but i think phill is right. she should probably get in touch with justin rieter. he is coming of an injury and appears to have recovered quite well. that might be a subject worthy interviewing.

[philfell]

I see no problem with retired pros adding feedback. As long as they were legit pros, not amatures or hobbiest.

The the pressure is so much different coming back from an injury if you must perform on the race course in order to pay your bills, versus coming back from an injury to a sport you are doing because you enjoy it, but still have a job to pay the bills with.

What a USASA or Nastar racer feels pulling out of the gate for the first time after a broken pelvis far different than what Graham went through after breaking his pelvis then winning a World Cup his first event back.

[Rob Stevens]

Real pros do use a different yardstick.

If you make a living performing high end speeds or airs, coming back from an injury is very different than even a recreationalist with pro-level skills who can take it or leave it according to their fears and hesitations.

An instructor may be a decent subject for your study, but in my estimation it would only be a level 4 type who teaches soley high end clients. This person is so rare, they may only exist in legend, so good luck finding one of those.

Certainly, guides could be a part of this study. If you blew your knee because you got rumbled by an avalanche, you'd likely have even more reason to be nervous coming back. I do know more than a few folks who would fit that criteria, but they're not hardbooters, so they don't visit this site. They're pretty much all skiers, actually.

[philfell]

Great points and examples Rob.

[Buell]

Wow!

Jessimoe, please listen to Phil Fell. He knows what he is talking about.

I snowboard a ridiculous number of days a year and am getting pretty good. I broke my leg snowboarding a few years back. I slowed down and ride more cautiously now because I do not want it to happen again.

A pro rider does not have that option. Bottom line. Those are the people to talk to and there are almost none here on BOL (some do post in the classifieds to sell their used race boards).