Jennifer Ann McMahon

‘Body practices—exposure and effect of a sporting culture?’ Stories from three Australian swimmers

This paper contributes to sport, sociology and the body literature by exploring the ‘exposure and effect’ of culture, in particular bodily practices placed on three adolescent swimmers immersed in the Australian swimming culture using an ethnographic framework. The research reported is particularly notable as it addresses two distinct time points in the swimmers’ lives. The first section explores the adolescent experiences of three female swimmers within the cultural context of Australian swimming by articulating some of the specific body practices and ‘memes’ (ideas, symbols and practices) that they were exposed to and/or engaged within relation to the body. The second section of this paper focuses on the same three swimmers in the ‘present day’, some 10–30 years after being immersed in the Australian swimming culture as adolescents. It excavates their body practices and the relationships they now have with their body, and thus pursues the sustained impact of the body practices and ‘memes’ they were exposed to as adolescents. Analysis employs concepts drawn mainly from Foucault, particularly his thesis in regard to ‘disciplinary power’, ‘regulation’ ‘classification’ and ‘surveillance’. At a club (amateur) and National level, Australian swimming is revealed as an institution, a site and culture where particular techniques of power have become concentrated and have been brought to bear on individuals in systematic ways, with sometimes damaging effects arising for athletes’ long-term health and well-being, particularly if the individuals concerned continue to engage with cultural practices in regard to the body post-career.

Body pedagogies, coaching and culture: three Australian swimmers’ lived experiences

Background: This paper reports doctoral research that explored body pedagogies in sport coaching and culture. Few studies have focused on body pedagogies as an integral dimension of sport coaching and on the experience of being coached and a member of a particular sporting culture. Even less is known about the long-term impact that particular body pedagogies may have on athletes’ lives, health and well-being. Purpose: This paper seeks to contribute to a growing literature that acknowledges coaching as a complex pedagogical and social process. It reports on research aimed at providing new insights into the expression and lived experiences of body pedagogies in the context of elite and sub-elite swimming. A particular aim of the research was to address the impact, if any, of body pedagogies on swimmers’ lives, health and well-being – first, at the time when the participants were adolescent elite and sub-elite swimmers, and second, some 10–30 years later. Methods: The research utilised narrative ethnography and autoethnography to explore the experiences of three female participants as adolescents participating at sub-elite and elite levels in Australian swimming, and as adults. Semi-structured interviews and collaborative development of narrative accounts were used to generate stories of experiences as adolescent swimmers and as adults in the present day. Findings: The experiences of these three swimmers suggest that body pedagogies focused on weight, shape, body fat and performance permeated Australian competitive swimming culture. These body pedagogies formed prominent aspects of the discourse of the participants’ coaches and their practice within this study. Furthermore, body pedagogies were shown to have powerful and long-standing influence upon the participants’ feelings about their bodies and themselves. This research also suggests, however, elements of mediation of and resistance to dominant ideas and established pedagogical practices. Conclusion: The research provides vivid insights into the subtle yet extremely powerful ways in which particular ideas ‘operate’ and become integral to ways of ‘being’ and ‘acting’ through body pedagogies within but also beyond both the sub-elite and elite contexts of Australian swimming sporting culture. Docility was shown by the three swimmers as they internalised body pedagogies and control, until they became their own ‘controller or overseer’ of their swimmer bodies. This points to a need for more research that focuses on the experiences and impact of body pedagogies in sport coaching.

Mentoring in coaching: the means of correct training? An autoethnographic exploration of one Australian swimming coach’s experiences

This paper reports on research that identifies the disciplinary mechanism of surveillance and power at work within pathways for coach education in the Australian swimming culture. Utilising autoethnography and Foucault, one Australian swimming coach’s experiences are explored, particularly his experiences within the mentor–mentee relationship of the Australian swimming coaching culture. It is contended that mentor coaches act as intermediaries of the wider sporting organisation and apply mechanisms to that are perceived as encouraging conformity and obedient, docile bodies within the mentor–mentee relationship. This research investigates the mentor–mentee relationship that one coach was immersed in and seeks to understand the complex interrelationships central to the development of an individual coach’s practice.

High-performance sport, learning and culture: new horizons for sport pedagogues?

Background: Research in sport coaching and sport pedagogy including studies published in this special issue bring to the fore the relationship between learning and culture in contexts of high-performance sport. This paper acknowledged that how learning, culture and their relationship are conceptualised is a crucial issue for researchers and professionals in high-performance sport. Purpose and approach: This paper arises from a theoretical analysis of the research studies presented in this special issue. The analysis undertaken focused on the understanding and representation of the concepts of learning and culture and critically examined the methodological application of particular conceptualisations. The intention was to extend insight into both theoretical and methodological issues associated with understanding and researching athlete and coach learning, and high-performance sport settings. Findings and discussion: This paper identifies tendencies for separatist and reductionist thinking about learning and culture in high-performance sport settings. A relational perspective is identified as critical to extending research and professional practice that is directed towards learning and/or culture. Researchers are urged to avoid identifying either athlete or coach learning (only) with specific events or experiences, and similarly avoid positioning culture as something that sits apart from athletes’ and coaches’ participation and learning in elite sport settings. The dual notions of ‘learning practices as cultural practice’ and ‘cultural practice as pedagogical practice’ are proposed as a basis for holistic thinking about learning and culture in high-performance sport settings. The extent to which such thinking is reflected in the various contributions to the special issue is considered. Attention is then directed to the methodological challenges that researchers face if they are to reflect a conceptualisation of learning as both embedded and embodied in cultural practices. Challenging and extending the underlying vision of learning that researchers, coaches and athletes have is revealed as a critical consideration in regard to research design, data collection and ways in which participants are variously positioned, represented and ‘involved’ in research. Embodied perspectives are identified as particularly worthy of greater attention in contemporary research that seeks to extend understanding of athlete and/or coaches’ learning and lived experiences within and amidst elite sporting cultures. Recent scholarship focusing on the body and lived experience is identified as providing theoretical and methodological insights that can extend future research and practice. Conclusions: Foregrounding a relational perspective is fundamental to extending the understanding of learning and culture in high-performance sport. Future research also needs to clearly embrace the methodological challenges presented by new conceptualisations.

A/r/tographic inquiry in sport and exercise research: a pilot study examining methodology versatility, feasibility and participatory opportunities.

Abstract This research paper centres on a pilot study where a/r/tography, an arts-based methodology, was implemented into a sport and exercise research context. A/r/tography is yet to be employed in this particular research context; therefore, an emphasis is placed on exploring the versatility and feasibility of this methodology when applied to the field of sport and exercise. In addition, we explore whether a/r/tography offers anything new and/or unique in comparison to other arts-based research that has already been conducted in this domain. In the paper that follows, we outline what a/r/tography is; why it could be considered as a methodological approach in sport and exercise research; and how it has been used in other research domains such as the social sciences. The remainder of the paper is dedicated to outlining the method that was undertaken in the a/r/tographic inquiry. A/r/tography was implemented with one swimmer participant and focused on the ‘normalised’ yet destructive ‘slim to win’ body practices found to be occurring in swimming culture. Four interrelated parts of the a/r/tographic inquiry process are highlighted so other sociocultural sport researchers can understand how to implement the approach. The feasibility and educative outcomes of the methodology are also discussed. The final section of the paper outlines the learning outcomes for the swimmer participant after engaging with the a/r/tographic inquiry process. A critical discussion is also presented outlining whether a/r/tography offers anything new than other arts-based research.

Do what (S)HE says and you will be a champion: Poetic representations and the unmuting of my swimmer body

A series of four poems were generated as a result of McMahon’s reimmersion into an elite swimming culture where she purposely revisited emotional and mental pain experienced 15 years earlier. Her reimmersion resulted in the re-engagement of torturous training and bodily regimes that other swimmers were subjected to and subjected themselves to. By presenting four evocative poetic representations, McMahon empowered and expressed her 40-year-old body’s sensations and experiences as she resubjected it to a culture that continues to torment her. These four poetic representations indeed assisted her to sort, ponder, and acknowledge her body’s experiences, voices, and her ever-evolving embodied consciousness. It is hoped that the audience will think and feel with McMahon’s bodily encounters, reflecting on them and drawing their own conclusions and understandings.

Using Stories to Investigate, Reflect on and Raise Social Conciousness in a Sporting Culture

This chapter describes the qualitative approach utilised to investigate relationships of power experienced within formal and informal mentee-mentor relationships associated with the education programme of a sports coaching culture. Denison and Avner (2011) and Cassidy (2010) suggest that power relations within a culture can contribute to conformity, stifle creativity and lead to apathetic, docile practice.