Eleven seasons : a creative writing journey through modern Australian football

This thesis offers a novel, 'Eleven seasons', that traces the physical and emotional journey of a young male footballer through the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. It also offers a comparative review of creative writing about Australian football, and a critical analysis of the book's creative gestation from idea to completed text.

Seasons of the Upper Yarra Valley : a report to the Museum Victoria

This report has been prepared on commission for the Museum Victoria to provide cultural and ethno-ecological advice in proposing theoretical principles to enable the design of a section of the Climate-Seasons zone of the Gallery of Life in the new Melbourne Museum complex

Does relative age distribution influence the physical and anthropometric profiles of drafted under 18 Australian footballers? An Investigation between the 2010 to 2013 seasons

This study examined if the relative birth distribution of drafted under 18 (U18) Australian football (AF) players influenced their physical and anthropometric profile. Birthdate, physical (vertical jump, agility, 20m sprint, 20m multistage fitness test) and anthropometric (standing height, body mass) data were obtained from U18 players drafted into the Australian Football League between 2010 to 2013 (n = 212). Birth distribution did not change across quartile (χ23 = 5.09, P > 0.05) or half year (χ21= 2.50, P > 0.05). Physical and anthropometric profiles did not differ according to quartile or half year (P > 0.05). Relative birth distribution did not appear to influence draft success or physical/anthropometric profile. This study provides insight into a phenomenon not always observed in team sport.

Characterizing changes in fitness of basketball players within and between seasons

We assessed the magnitude of changes in fitness and anthropometric test scores of well-trained basketball players between phases of a year and over several years. Players were 1011 females and 1087 males in Basketball Australia's State and National junior programs (1862 and 236 players respectively). Players undertook a set of three fitness and three anthropometric tests on 2.6 ± 2.0 (mean ±SD) occasions over 0.8 ± 1.0 y. Mixed modeling was used to estimate mean changes within and between seasons, and to estimate individual variability as the standard deviation of change scores between assessments. Changes were expressed as standardized (Cohen) effect sizes for interpretation of magnitudes (trivial <0.2; small 0.2-0.6, moderate 0.6-1.2). In the first 2 y National and State males showed small longitudinal improvements in body mass, skinfolds, and shuttle-run performance (effect size 0.28 – 0.42). After 2 y National females made small improvements in most tests (0.27 – 0.42), but National males showed a small decline in shuttle-run performance (0.55). Other changes in mean test scores within and between seasons were trivial. Individuals showed small to moderate variability about the mean change between phases (0.23 – 0.87) and between years (0.26 – 1.03), with State-level players having greater variation in all tests (State/National ratio 1.1 – 2.4). Coaches or sport scientists monitoring or modifying fitness of basketball players should recognize there is generally little overall change in mean fitness within and between seasons. They should also take into account the small to moderate changes in individuals.

In the circle of white stones: moving through seasons with nomads of Eastern Tibet

This narrative of subsistence on the Tibetan plateau describes the life-worlds of people in a region traditionally known as Kham who move with their yaks from pasture to pasture, depending on the milk production of their herd for sustenance. Gillian Tan's story, based on her own experience of living through seasonal cycles with the people of Dora Karmo between 2006 and 2013, examines the community's powerful relationship with a Buddhist lama and their interactions with external agents of change. In showing how they perceive their environment and dwell in their world, Tan conveys a spare beauty that honors the stillness and rhythms of nomadic life.