PROFILING

Abstract

Profiling is one of the most common strategies for identifying contributors to skilled athletic performance. DeGaray et al. (1974), Hudson (1980), Kovaleski et al. (1980), Morris and Underwood (1973), Sapega et al. (1984), Vaccaro et al. (1979), and Wilkerson (1983) are only a few of the researchers who have identified profiles for athletes. The most comprehensive profile was developed from biomechanical and physiological data of swimmers. The respository of data is at the competitive swimming evaluation center in Belgium (Persyn et aI, 1979). Grabiner (1986) has profiles on male gymnasts primarily on physical characteristics, whereas Hudson (1980) and Wilkerson (1983) have advocated the use of biomechanical data collected from actual sports performances. In these studies, success in the sport correlated well with some of the components in the profiles. Laboratory tests of fencers in the 28th NCAA fencing championships reported by Ketlinski and Pickens (1973) did not correlate well with the actual performance of the fencers in the competition. Subsequently, Sapega et al. (1984) reported at a symposium on profiling that they had had 80 % success in predicting members of the 1976 U. S. Olympic fencing team. The published research in the International Journal of Sports Biomechanics from the Los Angeles Olympic Games of 1984 can easily be adapted to construct profiles of the elite athletes. Profiling studies of young athletes, however, are limited in the literature. Since children are not yet physically developed, and early habits are difficult to change, it is logical to consider profiling the young athlete. Problems occurring during one's youth often plague young athletes throughout their lifetimes. If problems are not recognized early in life, they may also prohibit young persons from pursuing a sports career or recreational sports participation. Thus, one of the most important populations to profile is the young athlete. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the rationales for inclusion of physiological, biomechanical, and performance parameters while profiling young athletes. In accordance with this approach, profile data of a summer youth sports camp are presented.