Despite its potential to illuminate psychological processes within socio-cultural contexts, examples of narrative research are rare in sport psychology. In this study, we employed an analysis of narrative to explore two women's stories of living in, and withdrawing from, professional tournament golf gathered through life history interviews conducted over 6 years.Our findings suggest that immersion in elite sport culture shaped these women's identities around performance values of single-minded dedication to sport and prioritisation of winning above all other areas of life. When the performance narrative ceased to 'fit' their changing lives, both women, having no alternative narrative to guide their personal life story, experienced narrative wreckage and considerable personal trauma. They required asylum -a place of refuge where performance values were no longer paramount -to story their lives around a relational narrative which reinstated a coherent identity while providing meaning and worth to life after golf.

The dominant narrative within the literature on elite sport is characterised by a total focus on performance. Scholars in other areas have noted how although alternatives to the dominant narrative exist they are often silenced and fail to reach the public domain. Drawing on interviews with seven women professional tournament golfers, we explored the narratives women use to make sense of their experiences in elite sport. We present three narratives which illustrate the existence of alternatives to the dominant performance narrative among Europe’s most outstanding women golfers. Two alternatives are identified: a discovery narrative and a relational narrative. These findings suggest that diverse routes to success are possible in women’s professional sport. We discuss the educational and social implications of the alternative narratives in an effort to encourage discussion and debate among athletes, administrators, coaches, sports psychologists, and educators.

Objectives: It has been suggested that mental illness threatens identity and sense of self when one's personal story is displaced by dominant illness narratives focussing on deficit and dysfunction. One role of therapy, therefore, is to allow individuals to re-story their life in a more positive way which facilitates the reconstruction of a meaningful identity and sense of self. This research explores the ways in which involvement in sport and exercise may play a part in this process. Method:We used an interpretive approach which included semi-structured interviews and participant observation with 11 men with serious mental illness to gather stories of participants' sport and exercise experiences. We conducted an analysis of narrative to explore the more general narrative types which were evident in participants' accounts. Findings:We identified three narrative types underlying participants' talk about sport and exercise: (a) an action narrative about "going places and doing stuff"; (b) an achievement narrative about accomplishment through effort, skill or courage; (c) a relationship narrative of shared experiences to talk about combined with opportunities to talk about those experiences. We note that these narrative types differ significantly from -and may be considered alternatives to -dominant illness narratives. Conclusion:This study provides an alternative perspective on how sport and exercise can help men with serious mental illness by providing the narrative resources which enabled participants to re-story aspects of their lives through creating and sharing personal stories through which they rebuilt or maintained a positive sense of self and identity.

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This article reports an experimental golf programme initiated for people with severe and enduring mental health problems partly to promote physical activity and partly as a socially inclusive activity. The programme was organised for a small, pilot group and evaluated using qualitative case study data collected during the programme. The success of the programme was indicated by the high attendance rates of participants, their voiced enthusiasm for the sessions and for the social interaction after the games, and the fact that many members of the first group continue to play and new members have joined the group, even though sessions are no longer being organised and paid for.