School of Physical and Health Education, Nipissing University, North Bay, Ontario, Canada.
J Sports Sci. 2011 Sep;29(12):1337-44. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2011.597419. Epub 2011 Jul 29.
The present study investigated birthdate (known as the Relative Age Effect; RAE) and birthplace as determinants of expertise in an international sample of elite ice hockey players. The sample included 566 World Junior (WJR) ice hockey players from four countries (Canada, n = 153; USA, n = 136; Sweden, n = 140; Finland, n = 137). Participants competed in the International Ice Hockey Federation World U20 Championship between 2001 and 2009. A series of Poisson regression models were conducted to examine the consistency of direct then interactive relationships between both birthdate and birthplace and WJR membership across the four countries (Canada, USA, Sweden, and Finland). Findings revealed a consistent RAE across the four countries for World Junior participation from 2000 to 2009. WJR players from the four countries were also less likely to be from major cities. In addition, there was no evidence in any of the four countries of an interaction between RAE and birthplace. Future research should explore the contextual and cultural factors that influence elite athlete development in smaller towns, cities and communities.
本研究调查了出生日期（即相对年龄效应；RAE）和出生地作为国际精英冰球运动员样本中专业知识的决定因素。该样本包括来自四个国家（加拿大、美国、瑞典和芬兰）的 566 名世界青年（WJR）冰球运动员（加拿大，n = 153；美国，n = 136；瑞典，n = 140；芬兰，n = 137）。参与者参加了 2001 年至 2009 年期间举行的国际冰球联合会世界 U20 锦标赛。进行了一系列泊松回归模型，以检验 RAE 和出生地与 WJR 成员资格之间的直接和交互关系在四个国家（加拿大、美国、瑞典和芬兰）之间的一致性。研究结果显示，2000 年至 2009 年期间，四个国家的世界青年参赛选手都存在一致的 RAE。来自四个国家的 WJR 运动员也不太可能来自主要城市。此外，在这四个国家中，都没有证据表明 RAE 和出生地之间存在相互作用。未来的研究应该探讨影响较小城镇、城市和社区中精英运动员发展的背景和文化因素。
