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Examining Elite Parasport Athletes With Sport Involvement and Sports Equipment

“…Sporting goods represent an important requirement for some elite parasport athletes, and several studies have examined the sportinggoods innovation process with respect to their needs. Cooper (1996) explored the wheelchair industry and documented significant changes that began in the 1970s and were prompted by athletes seeking better-performing wheelchairs. "Driven by a desire to improve their sports performance, they began to challenge the rules for wheelchair sports and, in so doing, the flame of a revolution was lit" (p. 383).…”

“…According to Cooper (1996), new companies such as Quadra Wheelchairs, Halls Wheels, Magic in Motion Wheelchairs, Equalizer, and Quickie emerged to fill the product gap. Their wheelchairs were lighter, incorporated state-of-the-art materials, and offered new features such as quick-release axles and modifiable rear-axle positioning.…”

“…The lead-user framework as proposed by von Hippel (1986) further elaborates on those potential alternatives, which are frequently created by athletes as lead users through the sporting-goods innovation process (Cooper, 1996;Franke & Shah, 2003;Goosey-Tolfrey, 2010;Grogan, 2012;Hienerth, 2006;Laferrier et al, 2012;Lüthje et al, 2005).…”

“…First, the sport-involvement studies focused primarily on recreational athletes (Havitz & Howard, 1995;McGehee et al, 2003;Ridinger et al, 2012), overlooking potential involvement differences with athletes at other levels-for instance, elite parasport athletes. Second, the lead-user studies that focused on elite parasport athletes have documented partnerships and collaborations from an industry perspective (Cooper, 1996;Goosey-Tolfrey, 2010;Grogan, 2012;Laferrier et al, 2012). This research provides an overview of the product innovation process, but additional insights could be gained by examining athletes-learning about their individual experiences and perspectives regarding these collaborations with the accompanying benefits and challenges.…”

“…These athletes create customized products to address limited marketing offerings, and the innovations can help them advance beyond their current sport-performance levels (Franke & Shah, 2003). Researchers have documented the existence of lead users in sport and nonsport contexts (Bogers et al, 2010), and other studies have focused on individuals with disabilities through the lens of sport involvement and as lead users (Cooper, 1996;Franke & Shah, 2003;Goosey-Tolfrey, 2010;Grogan, 2012;Laferrier et al, 2012). Involvement in its varying degrees represents an integral component for consumers making product purchases and is important for manufacturers wishing to meet customer needs and sell products.…”