• English
    • Welsh
  • English 
    • English
    • Welsh
  • Login
Search DSpace:
  • Home
  • Research at Cardiff Met
  • Library Services
  • Contact Us
View item 
  • DSpace home
  • Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences
  • Sport Research Groups
  • View item
  • DSpace home
  • Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences
  • Sport Research Groups
  • View item
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

“Maybe I’m just not good enough?”: British swimmers’ experiences of attempting to qualify for the Olympic Games

Thumbnail
View/open
Author's post-print (349.7Kb)
Author
Mitchell, Libby
Knight, Camilla
Morris, Robert
Mellalieu, Stephen D.
Date
2021
Acceptance date
2021-03-09
Type
Article
Publisher
Wiley
ISSN
0905-7188
1600-0838 (electronic)
Embargoed until
2100-01-01
Metadata
Show full item record
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the transitional experiences of British swimmers as they attempted to qualify for the Olympic Games and gain a place in the British Swimming World Class Performance Programme. An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach was adopted.1 Six swimmers (aged 20-25 years), one of each of their parents, and four coaches completed interviews leading up to and following Olympic trials over an eight month period. Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim and analysed following the guidelines set out by Smith and Osborne. 2 Results indicated that athletes’ transition experiences were characterised by a range of demands, which were categorised into five higher order themes (a) Questioning “Am I good enough?”; (b) Managing and fulfilling expectations; (c) Operating within an environment that is working against them; (d) Lacking support and understanding of self and demands; and (e) Maintaining balance versus being an international swimmer. Overall, the results indicate that this attempted transition is complex, challenging, and unique and largely influenced by self-confidence. Addressing the individual factors impacting on athletes’ self-confidence appears critical to enhancing swimmers’ transitional experiences at the highest level.
Journal/conference proceeding
Scandinavian Journal of Science and Medicine in Sports;
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10369/11338
Description
Article accepted for publication in Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports
Sponsorship
Cardiff Metropolitan University (Grant ID: Cardiff Metropolian (Internal))
Collections
  • Sport Research Groups [1096]

Related items

Showing items related by title, author, subject and abstract.

  • Thumbnail

    Sink or swim: Adversity- and growth-related experiences in Olympic swimming champions 

    Howells, Karen; Fletcher, David (Elsevier, 2014-08-19)
    Objective = To explore the adversity- and growth-related experiences of swimmers at the highest competitive level. Of particular interest was the transitional process that the swimmers progress through to positively ...
  • Thumbnail

    Identity and Swimming 

    Todd, Jennifer (University of Wales Institute Cardiff, 2010)
    Brown (1985), Hastings et al. (1989) and more recently Stevenson (2002) have looked into the subculture of swimming and attempted gain understanding as to what affects an individual’s agency to participate and withdraw or ...
  • Thumbnail

    The Role of Social Support in the Transition Process of Elite Injured Swimmers 

    Shamlian, Michael (University of Wales, 2011)
    Objective: The aim of this study was to determine and examine the importance of social support during a career transition from a resulting injury in swimming. Design and method: Athletes participated in semi-structured, ...

Browse

DSpace at Cardiff MetCommunities & CollectionsBy issue dateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis collectionBy issue dateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

My Account

Login

Statistics

Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

DSpace software copyright © 2002-2015  DuraSpace
Contact us | Send feedback | Administrator