The associations between sport commitment, explanatory style, physical self-concept and athlete selection and acceptance in a cycling talent identification program

The purpose of this study was to determine if anthropometric, performance and psychological measures could predict selection and acceptance of participants in a Talent Identification (TID) program for cycling. Participants (n = 72; male = 46; female = 26; age = 15.4 ± 2.0 yrs) underwent measurements of height, body mass, maximal aerobic power, sprint running speed, leg power, sport commitment, explanatory style and physical self-concept. Discriminant function analysis was used to determine which of these variables related to both selection and acceptance into the cycling TID squad. Maximal aerobic power, running speed, and leg power made significant (p <.05) contributions to selection into the TID program. Sport commitment was predictive of accepting the invitation into the TID program. The results suggest that although physical performance capacities were predictive of selection into the TID squad, sport commitment was the greatest predictor of acceptance. The findings suggest the importance of considering psychological measures in the initial phase of a TID program.