ONTARIO ICE-HOCKEY PARTICIPATION FOR MALE YOUTH BETWEEN THE AGES OF 10 AND 15 YEARS: AN EXAMINATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RELATIVE AGE AND DROPOUT RATES

摘要

Sport is one avenue through which positive youth development (PYD) can occur (Jones et al., 2011). While some aspects about sport participation are positive, structural issues and registration cut-off dates may detract from positive development. The relative age effect (RAE) suggests that athletes born in the first two quartiles of a given selection year experience a selection advantage and therefore a greater opportunity for success. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between relative age and dropout rates of Ontario Minor Hockey Association male ice-hockey players from ages 10 to 15 years (n=14,325). From chi-square analyses, it appears that dropout was highest amongst players born in quartiles three and four [χ2(3) = 12.85, p u3c .05; w = .03]. The over-representation of dropouts in the relatively younger players represents an important finding in youth ice-hockey research that has not previously been systemically examined by researchers.