UNews - Simon Schaerz

Local researchers connecting physical activity to cognitive function invited to European conference

trevor.kenney — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 16:45:33 +0000

Three research projects exploring the connection between physical exercise and cognitive function, led by a Lethbridge Polytechnic instructor and two ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students, and supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Councill (SSHRC) Exchange grant, have been selected for presentation at the European College of Sports Science (ECSS) annual conference in Rimini, Italy next month.

Researchers involved in the study, from left to right, are Xander Fox, Simon Schaerz and David Selles.

The projects are a result of collaboration between the polytechnic’s Centre for Health and Wellness, Centre for Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship and students and alumni from both Lethbridge Polytechnic and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Dr. Simon Schaerz, instructor, Lethbridge Polytechnic Centre for Health and Wellness, and researcher, Centre for Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, says all three projects demonstrate that physical activity aids in building cognitive skills, particularly in youth.

“Physical exercise teaches more than just running and sports; it teaches teamwork, focus, problem solving and adapting to changing situations,” says Schaerz. “These are key concepts in cognitive development that could increase proficiency in tasks among youth, adults and elders.”

Schaerz will present a research project he led that considered the use of physical activity to improve executive function, including inhibitory control, working memory and cognitive flexibility, for the polytechnic’s esports team. Following moderate intensity cycling, participants were given skill testing tasks and then engaged in simulated gameplay.

Physical exercise can enhance cognitive development.

“Preliminary results show inhibitory control and working memory saw noticeable improvements,” he says. “These improvements, while telling, highlight the need for further assessment of the connection and significance between the two tasks.”

David Selles, a Lethbridge Polytechnic graduate (Digital Communications and Media, 2018) and current kinesiology student at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, developed a separate project that focused on creating a framework to help teachers in training develop physical education programs that support students’ executive function. Selles says by designing activities that challenge both body and mind, teachers can contribute to the growth of both students’ physical and cognitive development.

He adds previous research has shown how curriculum development and content integration can help educators merge exercise science with classroom instruction.

"Our goal with this research is to better equip teachers with an understanding of activities that not only provide executive function benefits but also align with current physical activity curriculum standards.”

Xander Fox, a recent bachelor of science graduate of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s kinesiology program, completed a project examining the use of progressive overload in long term exercise intervention trials to improve executive function. He describes progressive overload as the process of increasing physical challenges over time to enhance outcomes.

“We know resistance training can improve executive function,” says Fox. “While many studies have looked at long-term effects of variables, like frequency, intensity, time and type of exercise, few have considered dynamic adjustments of these variables, known as progressive overloads, and how they impact executive function.”

Fox performed a scoping review of published research and noted a lack of content for resistance training. Out of 493 articles initially screened, just two articles were found to specifically investigate the issue.

“Most research in this area tends to focus on older individuals and youth, particularly looking at cognitive decline and development, respectively,” he says. “Our hope is this work brings to light the gap in existing research.”

The ECSS annual conference runs from July 1 to 4.

*This story was first published by Lethbridge Polytechnic

Pronghorns excel as all-canadians

trevor.kenney — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:56:51 +0000

Every year, the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) honours student athletes who excel in sport at the university level, while maintaining an 80 per cent average in ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, as Academic All-Canadians. Recently, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge recognized the achievement of 41 outstanding student-athletes, who achieved Academic All-Canadian Honours. This number represents over 22 per cent of our student-athlete body and an increase of six athletes from last year, a remarkable number signifying the importance our program places on ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. Following is the list of Pronghorn Athletes who are recognized as CIS Academic All-Canadians for 2008-09.

Men's Hockey
Curtis Cooper, Arts & Science
Brandon Highton, Management
Logan Lavorato, Management
Stephen Zmudczynski, Arts & Science

Men's Soccer
Iain Cain, Education
Matthew Dow, Arts & Science
Marcus Karpati, Education
Michael O'Brien, Arts & Science
Nathan Phillips, Arts & Science
Dylan Tooby, Management

Track & Field
Roberto DeSandoli, Arts & Science
Dominic Mudiayi, Arts & Science
Cody Pivert, Education
Simon Schaerz, Arts & Science
Emily Brown, Arts & Science

Swimming
Ariana Edelman, Health Sciences
Sarah Gagnon, Arts & Science
Jennifer Kabeary, Arts & Science
Aarin Shapiro, Arts & Science

Women's Basketball
Courtney Heinricks, Arts & Science
Kara Henry, Fine Arts

Women's Hockey
Megan Bach, Arts & Science
Johanna Meyers, Arts & Science
Katherine Nesbitt, Arts & Science
Lindsey Peters, Arts & Science

Women's Rugby
Shannon Court, Arts & Science
Natalie de Kok, Health Sciences
Kimberly Leavitt, Arts & Science
Ashley MacDonald, Arts & Science
Jena Murray, Fine Arts
Amanda Richardson, Management
Nicole Van Eck, Arts & Science
Ashley Zaremba, Arts & Science

Women's Soccer
Kathryn Curtis, Arts & Science
Kristen Dow, Arts & Science
Sherry Latrace, Health Sciences
Samantha McMillan, Arts & Science
Crystal Theodore, Arts & Science
Taura Truba, Arts & Science
Jessica Volpi, Arts & Science
Elizabeth Young, Arts & Science

Pronghorns honour 41 All-Canadians

trevor.kenney — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:29:48 +0000

Every year, the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) honours student athletes who excel in sport at the university level, while maintaining an 80 per cent average in ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, as Academic All-Canadians. This is an outstanding accomplishment considering the amount of time student-athletes commit to training.

Routinely, Pronghorn Athletics possesses an above average number of AAC recipients in the CIS, when considering the number of overall athletes at each school.

On Friday, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge recognized the achievement of 41 outstanding student-athletes, who achieved Academic All-Canadian Honours. This number represents over 22 per cent of our student-athlete body and an increase of six athletes from last year, a remarkable number signifying the importance our program places on ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

"To do well in ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is always an excellent achievement but to do well in ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ as well as athletics, that is truly remarkable," said
U of L President Dr. Bill Cade at a luncheon recognizing the 41 honourees.

Both the women's soccer and rugby teams led the All-Canadian selections with eight team members achieving status.

Following is the list of Pronghorn Athletes who are recognized as CIS Academic All-Canadians for 2008-09.

Recipient Sport Faculty

Curtis Cooper Men's Hockey Arts & Science
Brandon Highton Men's Hockey Management
Logan Lavorato Men's Hockey Management
Stephen Zmudczynski Men's Hockey Arts & Science

Iain Cain Men's Soccer Education
Matthew Dow Men's Soccer Arts & Science
Marcus Karpati Men's Soccer Education
Michael O'Brien Men's Soccer Arts & Science
Nathan Phillips Men's Soccer Arts & Science
Dylan Tooby Men's Soccer Management

Roberto DeSandoli Track & Field Arts & Science
Dominic Mudiayi Track & Field Arts & Science
Cody Pivert Track & Field Education
Simon Schaerz Track & Field Arts & Science
Emily Brown Track & Field Arts & Science

Ariana Edelman Swimming Health Sciences
Sarah Gagnon Swimming Arts & Science
Jennifer Kabeary Swimming Arts & Science
Aarin Shapiro Swimming Arts & Science
Courtney Heinricks Women's Basketball Arts & Science
Kara Henry Women's Basketball Fine Arts

Megan Bach Women's Hockey Arts & Science
Johanna Meyers Women's Hockey Arts & Science
Katherine Nesbitt Women's Hockey Arts & Science
Lindsey Peters Women's Hockey Arts & Science

Shannon Court Women's Rugby Arts & Science
Natalie de Kok Women's Rugby Health Sciences
Kimberly Leavitt Women's Rugby Arts & Science
Ashley MacDonald Women's Rugby Arts & Science
Jena Murray Women's Rugby Fine Arts
Amanda Richardson Women's Rugby Management
Nicole Van Eck Women's Rugby Arts & Science
Ashley Zaremba Women's Rugby Arts & Science

Kathryn Curtis Women's Soccer Arts & Science
Kristen Dow Women's Soccer Arts & Science
Sherry Latrace Women's Soccer Health Sciences
Samantha McMillan Women's Soccer Arts & Science
Crystal Theodore Women's Soccer Arts & Science
Taura Truba Women's Soccer Arts & Science
Jessica Volpi Women's Soccer Arts & Science
Elizabeth Young Women's Soccer Arts & Science

Steacy leads track effort

trevor.kenney — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:00:48 +0000

Jim Steacy didn't miss a beat as he competed for the first time since the Beijing Summer Olympics, leading the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns track and field team to a strong showing at the Golden Bear Open track meet in Edmonton over the weekend.

Steacy, a Canadian Olympian for the first time this past summer, returned to participate in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) competition after taking last season off to concentrate on the Beijing Olympics. He did not disappoint with his performance, winning both the weight throw and shot put events, vaulting to the top of the CIS rankings in each discipline. In the weight throw, he measured a furthest throw of 22.80 metres, while his final throw of the shot put hit a mark of 16.41 metres.

Steacy was also honoured at the Athletics Alberta Awards Banquet on Saturday night, being named the Outstanding Senior Men's athlete of 2008. He was the first Canadian male hammer thrower in 80 years to compete in the Olympic Games. At the Beijing Olympics, Steacy qualified for the final in the men's hammer throw and finished in 10th place.

Reigning CIS champion Heather Steacy finished second in the weight throw at the Golden Bear Open with a measurement of 15.94 metres, moving her to second in the CIS women's rankings.

Other notable Pronghorn performances included: Kyle Murray qualifying as a finalist in the men's 60-metre dash while also finishing fifth in the 300-metres; and Simon Schaerz placing fifth in the men's 3000m.

The Horns track and field team continues to prepare for the Canada West Conference Championship meet, which will be hosted by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Regina, Feb. 27-28.

UNews - Simon Schaerz

Local researchers connecting physical activity to cognitive function invited to European conference

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Pronghorns excel as all-canadians

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