Katie Misener

Learning From the Experiences of Older Adult Volunteers in Sport: A Serious Leisure Perspective

Abstract A sample of older adult volunteers (N = 20, 65 years and older) in community sport organizations was interviewed in order to understand their experiences with volunteering. An interdisciplinary framework of serious leisure, older adult volunteering, and older adult leisure was used to interpret the findings. Volunteering in this context was found to be consistent with serious leisure based on characteristics such as substantial involvement, strong identification with the activity, and the need to persevere. Older adults viewed their experience as extremely positive, enabling them to make a meaningful contribution and to receive several benefits of participation. The most frequently noted negative experience was interpersonal relations, yet overall, this was not enough to drive participants away from this activity. Implications for enhancing older adult volunteering are discussed and avenues for future research are provided.

Toward a Multidimensional Framework of Capacity in Community Sport Clubs

Community sport clubs are a type of membership association largely run by member volunteers who organize and deliver opportunities for recreational and competitive sport participation. These clubs are where people are most likely to engage in organized sport, and have become a focus for achieving social policy objectives. It is important to understand the structures and processes that enable these organizations to meet their member-focused mandates. The purpose of this study was to develop a framework of organizational capacity in this context by uncovering critical elements within multiple capacity dimensions, namely, human resources, finance, infrastructure, planning and development, and external relationships. Focus groups with presidents of 51 sport clubs across Ontario revealed key strengths and challenges that impact the ability of these organizations to achieve their sport delivery goals. Variation by club size was observed. Implications for practice and future research on community sport clubs and membership associations are presented.

Connecting the community through sport club partnerships

This article examines the nature of community sport connections evidenced by relationships between community sport clubs and various organizations in the community. This article uses a social capital perspective to highlight the potential of interorganizational relationships through sport as a mechanism for generating community connections and social cohesion. The findings of interviews with 20 club presidents illustrate how interorganizational relationships connect sport with the broader community as clubs reach out to and link with a variety of partners. Critical relationship qualities included engagement, reciprocity and trust, which are consistent with the tenets of social capital. Opportunities for friendship and community outreach were also identified as aspects of club relationships and are a further indication of how sport may connect the community.

Examining the integration of sport and health promotion: partnership or paradox?

ABSTRACT Cross-sector partnerships between public health agencies and non-profit sport organisations may offer an effective approach to health promotion given their mutual interest in facilitating opportunities for individual and community well-being. The study draws on conceptual framing from the public non-profit partnership literature to understand the potential role of sport organisations in health promotion partnerships and the factors associated with engaging these cross-sector partners. The research involves a case study of a local, cross-sector partnership for health promotion aimed at increasing physical activity through strategic marketing campaigns. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with representatives from partner organisations in the sport sector and members of the partnership executive committee, as well as active-member participant observation. The results suggest that despite congruent organisational priorities and policy imperatives that link sport and health-based organisations, there was evidence of misalignment in the partners’ capacity to collaborate. There was also notable incongruence in the discourses related to sport and health and the norms and values underpinning the partnership of public health and non-profit community sport. The implications of the research suggest that despite higher-order policy agendas emphasising partnerships as a means to advance health outcomes, there are significant constraints in local capacity for collaboration to meet these policy goals.

Getting in the game: An investigation of voluteering in sport among older adults

Abstract Volunteering is a positive leisure activity for older adults, yet this group has one of the lowest rates of volunteering across many nations, particularly in sport. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore factors associated with volunteering in sport among older adults. Using Peters‐Davis, Burant, and Braunschweigs (2001) multidimensional framework, semi‐structured interviews with older adult sport volunteers (n=20,65 years and older) uncovered themes within structural, cultural, cognitive, and situational dimensions of volunteering behaviour. The findings revealed that the older adult volunteers had large social networks, past involvement in sport, and a history of volunteering. They reported becoming involved in sport volunteering as an opportunity to use their skills, for social connections, and to stay active. They also identified quality of health, awareness of volunteer opportunities, and spousal employment status as factors that influenced their volunteering. Preliminary implications for recruiting older adults to volunteering in sport, and directions for future research, are drawn from the findings.

Understanding the local sports council as a mechanism for community sport development

The purpose of the current study was to develop a theoretical understanding of the concepts and relationships that describe the local sports council as a mechanism for community sport development through a case study of one such organization. This paper presents a grounded theory study of a local sports council whose mandate reflects ‘sport for all’ by promoting, developing, and coordinating opportunities for sport and recreation in the community. Based on interviews (n = 16) with key stakeholders (board chairs, executive directors, municipal government representatives, and community sport clubs), the study reveals factors that enable and constrain the Council from contributing to community sport development. A model is derived that illustrates the impact of citizen-based leadership within an arms-length organization, and how its philosophy and activities drive community sport development. Factors that enhance or jeopardize the Councils ability to contribute to community sport development include awareness of the Council, citizen engagement based on self-interest, and financial sustainability of the organization. The case study offers an in-depth understanding of the nature and role of a local sports council and discusses the challenges faced in promoting and achieving community sport development.

Narratives of Negotiation and Transformation: Women's Experiences within a Mixed-Gendered Gym

ABSTRACT Those within the fitness industry claim that gyms provide accessible space for women (of certain economic status) to engage in activities that will increase their health. As such, gyms are marketed as safe, inclusive, and empowering spaces. Yet when viewing gym spaces through a feminist-informed lens, it becomes clear that gyms are not always innocuous spaces. They often reflect and perpetuate gendered power relations and highly prescribed cultural expectations for femininity around womens bodies, appearances, strength, and abilities. This narrative inquiry sought to illuminate womens gendered experiences within a for-profit mixed-gendered gym space. Through the use of unstructured life story interviews, this research highlights the dominant gendered expectations that women perceived within the gym and how these expectations influence womens gym use. The narratives also exposed several ways that gyms can be changed in order to facilitate more positive gym experiences for women.