SCAPPS is delighted to offer a three-day conference, beginning in the afternoon on October 2nd and extending into the evening of October 4th. We have secured five invited speakers (see bios below). When the full conference program is ready, it will be posted to the website.

Wilberg Lecturer

Dr. Brian Maraj is Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation at the University of Alberta. Before he obtained his Ph.D. in Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo (1995), he held Head Coaching positions for track and field at York University and McMaster University winning 2 National Championships and 3 Provincial titles. Prior to his appointment at the University of Alberta in 1999, he was on Faculty at the University of Colorado at Boulder for 1 year and then at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge as Assistant Professor (1996-1999). Following these, he was appointed at the University of Alberta where he served for 23 years as a faculty member. During his tenure he also held positions as Associate Dean (Research) and Academic Dean of St. Joseph’s College. He is a Past President of SCAPPS and was a regular contributor to the conference over the years. His research in motor learning and control was funded by SSHRC, CFI, and he was part of a team funded by NIH for perceptual motor behaviour in Down syndrome. He won numerous awards for his teaching including the University of Alberta Student Union Award for Leadership in Undergraduate Teaching, Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation Award of Merit, the McCalla Professorship for the integration of teaching and research, and the prestigious Alexander Rutherford Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Dr. Maraj retired from the University of Alberta in 2022. In retirement he enjoys his time curling, golfing, squashing, travelling, spending time with friends, and staying close to family (which includes three beautiful grandchildren). He feels like the luckiest guy in the world!

Carron Lecturer

Dr. Joe Baker is the Tanenbaum Research Chair in Sport Science, Data Modelling and Sport Analytics at the University of Toronto, Canada. His research considers the varying influences on optimal human development, ranging from issues affecting athlete development and skill acquisition to barriers and facilitators of successful aging. Joe is a Past President of SCAPPS as well as the author/editor of 13 books and hundreds of peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. In addition to his research activities, he works with professional teams and sport organizations around the world in their quest for sporting success. More information about his research can be found at: https://www.bakerlab.kpe.utoronto.ca/

Motor Learning & Control Keynote

Dr. Gail Eskes is a clinical neuropsychologist and Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry, and Psychology & Neuroscience at Dalhousie University. Dr. Eskes runs the Cognitive Health and Recovery Research Laboratory that is focused on the application of cognitive science and technology for neurorehabilitation of cognitive function in normal aging or in patients with brain injury (e.g., after stroke). Dr. Eskes is an active community educator and is also involved in the vascular cognitive impairment best practices working group of the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Dr. Eskes’ research has been supported by NSERC, CIHR, Heart & Stroke Foundation, the Atlantic Innovation Fund and CABHI (Canadian Centre for Brain Health Innovation).

Sport & Exercise Psychology Keynote

Dr. Maria Kavussanu is Professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University of Birmingham, UK. She earned her BSc from the University of Athens, Greece, her MSc from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and her PhD from the University of Illinois, at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Kavussanu has published over 150 journal articles and book chapters on a variety of sport psychology topics. She has received funding for her research from the Economic and Social Research Council, the Nuffield Foundation, the World Anti-Doping Agency, the International Olympic Committee, and the Partnership for Clean Competition, and research awards from the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity and the European College of Sport Science. Dr. Kavusannu has served as Editor-in-Chief of Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology, has been involved with most sport psychology journals either as Associate Editor or Editorial Board member, and has delivered several keynote addresses at meetings of international organisations, such as the International Society of Sport Psychology and the Italian Association of Sport Psychology. Funded by the ESRC Impact Acceleration Account, this year Dr. Kavusannu worked with the International Testing Agency to deliver anti-doping education to athletes and their support personnel worldwide. In her spare time, Dr. Kavusannu plays tennis and swims.

Applied Keynote

Sara-Lynne Knockwood is a Mi’kmaq woman from Sipekne’katik First Nation in Nova Scotia. Growing up as a competitive athlete, Sara-Lynne’s journey in sport has very much influenced her academic and professional career. Her experiences have led her to completing a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, followed by a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in sport and recreation management. With over 20 years of experience working within Mi’kmaq communities, Sara-Lynne has always been passionate about creating opportunities within Indigenous sport and community. Her most notable contribution was serving as the Director of Sport and Venue with the 2023 North American Indigenous Games held in Kjipuktuk/Halifax, hosting 5000+ participants for the largest multi-sport event to ever be hosted in Atlantic Canada. Following NAIG, Sara-Lynne continues to support the growth and empowerment of Indigenous communities through her consultancy endeavors with Knockwood Consulting and Wampum Partners Consulting.

Calling all SCAPPS Golfers!

The organizing committee is pleased to announce that it is organizing a pre-conference golf outing. As many of you may know, PEI is one of Canada’s highly sought after golf destinations, so why not take advantage of this opportunity while attending SCAPPS! The outing would take place on Wednesday October 1 in the afternoon and take place at the Links at Crowbush Cove (https://peisfinestgolf.com/). At this moment, the organizing committee is interested in hearing from members who would consider participating to determine the number of tee times required. Who knows, maybe some friendly competition will take place! If this is something that would be of interest (no full commitment currently required), please e-mail Lori Dithurbide (lori.dithurbide@dal.ca) to help us plan the event.

Calling all SCAPPS Foodies!

As some of you may know, one of PEI’s tourism slogans is Canada’s Food Island. This year the Fall Flavours annual event is taking part from September 25 – October 11 which coincides with our conference! Check out the Fall Flavours website (https://fallflavours.ca/) to explore the different opportunities to experience local cuisine.

Other possible outings

If you are a fan of Anne of Green Gables, you may wish to visit the Green Gables Heritage Place (https://www.parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/pe/greengables), which is roughly a 30-minute drive from the hotel. Additionally, attendees can walk down the street and explore the grounds at Founders Hall (https://foundersfoodhall.com/) or take a guided tour of the city on the Harbour Hippo! Further information about things to do in PEI is available at the Tourism PEI website (https://www.tourismpei.com/).

Virtual Delegate Bag

Meetings & Conventions PEI is also glad to offer conference attendees a virtual delegate bag that has a number of rebates for various activities. You can view the delegate bag (https://delegatebag.ca/dl/783bbb) to explore the different offers.

Should anyone have any further questions, please contact Dany MacDonald (danymacdonald@upei.ca).

Registration fees are based on SCAPPS’ projected conference budget, with the goal of maintaining a balanced budget. There is an Early Bird rate (June 1 to August 31, 2025), a Regular Rate (September 1 to October 1, 2025), and an On-site Rate (October 2 to 4, 2025).

Fee Schedule

Submission Date: Applications for abstracts at SCAPPS 2025 will open on April 7th and close June 15th, 2025 at 11:59pm EDT.

Submission Format: Abstracts should follow these guidelines:

• 250-word maximum
• Data analysis complete
• Abstract title that captures the essence of the research
• Include all co-authors and affiliations
• Provide a short background/literature review, purpose of the research, methods, results, and discussion.

Submission Date: Applications for symposia at SCAPPS 2025 will open on April 7th and close May 5th, 2025 at 11:59pm EDT.

Submission Format: Each abstract, including the lead abstract, should follow the standard SCAPPS abstract guidelines. The lead abstract should be presented on the first page with the subsequent individual abstracts on separate pages. Each abstract should include author and co-author information. Submissions should include researchers from a range of institutions and career stages. If you have a moderator or discussant in mind, please also include their name and affiliation on the first page of the submission.

Application Process: The lead member will submit all abstracts on behalf of symposium members. That is, the lead will submit a symposium application including an overview abstract and all individual abstracts. Each individual contributor should not submit duplicate abstracts.

Decision/Notification Process: Decisions on symposia that will be incorporated into the program (or not) will be made and communicated via email to the lead author. Individual abstracts submitted as part of symposia that have not been accepted into the program may be resubmitted for consideration as a verbal or poster presentation at the authors’ discretion. These abstracts will not be automatically considered for other presentation formats and must be resubmitted during the appropriate time window.

Notification of Decision: Decisions on symposia acceptances will be made by June 2nd.

Submission Date: Applications for pre-conference workshops at SCAPPS 2025 will open March 31st and close April 21st, 2025 at 11:59pm EDT.

Background: Professional development opportunities are important to SCAPPS members. As such, pre-conference workshops that target and address specific issues and advances related to research, practice, and education in sport psychology, exercise and health psychology, motor learning, and motor control are an important component of the SCAPPS experience. SCAPPS Executive and the local conference organizing committees are committed to provide some support for these workshops.

Although the SCAPPS Executive and organizing committees are committed to supporting pre-conference workshops, workshop organizers should recognize and appreciate the following points. First, all workshops will be run as “stand-alone” events that are independent from the main SCAPPS conference program. This independence especially applies to all financial matters. Workshop organizers will be responsible for developing their own plan for covering expenses, if any. Second, time, space, and other resources are limited and, as a result, the number of workshops that can be supported and the amount of support provided will be limited. The types of support that workshop organizers may receive include, but are not limited, to the following: basic logistical information (e.g., contact details for arranging space, food and beverage, and AV as required; advertisements and promotion on the SCAPPS website and via email listserv). Workshop organizers will ultimately be responsible for all aspects of the workshop including programming, budgeting, developing promotional materials for distribution and posting (including working with the Secretary-Communications on distribution and promotion), and organizing space, food and beverage, and AV as needed for the workshop.

Because pre-conference workshops are organized and run independently from the main SCAPPS conference, organizers of pre-conference workshops are not under any obligation to seek support from the organizing committee of the main SCAPPS conference or the SCAPPS Executive. Likewise, the local conference organizing committee and SCAPPS Executive is not under any obligation to provide any level of support to any or all pre-conference workshops. The present application process is only for individuals who are seeking or requesting any support (e.g., time, space, promotion, or any other resource) from the main organizing committee of the SCAPPS 2025 conference. A minimal degree of coordination is recommended to facilitate the efficient use of time and space resources, and to limit potential conflicts in scheduling and topics.

Application Process: Individuals or groups who are interested in delivering a pre-conference workshop at the SCAPPS 2025 conference must complete a brief application form. The application form must be submitted to Sebastian Harenberg (sharenbe@stfx.ca) by April 21st, 2025. The application form will collect information on the workshop Chair(s), contributors, expected time and space requirements, and number of anticipated attendees. The application shall also include a one-page proposal (maximum) that will address the following areas: background; objectives, significance, and relevance to SCAPPS members; format; target audience; resources and support required from the organizing committee.

Decision/Notification Process: Submitted proposals will be evaluated and ranked by the local conference organizing committee. Evaluations will consider such factors including, but not limited to: fit with the theme/goals of SCAPPS, demonstration of relevance of professional development for SCAPPS members, and resources and support required. Additional reviewers and advice will be sought from the SCAPPS Executive and select members with relevant expertise if one of the organizing committee members is submitting an application and/or as required. For those workshops that are selected, a plan and timeline for coordinating with the conference organizers, workshop organizers, and SCAPPS Executive will be developed and completed on an ongoing basis. Applicants will be notified about the results of the assessment approximately two weeks following the close of the application window.

Posters should be no greater than 3 feet (width) x 4 feet (height).

Oral presentations should be 12 minutes, with an additional 3 minutes for questions.

Rapid Oral Presentations: Returning to SCAPPS this year: 5 in 5. These presentations should be 3-5 minutes and include no more than 5 slides. Presentations will be presented sequentially with a collective question period at the end of the session.