Pathways to the Paralympic Games: Exploring the Sporting Journeys of High Performance Para athletes with a Limb Deficiency A thesis submitted to Auckland University of Technology in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Sport and Exercise (MSpEx) 2018 Faculty of Health and Environmental Science Masters Student: Loretta Hogg Primary Supervisor: Sarah-Kate Millar Secondary Supervisors: Simon Walters & Melissa Wilson i Abstract Characteristics associated with sport expertise have been well researched for able- bodied athletes, however, little has been documented for Para athletes. It is important to understand the sporting journeys of successful Paralympians to better support the development of future elite Para athletes. This ‘Pathways to the Paralympic Games’ research explores the sporting experiences of New Zealand Paralympians and focuses on sport expertise development in Para athletes with a limb deficiency. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine recent Paralympians with a limb deficiency to understand their sporting pathway, as well as any perceived influences on participation and sporting success for this population. Three key influences on the sporting pathway emerged: Sport influences, the extrinsic motivations for involvement in sport (both able-bodied and Para sport); psychological influences, the intrinsic factors that have influenced involvement; and impairment influences, the Paralympians thoughts and feelings about limb deficiency and sport. Feelings of support from coaches, parents and peers were considered to be particularly important to the Paralympians, who stated that people contributed to the positive vibe and successful culture surrounding their Para sport environment. Perceptions of sporting competence were increased and influenced through the Paralympian’s ability to apply mental skills training though techniques such as visualisation and positive self-talk. Feelings surrounding impairment were often that of frustration. This was due to both society creating pre-conceived ideas of what people living with a limb deficiency should be able to accomplish and prosthetic technology not being accessible or meeting the requirements for the level of training necessary for the Paralympian to achieve, what they perceived to be, their optimal performance. The main findings of this study suggest Paralympians have additional requirements to able-bodied high performance athletes and that having strong support networks and the ability to access appropriate resources are critical to influencing successful sporting pathways to elite Para sport. The results from this study present an evidence-base which can give insight to New Zealand’s Para sport sector on potential areas to improve future talent identification and development of emerging Para athletes. ii Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... i List of Figures ................................................................................................................................iv List of Tables ..................................................................................................................................iv List of Appendices..........................................................................................................................iv Notes on Terminology .................................................................................................................... v Attestation of Authorship ................................................................................................................xi Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... xii Ethical Approval ........................................................................................................................... xiv Acknowledgement of Funding ......................................................................................................xv Chapter 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 The Research Question and Purpose.................................................................................. 3 1.2 Overview of the Thesis......................................................................................................... 3 Chapter 2 Literature Review .......................................................................................................... 5 2.1 Introduction........................................................................................................................... 5 2.1.1 Able-bodied sport literature. .......................................................................................... 6 2.1.2 Impairment-based literature. ....................................................................................... 10 2.1.3 Psychological influences. ............................................................................................ 13 2.1.4 Limb deficiency. ........................................................................................................... 16 2.2 Summary ............................................................................................................................ 22 Chapter 3 Methodology ............................................................................................................... 25 3.1 Research Paradigm ........................................................................................................... 26 3.2 Research Position .............................................................................................................. 27 3.3 Qualitative Research .......................................................................................................... 28 3.3.1 Researcher background. ............................................................................................. 28 3.3.2 The primary researcher’s background and viewpoint. ................................................ 28 3.3.3 Assumptions of the research. ...................................................................................... 30 3.4 Methods .............................................................................................................................. 30 3.4.1 Tools. ........................................................................................................................... 30 3.4.2 Pilot study. ................................................................................................................... 31 3.4.3 Interview guide. ........................................................................................................... 32 3.4.4 Participants. ................................................................................................................. 34 3.4.5 Data collection. ............................................................................................................ 37 3.4.6 Data analysis. ............................................................................................................... 38 3.5 Ethical Considerations ....................................................................................................... 39 3.5.1 Consultation................................................................................................................. 39 3.5.2 Informed and voluntary consent. ................................................................................. 39 3.5.3 Confidentiality and anonymity. .................................................................................... 40 3.5.4 Minimisation of risk. ..................................................................................................... 40 3.5.5 Prevention of conflict of interest. ................................................................................. 40 3.5.6 Treaty of Waitangi. ...................................................................................................... 40 3.5.7 Rigour and Trustworthiness. ....................................................................................... 42 3.6 Summary ............................................................................................................................ 43 Chapter 4 Results ........................................................................................................................ 44 4.1 Sport Influences ................................................................................................................. 45 4.1.1 Experiences of sport. ................................................................................................... 46 iii 4.1.2 Influential people. ........................................................................................................ 53 4.1.3 Sport influences summary. .......................................................................................... 57 4.2 Psychological Influences .................................................................................................... 58 4.2.1 Behaviour and motivation. ........................................................................................... 58 4.2.2 Emotions stimulated through Para sport. .................................................................... 65 4.2.3 Psychological