Dr. Tim Elcombe

Assistant Professor, Kinesiology & Physical Education

Contact Information

Email: telcombe@wlu.ca
Phone: 519-884-0710 ext.3959
Fax: 519-747-4594 (5050)
Office Location: Bricker Academic Building, Room BA505
Office Hours: Tuesdays: 2:30-3:30 PM /Thursdays: 10:30-11:30AM ( Fall 2012)

Languages Spoken

English

BHK (University of Windsor), MHK (University of Windsor), PhD (Penn State University)

My general area of scholarship focuses on examining sociocultural aspects of sport and human movement. Within this context, the primary emphasis of my research is applying the methods and ideas of pragmatism to philosophical issues related to sport, the connections between human movement and culture at-large, and how sport can function as a sociopolitical "technology". Research projects fall into roughly four interrelated areas: "Metaphilosophy" or philosophical methods in sport research (i.e. pragmatic methods in relation to other dominant philosophical approaches); applied issues in sport philosophy (i.e. how to address ethical issues such as the appropriate limits of technology use in sport); the history of ideas and their connection to sport and culture (i.e. elite hockey in the 1970s and the relation to Canadian culture); and the design, delivery, and organization of sport and physical activity (i.e. how elite coaches address "competitiveness" with athletes).

Selected Scholarly Activities

Articles in Refereed Journals:
Wenn, Stephen, & Elcombe, Tim. (2011). A Path to Peace: Some Thoughts on Olympic Revenue and IOC/USOC Divide. The SAIS Review of International Affairs, 31 (1), 117-133.

Elcombe, Tim. (2010). The Moral Equivalent of ‘Don Cherry’. Journal of Canadian Studies, 44 (2), 194-218.

Elcombe, Tim. (2010). Hockey New Year’s Eve in Canada: Nation-making at the Montreal Forum.    International Journal of the History of Sport, 27 (8), 1287-1312.

Lodewyk, Ken, & Elcombe, Tim. (2010). Fostering Ethical Development in Physical Education. Physical and Health Education Journal, 76 (3), 6-11.

Elcombe, Tim. (2005). The Oberlin Experiment: The Limits of Jack Scott’s ‘Athletic Revolution’ in Post 1960s America. International Journal of the History of Sport, 22 (6), 1060-1085.

Tracey, Jill, & Elcombe, Tim. (2004). A Lifetime of Healthy Meaningful Movement: Have We Forgotten the Athletes? Quest, 56 (2), 241-260.

Papers in Edited Academic Books/Collections:
Elcombe, Tim. (2010). Thinking Small about Sport: A Philosophical Recovery of Moral Leadership. In Alun Hardman and Carwyn Jones (Eds.) Philosophy of Sport: Global Issues from International Perspectives (pp.6-21). Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars.

Elcombe, Tim, & Tracey, Jill. (2010). Stretched Elastics, the Tour de France, and a Meaningful Life. In Jesús Ilundáin-Agurruza and Michael W. Austin (Eds.) Cycling – Philosophy for Everyone: A Philosophical Tour de Force (pp. 241-252). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.

Elcombe, Tim. (2010). Is Cristiano Ronaldo a Modern Pablo Picasso? In Ted Richards (Ed.) Soccer and Philosophy: Beautiful Thoughts on the Beautiful Game (pp. 161-171). Chicago, IL: Open Court.

Elcombe, Tim. (2007). Philosophers Can’t Jump: Reflections on Living Time and Space in Basketball. In Gregory Bassham and Jerry Walls (Eds.) Basketball and Philosophy: Thinking Outside the Paint (pp. 207- 219). Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky.

Kretchmar, R. Scott & Elcombe, Tim. (2007). In Defense of Winning and Competition: Revisiting Tests and Contests. In William J. Morgan (Ed.) Ethics in Sport (2nd ed.) (pp. 181-194). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Elcombe, Tim. (2007). Olympic Ideals: Pragmatic Method and the Future of the Games. In Gerald P. Schaus and Stephen Wenn (Eds.) Onward to the Olympics: Historical Perspectives on the Olympic Games (pp. 325-333). Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press.

Elcombe, Tim. (2007). Reformist America: 'The Oberlin Experiment'—The Limits of Jack Scott's 'Athletic Revolution' in Post-1960s America. In Mark Dyreson and J.A. Mangan (Eds.) Sport and American Society: Exceptionalism, Insularity and Imperialism (pp.115-140). London: Routledge. [Originally published in International Journal of the History of Sport, 22 (6), 1060-1085].

Refereed Presentations:
Robertson-Wilson, Jennifer, Tracey, Jill, & Elcombe, Tim (2010, October). Preparing Teacher Candidates to Implement Daily Physical Activity (DPA) in Ontario Schools: A Pilot Study. Presentation at the Council of University Professors and Researchers (CUPR) and Ontario Physical and Health Education Association/Physical and Health Education (OPHEA/PHE) National Conference, Toronto, Ontario.

Elcombe, Tim. (2010, September). The Aesthetics of Inefficiency. Presentation at the annual meeting of the International Association of the Philosophy of Sport, Rome, Italy.

Elcombe, Tim. (2010, March). The Citizenship Turn for More Ethical Sport. Presentation at the annual meeting of the British Philosophy of Sport Association, Cardiff, Wales.

Elcombe, Tim, & Tracey, Jill. (2009, August). Stretched Elastics, the Tour de France, and a Meaningful Life. Presentation at the annual meeting of the International Association of the Philosophy of Sport, Seattle, WA.

Elcombe, Tim. (2009, May). Citizenship and the Transitioning Athlete: A Moral View. Presentation at the second meeting of the Life after Sport: Athletes in Transition conference, San Diego, CA.

Elcombe, Tim. (2008, May). Reflections on the Summit Series’ 75th Anniversary: “Moral Spectacles” and the Making and Re-making of Canada’s National Identity. Presentation at the annual meeting of the North American Society for Sport History, Lake Placid, NY.

Elcombe, Tim. (2007, April). The Moral Equivalent of ‘Don Cherry’. Presentation at Canada and the League of Hockey Nations: Critical Perspectives on Hockey in Canada and Beyond, Victoria, BC.

Elcombe, Tim. (2006, September). Thinking “Small”: Ethical Leadership in Sport and Leisure. Presentation at the annual meeting of the International Association of the Philosophy of Sport, Niagara Falls, ON.

Elcombe, Tim. (2006, June). Meaningfully Transforming the Retirement Experience: The Moral Responsibility of Athletic Communities. Presentation at the inaugural Life After Sport: Athletes in Transition conference, San Diego, CA.

Elcombe, Tim. (2006, May). Defending Canada’s Game…in Philadelphia: Seven Nights of the 1976 NHL-Soviet Super Series. Presentation at the annual meeting of the North American Society for Sport History, Glenwood Springs, CO.

Elcombe, Tim. (2005, September). Making a Difference: Pragmatically Reconstructing the Sport Philosopher’s Task. Presentation at the annual meeting of the International Association of the Philosophy of Sport, Olomouc, Czech Republic.

   Interview for National Post article entitled "Politics a Natural Arena for Cherry" (Written by Graeme Hamilton). Article printed December 9, 2010. Available online at: http://www.nationalpost.com/Politics+natural+arena+Cherry/3949153/story.html

   Interview for The Record (Kitchener-Waterloo) article entitled “Wrestling With Steroids” (Written by Greg Mercer). Article printed April 23, 2010, pp.A1, A11

   Interview for The Record (Kitchener-Waterloo) article entitled “A Little Competition Can’t Hurt” (Written by Andrew Coppolino). Article printed September 19, 2007, p.D4.

   Interview for The Record (Kitchener-Waterloo) article entitled “Keeping Sports Child’s Play” (Written by Andrew Coppolino). Article printed July 28, 2007.

   Interview for CBC Sports Olympic documentary entitled “From Athens to Athens” (Produced by Paul Harrington). Segment aired August 15, 2004 during CBC’s primetime Olympic Coverage from Athens, Greece.

Areas of Expertise

• Philosophy of Sport/Physical Culture;
• Ethics of Sport/Physical Activity;
• Sport/Physical Culture as a political tool;
• Use/abuse of Sport Technology (i.e. cheating/ doping);
• History of Sport and Physical Culture;
• Coaching & Sport Leadership

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