A case study of an athlete’s experience of multiple change-events moving between team and individual sports

The purpose of this case study was to understand the personal experience of a female athlete (aged 24 years) undergoing a significant change-event from a team sport (rugby) to an individual sport (weightlifting) at an elite level. Two in-depth informal interviews were conducted. A number of change-events were experienced in several contexts, including a change of sports, a change in academic status, and a reoccurring injury. The findings provided empirical support for the use of the scheme of change for sport psychology practice (Samuel & Tenenbaum, 2011a) for understanding the change process and the associated coping strategies athletes may adopt.