Clarifying concepts: “Well-being” in sport

The purpose of this commentary is to critique the application of well-being in the field of sport and exercise psychology and to provide recommendations for future research. Over the last decade well-being has been an increasingly popular concept under investigation. In the field of sport and exercise psychology, numerous scholars have examined and conducted research on well-being of athletes. While this research has resulted in an abundance of findings, there is concern in how the concept of well-being was applied, defined, and measured. The construct of well-being can be traced back to two distinct perspectives, hedonic well-being and eudaimonic well-being. These perspectives of well-being are based on different philosophical assumptions, and while they are compatible, they are theoretically distinct. In sport and exercise psychology, well-being has lacked consistent operationalization and measurement (i.e., theoretical alignment, single dimensions of hedonic or eudaimonic measured to make claims about the broader well-being constructs), is vague and loosely defined, and is often studied in isolation from a well-being perspective (i.e., no theoretical foundation). We conclude by offering three recommendations to move the field of well-being in sport research forward

Expert users’ perceptions of racing wheelchair design and set up: The knowns, unknowns and next steps

This paper demonstrates how a qualitative methodology can be used to gain novel insights into the demands of wheelchair racing and the impact of particular racing chair configurations on optimal sport performance via engagement with expert users (wheelchair racers, coaches and manufacturers). We specifically explore how expert users understand how wheels, tires and bearings impact upon sport performance and how they engage, implement or reject evidence-based research pertaining to these components. We identify areas where participants perceive there to be an immediate need for more research especially pertaining to the ability to make individualized recommendations for athletes. The findings from this project speak to the value of a qualitative research design for capturing the embodied knowledge of expert users and also make suggestions for ‘next step’ projects pertaining to wheels, tires and bearings drawn directly from the comments of participants

Enactments of Integrated, Disability-Inclusive Sport Policy by Sporting Organizations in British Columbia, Canada

This article critically analyzed the enactment of disability-inclusive sport policies by provincial sporting organizations in British Columbia, Canada. Thirty semi-structured interviews with managers representing organizations informed the analysis. Findings highlighted how organizational circumstances prompted managers to enact integration policies in novel ways at the regional level. For instance, non-disabled sporting organizations mediated the adoption of integration policies due to the perceived impact on non-disabled programming. In contrast, disability sport organizations resisted integration out of concern that non-disabled organizations could not deliver programming to an equivalent standard. To thwart the perceived integration threat, disability sport organizations developed novel solutions, such as registering themselves as freestanding organizations. Discussion arises as to whether integration is the “gold standard” of inclusion in disability sport. Policy recommendations are also discussed

Elite handcycling: A qualitative analysis of recumbent handbike configuration for optimal sports performance

Our understanding of handbike configuration is limited, yet it can be a key determinant of performance in handcycling. This study explored how fourteen handcycling experts (elite handcyclists, coaches, support staff and manufacturers) perceived aspects of recumbent handbike configuration to impact upon endurance performance via semi-structured interviews. Optimising the handbike for comfort, stability and power production were identified as key themes. Comfort and stability were identified to be the foundations of endurance performance and were primarily influenced by the seat, backrest, headrest and their associated padding. Power production was determined by the relationship between the athletes’ shoulder and abdomen and the trajectories of the handgrips, which were determined by the crank axis position, crank arm length and handgrip width. Future studies should focus on quantifying the configuration of recumbent handbikes before determining the effects that crank arm length, handgrip width and crank position have on endurance performance

Struggling to stay and struggling to leave: The experiences of elite para-athletes at the end of their sport careers

OBJECTIVE To explore the retirement experiences of elite para-athletes. Athletic retirement has long been of interest to sport psychologists. With a few exceptions, little attention has been paid to the retirements of elite athletes with disabilities. The research that has been done on para-sport was conducted in the late 1990s and the context of Paralympic sport has changed in the interim. DESIGN: An online survey was distributed to retired para-athletes (n = 60) and qualitative interviews were conducted with a purposive sub-sample (n = 13). SAMPLE: The sample included 48 Paralympians (21 had medalled at the Paralympic Games) and 12 internationally competitive para-athletes. The group included 39 males and 21 females and was diverse in age (22–77 years of age), impairment history and impairment type (35 acquired impairments and 25 congenital impairments), and sport (24 different para-sports). METHODS: Guided by a subjective and transactional epistemological framework, data was thematically analyzed. RESULTS: Although most para-athletes leave sport for the same reasons as their able-bodied peers, certain reasons for retirement, such as declassification, are unique to para-sport. Para-athletes facing these types of retirements had particularly difficult transition experiences and could benefit from additional support. Para-athletes also reported that the increasing professionalization of para-sport, combined with uncertainty about post-sport employment opportunities for people with disabilities, made it more difficult to retire. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the experiences of retirement that are unique to para-sport will permit sport psychologists and other practitioners to provide better and more targeted support to para-athletes

Authors, audiences, and advocates ... but athletes first : blogging and the Paralympic Movement

When the Paralympic Movement is discussed, it is predominantly described as both an extension of the Olympic Movement and an uncorrupted version of Olympism. Yet to define the Paralympics only in reference to the Olympic Movement is to ignore its rich history and the unique factors that continue to inform the practice of disability sport. In this research, I collaborated with five Paralympians to create a blog that discussed disability sport and the Paralympic Movement. Collectively, the team published posts on disability sport-related topics and recruited readers to the site. Over a period of 14 months, the blog was visited 9,700 times by individuals in more than 90 countries, resulting in 339 posted comments. I conducted interviews with blog team members and with 20 individuals who were reading and commenting on the blog. Transcripts of the interviews as well as the posts and comments were thematically coded to address the following questions: •How and why do individuals choose to interact with the blog and what are the perceived outcomes of their participation? •How do blog users (readers and writers) understand the relation between the discussions occurring on the blog and their individual online and offline actions to promote, advocate for, and/or transform para-sport? •How do participants (readers and writers) define their involvement in the Paralympic Movement and what do participants perceive to be the ‘key’ issues that the social movement must address? Drawing on new social movement theory and literature into the use of online communication by social movements, I address how blogs are being employed within the Paralympic Movement and the value they have in promoting and advocating for disability sport. The findings discuss blogging as an opportunity for: (1) athletes as authors to share resources, discuss ideas, and provide support to other athletes, (2) members of the Paralympic movement to connect with various audiences and provide outsiders with a ‘window onto para-sport’, and (3) disability sport advocates to call out or challenge individuals, organizations, practices, and policies that are perceived to be discriminatory and as contributing to the marginalization of athletes with disabilities.Education, Faculty ofKinesiology, School ofGraduat

"Whatever works best for the athlete" : the use and experience of complementary and alternative medicine among elite female athletes

This study examined how carded female members of Canadian national teams used and perceived Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). The research was guided by the following question: How do elite Canadian female athletes use Complementary and Alternative Medicine? Additionally, the research was infonned by three subsidiary questions, namely: (1) How do they perceive and experience CAM?; (2) Why do they use/not-use CAM?; (3) What roles do they perceive CAM to play in their athletic development?; and (4) How is the use of CAM negotiated within existing sport structures? Using qualitative research methods, 12 female athletes were interviewed twice using a semi-structured interview format for a total of 22.5 hours. The athletes were questioned about their first experiences of using CAM and the situations that lead them to explore new treatments. The athletes were also asked about their continued use ofCAM and the reasons for the ongoing treatments as well as the role they perceived CAM and CAM practitioners to have in their athletic careers. Previously, the extant literature concerning CAM use among athletes indicated that 56% of varsity athletes used CAM although this research gave no indication as to the frequency with which CAM treatments were utilized. The women in my study reported that, when carded, they used CAM treatments extensively and frequently (from two appointments a month up to two appointments a day). At the same time, the women in this project revealed that their ability to access services was highly contingent on their status as carded athletes and the associated monthly stipend from Sport Canada. Within different sports organization, gendered, and hegemonic hierarchies further delimited access to CAM. My findings suggest that while injury may have been the impetus for the first treatment, the ongoing use of CAM was more closely associated with an effort to prevent chronic conditions and physical imbalances from escalating and thereby restricting their ability to fully participate in their sport. These findings have theoretical implications for expanding our understanding of the value CAM holds for those who use it. The data also bridge the gap between the existing literature which has examined the influence of the sportsnet on an athlete’s belief, attitudes, and actions, and research into rates CAM utilization in special populations. Finally, this project reveals that elite female athletes perceive CAM to be an essential part of their athletic training.Education, Faculty ofKinesiology, School ofGraduat