International Journal of Sport Psychology

ated that their parents drove them to practice everyday, paid for all costs
associated with swimming (e.g., coaches, competitions, equipment, and
travel), supported healthy lifestyles (e.g., healthy eating and sleeping habits),
and were involved with the club (e.g., team management, chaperoning).
Swimming became all-consuming for the girls and parents, and the athletes
recognized the financial and time sacrifices that their families made to support
their passion: “I swim right after school and my dad works downtown
and I think my mom has taken a half time job so she can drive me to swimming
all the time. So, swimming is her life too” (P2). Coaches and teammates
provided very little tangible support. The girls also mentioned the school
administration as providing practical assistance in the form of modified class
schedules to accommodate their training. Teammates’ parents at times provided
practical assistance by driving the girls to practices.
Girls felt loved and valued by their parents because of how much of their
resources they were putting into their sport. All of the athletes mentioned
appreciation for the money and time that their parents provided, and felt that
these tangible means of support influenced their motivation as well as their
perceptions of competence. However, at times, all but P3 felt guilty about the
demands that were placed on their families and these emotions presented a
quandary since they needed this support but also felt substantial personal
pressure as a result of it. The following quote illustrates the perceived pressures
that many of the girls expressed:
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“…[Swimming] costs a lot. And I know there are so many other things that she could be
spending that money on. She sacrifices a lot, and it’s hard for me like, keeping me in swimming
cause I know the money issues, driving, and time away from the rest of the family. I
know it’s hard on my mom and I don’t like putting all that extra stress with money and
stuff on her. So that sometimes makes me like, ‘oh if I wasn’t swimming’ it’d be so much
easier on everybody. But she reassures me that she doesn’t think that way…” (P8)
Discussion
This study highlighted the importance of the structural, functional, and
perceptual social support dimensions (see Holt & Hoar, 2006) on female athletes’
experiences in elite swimming. In particular, it concurrently examined
the athletes’ perceptions in relation to their coaches, parents, teammates/peers.
Qualitative methods founded within a constructivist epistemology
enabled the generation of informative data about the multiple dimensions
of social support within a natural, yet understudied, elite female sport
context. These data show the unique and informative ways that the dimen-