Thomas Ang
Originally from London, Ontario, Thomas is a master’s student in the PALS (Psychology for Active Living and Sport) lab at the University of Lethbridge under the supervision of Dr. Scott Rathwell. He holds a BMath and an MMath in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo, as well as a Master in Sport Management & Coaching from Link Campus University and the Rome City Institute.
A recipient of the Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship, Thomas’s research focus is deeply rooted in his own atypical athletic trajectory: competing nationally in taekwondo during his first degree, leaving an office job at age 30 to play soccer overseas, returning to school in his mid-30s to compete as a collegiate athlete, and now balancing the roles of researcher, athlete, coach, husband, and father.
Guided by these experiences, Thomas’s autoethnographic research challenges conventional, stage-based athletic models that prioritize peak performance. Framed by the metaphor of "climbing down the mountain," his work conceptualizes the descent from the athletic peak as an active phase of an athlete’s career rather than a terminal event. In doing so, he explores what the pursuit of sporting excellence can look like across the lifespan and outside traditional development pathways.
During his studies in Lethbridge, Thomas completed his CONCACAF B Diploma (Canada Soccer) while serving as an assistant coach for the University of Lethbridge Men’s Soccer Team and as a coach for the Lethbridge Football Club’s Men’s and Women’s teams in the Alberta Major Soccer League. Looking ahead, he aims to bring his research and his coaching practice together to influence how adult athletes experience ageing in sport.