Two Sides of a Tale: A Narrative Exploration of Post-Injury Fear in a Gymnast-Coach Dyad

Gymnastics is a sport with a high risk of injury creating many opportunities for a gymnast to experience injury-related fear. Little is known about how gymnasts experience fear and how coaches perceive gymnasts' fear. The present study was aimed at exploring the experiences of post-injury fear in a gymnast-coach dyad. Two male participants (a gymnast and his coach) were involved in narrative-type interviews about their experiences of the same incident of the gymnast’s fear. The holistic form-structural analysis revealed three narratives: a hero’s journey narrative (coach) and a chaos narrative followed by a redemption narrative (gymnast). The stories had different foci. The coach took a career perspective focusing on the fear incident as a part of the athlete’s personal development. The gymnast focused more on injuries, fear experiences, and how he coped. The findings illuminate how two collaborating people can experience the same incident of fear differently and how those different views complement each other

A critical review of career research and assistance through the cultural lens: towards cultural praxis of athletes’ careers

In this review article, a content area of athlete career in sport psychology is analyzed through the cultural lens: that is, through paradigmatic perspectives of cross-cultural psychology, cultural psychology, and cultural studies. Based on previous review papers, but mainly on the chapters of the anthology Athletes' Careers across Cultures, we identified three dominant (North American, Australian, and European) and two emerging (Asian and South American) cultural discourses in the career topic. These discourses are characterized by research foci, theoretical frameworks, and career assistance programs in action. Our critical analysis of career research and assistance around the world further indicates a need for more contextualized and culturally competent career projects, which blend theory/research, applied work, and lived culture into cultural praxis. To satisfy this need, a new paradigm termed cultural praxis of athletes' careers is suggested. In conclusion, we emphasize the importance of review papers in negotiating emerging terminology, values, principles, and approaches underlying the career topic, and share some ideas for future reviews in career research and assistance

In a Football Bubble and Beyond: Cultural Transition Pathways of Swedish Professional Football Players

The objectives of this study were: (1) to explore cultural transition pathways of Swedish professional football players relocated to another European country, (2) to identify shared themes in their transition narratives. We interviewed three professional players who in their early twenties relocated to Italy, Turkey, and Switzerland, and then analyzed their stories using holistic and categorical analyses following the narrative oriented inquiry (NOI) model (Hiles & Čermák, 2008). The holistic analysis resulted in creating three core narratives (i.e., re-telling of the participants’ stories) entitled:  Preparing for the worst-case scenario and saved by dedication to football; Showing interest for the host culture and carrying responsibility as a foreign player; and A step for personal development: from homesickness to being hungry for more. The categorical analysis resulted in 12 shared themes from the players’ stories arranged around three phases of the cultural transition model (Ryba et al., 2016). In the pre-transition all the participants were established players searching for new professional opportunities. In the acute cultural adaptation phase, they all prioritized adjustment in football (e.g., fitting in the team, performing). In the socio-cultural adaptation phase, they broaden their perspectives and realized that finding a meaningful life outside of football was just as important to function and feel satisfied as football success

The COVID-19 pandemic and Olympic/Paralympic athletes’ developmental challenges and possibilities in times of a global crisis-transition

Our aim in this invited commentary is to stimulate discussion among sport psychology researchers and practitioners regarding the unique developmental challenges and possibilities that Olympic and Paralympic athletes are undergoing during their final – extended year of the Tokyo 2020 quadrenium. We begin the commentary with COVID-19 pandemic (C-19) context setting, proceed with discussing transitional and holistic perspectives on athletes’ Olympic/Paralympic journey, outline three potential pathway scenarios and “C-19 as a possibility-provider” coping (meta-) scenario for Olympic/Paralympic athletes, and finalise our commentary with a summary of messages intended to invite further discussion and collaboration

Shared Features of Successful Interorganizational Collaboration to Promote Local Talent Development Environments in Denmark

The aim of this study was to explore 11 case examples of successful talent development collaborations between sport federations, municipalities, and local clubs in Denmark in order to identify potential shared features of successful collaborations. We hypothesized that each case example would be unique, but that they would also share features that could be organized to provide practitioners with a model to guide the improvement of their practice. Grounded in the holistic ecological approach, the study was designed as a multiple case study to facilitate a cross-case analysis. Three Danish sport federations (handball, ice hockey, and swimming), nine municipalities, and eleven local clubs participated in the study, and the data was generated from 23 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders. Analysis led to the construction of six shared features of successful interorganizational collaboration organized into: (1) a list of features (SFIC-TD) with positive and opposite pole descriptors and three categories: collaborative philosophy, collaborative decisions, and collaborative actions, and (2) an applied framework termed the pyramid model for optimization of interorganizational collaboration in talent development (PIC-TD) which illustrates how the abovementioned categories lead to collaborative outcomes. Developing a shared philosophy of talent development was found to be a foundational starting point for successful collaboration between relevant organizations on the micro- and macro-level to improve the local athletic talent development environment

Maternidad en el tenis profesional : ¿es suficiente con cambiar la normativa?

El cambio de normativa de la Women's Tennis Association (WTA) a principios del 2019 sobre maternidad y el auge de investigaciones en psicología del deporte sobre este tema en el deporte de élite, inspiraron este estudio cuyo objetivo fue explorar si el cambio de normativa modifica la visión de la compaginación de maternidad y carrera tenística en tenistas profesionales en activo y retiradas, madres y no madres. Participaron 10 mujeres tenistas españolas, algunas madres (n = 3) y otras no (n = 7). Para la recolección de datos se utilizó una entrevista semi-estructurada y a partir de un análisis temático del contenido se definieron tres temas: (a) game, set and match: ¿es suficiente solo con cambiar la normativa? (b) Centre court: al servicio mama-tenista versus al resto tenista, y (c) warning coaching: el tenis como deporte de equipo. Los resultados revelan como las modificaciones del reglamento facilitan un primer paso hacia la compatibilización de la maternidad con el tenis de élite, pero aún hacen falta más medidas de acompañamiento como las sugeridas en este estudio: (a) contar con el apoyo del entorno psicosocial de la deportista, (b) disponer de una ayuda económica, (c) disponer de espacios para los hijos en el entorno deportivo y (d) facilitar elementos básicos para los niños en los torneos.Changes in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rulebook at the beginning of 2019 regarding the special ranking for pregnancy or parental start and the uprising in sports psychology investigations regarding this theme in elite sport, inspired this study. The aim was to explore whether the changes in the WTA regulations modifies the vision of the possibility to combine motherhood and professional tennis career in both current and former elite tennis players. Participants were 10 Spanish female elite tennis players, some mothers (n = 3) and others non-mothers (n = 7). For data collection, a semi-structured interview was used and, through thematic content analysis, three themes were defined: (a) game, set and match: is it enough just by changing the rules? (b) Centre court: to serve tennis player and mom vs. at the return tennis player and (c) warning coaching: tennis as a team sport. The results of the study revealed that motherhood and an elite tennis career is possible to combine even though it is still a feat for the mother athlete. Our study suggests strategies that could favour motherhood with an elite tennis career: (a) have the support from the athletes' entourage, (b) having financial support or funding, (c) have some areas or rooms destined for children in tournaments and (d) provide basic services for children in tournaments.A mudança nos regulamentos da Women's Tennis Association (WTA) no início de 2019 sobre a maternidade e o surgimento das pesquisas em psicologia do esporte sobre o assunto no esporte de elite inspiraram este estudo cujo objetivo foi explorar se a mudança nos regulamentos modifica a visão da combinação de maternidade e carreira de tênis em tenistas profissionais ativos e aposentados, mães e não mães. Participaram 10 tenistas espanholas, algumas mães (n = 3) e outras não (n = 7). Para a coleta de dados, foi utilizada uma entrevista semiestruturada e, a partir da análise temática de conteúdo, foram definidos três temas: (a) jogo, jogo e jogo: basta mudar o regulamento? (b) Quadra central: servir a jogadora-mãe contra o resto da jogadora, e (c) orientação de advertência: tênis como esporte de equipe. Os resultados revelam como as modificações nas normas facilitam um primeiro passo para compatibilizar a maternidade com o tênis de elite, mas ainda são necessárias medidas de apoio como as sugeridas neste estudo: (a) contar com o apoio do ambiente psicossocial da atleta, (b) ter auxílio financeiro, (c) ter vagas para crianças no ambiente esportivo e (d) fornecer elementos básicos para as crianças em torneios

The Nature and Conceptualisation of Career Transitions in Sport

First paragraph: While an athlete’s sports career may seem to develop in a smooth and continuous way from beginning to end, it is in fact characterized by specific phases and transitions. Asked to describe its development, athletes highlight their athletic career, for example, in terms of specific moments or situations which occurred throughout their career (Wylleman & De Knop, 1997a,b). These moments or situations do not only require athletes to cope with specific changes, but are also perceived by the athletes to influence the quality of their participation at their current competitive level. The occurrence of phases and transitions in the athletic career can also be illustrated by chronologically pin-pointing athletes’ sport achievements (e.g., a first national championship title) and selections (e.g., selection for the national team). Comparison of such developmental data has revealed many similarities in (elite) athletes’ athletic careers (Stambulova, 1998; Wylleman & De Knop, 1998): athletes start out in their sport at the ages of approximately 8 to 12 years-of-age; one or two years later athletes start competing at club level, and go, some three to four years later on to national level; a first selection for a national team occurs somewhere between 17-19 years-of-age, while a first Olympic selection is achieved during their early twenties; and finally, athletes do end their involvement in highlevel competitive sport at approximately 30 years-of-age (3). In fact, researchers have been able to identify a sequence of career developmental phases, not only with elite level athletes, but with talented performers in general, namely an initiation, a development, a mastery, and a post-career phase (e.g., Bloom, 1985; Salmela; 1994)

Athlete's crises : a developmental perspective

Le concept de crise est proposé pour mieux comprendre la dynamique de la carrière sportive ; le conseil psychologique doit aider l'athlète à négocier les différents types de crises : de changement, d'échec, de victoire, etc