The purpose of this study was to further the research by studying coaches at a Historically Black College/University (HBCU) and Division II (DII) athletic program. Participants included seven head and five assistant coaches across seven sports. All coaches were interviewed, based on a preexisting interview guide (Olusoga et al., 2009). Data were content analyzed using previously agreed upon procedures and submitted in NVivo for further examination (Côté, Salmela, Baria, & Russell, 1993). Three higher order themes termed Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, and Contextual Stressors emerged and were composed of 16 lower order themes. The most commonly cited interpersonal stressors included athletes, expectations of others, and administration. Performance outcome and lack of control were the most common intrapersonal stressors. Finally, schedule, lack of resources, and job security were the most common contextual stressors. These findings emphasize the stressful nature of the job and the need to identify means for minimizing stressors to improve the athletic experience for all involved.
Although the 10 books studied provide young girls with imagery and text that encourage female physicality, it is apparent that more books are needed that focus on girls' involvement in sport and physical activity. Meaningful forms of literature that encourage physical activity and sport involvement for girls are needed.
Adolescent athletes can use psychological skills immediately after being taught, but a dearth of empirical evidence exists regarding whether these skills are maintained over time. A 12-week curriculum (i.e., UNIFORM; Gilbert, 2011) was taught to a high school varsity soccer team with three data collection points: pretest, posttest, 4-week follow-up. Use of several skills was significantly greater posttest compared with pretest as measured by the Test of Performance Strategies (Thomas, Murphy, & Hardy, 1999). Follow-up results were also salient. Relaxation, imagery, and self-talk use in practice was significantly greater than pretest at follow-up; relaxation, imagery, goal setting, and self-talk in competition showed similar results. Descriptive statistics and qualitative data triangulate these results. The UNIFORM curriculum enabled the athletes to use the skills more consistently. This study makes a contribution by measuring the skills at follow-up and providing evidence of their continued use four weeks after the curriculum’s conclusion.
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