Exploring the lived experience of young competitive swimmers

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore the lived experience of young competitive swimmers. During their lived experience, young competitive swimmers experience positive and overwhelming moments, particularly when achieving. However, competitive swimmers experience several challenges and disappointments during their athletic experience, which could possibly affect the athlete, physically and mentally. A qualitative approach was ideal to gain an in depth understanding of the participants’ experiences. For this study, a purposive sample was required to carry seven semi-structured interviews. The research method adopted for this dissertation was ‘Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis’ (IPA) in order to investigate and understand the athletes’ lived experiences. The results from this study indicate that during their lived experience, young competitive swimmers experience positive emotional and psychological feelings, particulary when winning, achieving and when receiving support. Through the findings, it emerged that when achieving, one appears to be motivated and enjoys the competitive experience even more. On the other hand, the results indicate that challenges and disappointments could negatively affect the swimmer. Emergent results indicated that during the participants’ competitive experience and due to difficult personal experiences, there were occasions where some of the swimmers considered dropping out. Future studies could give a better understanding of what young competitive swimmers go through and explore which elements could lead an athlete to experience the full potential in his or her competitive swimming lived experience.