Terry Orlick tribute

We are saddened to hear of Dr. Terry Orlick’s passing today. Terry, as he was commonly referred to by his friends, colleagues, and students, was a true leader in the field of sport and exercise psychology. Terry was known for his professional practice, where he worked with many successful Canadian and international athletes spanning Summer and Winter sports over several decades. Terry Orlick was also known as a renowned and respected internationally acclaimed author. His books spanned the many editions of In Pursuit of Excellence, a world-recognized favorite, translated into many languages, and a long list of profound contributions, authored and co-authored.
Terry also wrote books where he supported children’s identities, and in his earliest work was about cooperative, non-competitive sport, a topic pertinent today across many cultures in several hemispheres. As a reader of these novel contributions, it can be said his vision reflected and affirmed a person with an expansive vision and a care for the field and the people it touches.
Dr. Terry Orlick was also a renowned scholar and graduate supervisor. To this day, his scholarship in the field of elite athlete excellence, and particularly, athlete career termination, co-written with younger colleagues, leaves its contributive mark on our field. The scholarship was thematically acclaimed, and in addition, methodologically innovative, well beyond its time. Terry was a qualitative researcher, and the scientific work he authored and co-authored was rigorous, rich, and as a result, heavily cited and readily applied.
I was fortunate enough to have taken several graduate courses with Terry and experienced him on my supervisory committee, while studying a master’s degree at the University of Ottawa. His courses were my favorite, spanning my graduate and post-graduate years, in part due to his grasp of subject matter, and partly based on his pedagogical and inclusive approach to intellectual exchanges with younger colleagues and aspiring students. He was perhaps the best of listeners in a field known for listening and empathy.
On behalf of the International Society of Sport Psychology, there is reason to celebrate Dr. Terry Orlick’s life and contribution to the people and field he touched, who were many. Regrets are to his family, friends, and close colleagues, as this world will truly miss a remarkable person and professional – one of the International Society of Sport Psychology’s International Distinguished Scholars.
Robert Schinke, President of the International Society of Sport Psychology
Terry Orlick Quotes - IdleHearts

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