Eastern Canadian Sport and Exercise Psychology Symposium
March 2012, London, ON, Canada
Sport expertise: A family affair?
Melissa J. Hopwood 1,2, Joseph Baker 1, Clare MacMahon 2, & Damian Farrow 2,3
1. York University, Toronto, Canada
2. Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia
3. Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra, Australia
Parents and siblings are highly influential on athlete development. Previous research has focused on provision of resources, changing roles of the family throughout athletes’ careers, and sibling relationships. The current study investigated familial characteristics and patterns of participation in sport and physical activity for 229 athletes representing three skill levels. Comparative analyses revealed a number of skill level differences in the family environment. Parents of elite athletes were more highly educated than parents of sub elite athletes, and elite athletes were more likely to be later born children. Both parents and siblings of elite athletes participated in physical activity more regularly than parents and siblings of sub elite athletes, and were also more likely to have participated in competitive sport at the elite level themselves. These findings extend our understanding of the role of the family in sport expertise development by highlighting particular familial characteristics that appear to be important.
To cite this presentation:
Hopwood, M.J., Baker, J., MacMahon, C., & Farrow, D., (2012, March). Sport Expertise: A family affair? Eastern Canadian Sport and Exercise Psychology Symposium, London, Canada.
The Pathways to the Podium Research Project
Publications and Presentations
An investigation of the development of sport expertise
Pathways to the Podium Research Project