The Olympic flame was lit for a third time in the history of the city of Innsbruck and the 1stever Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) came and left. But did the YOG leave a trace to those who participated? The researcher –who had assumed a participant-observer role in January of 2012 during Games time – will attempt to shed light into the perspective of young Olympians, members of TEAM USA, while at the same time providing a very objective and non-biased recount of life stories, drawing from a phenomenological perspective and being positioned in a situated learning theoretical framework.
Method:
This was a phenomenological study situated in the theoretical framework of “Situated Learning Theory” according to Lave & Wenger (1991). The aim was to analyze the 1stWinter YOG and endeavoured to make meaning of the ways in which it impacted the lives of selected members of TEAM USA. A secondary objective was to seek and draw a connection between the mission of YOG and the reality. Lave and Wenger (1991) have stated that community does not imply certain “socially visible boundaries”, but rather it implies “participation in an activity system about which participants share understandings concerning what they are doing and what that means to their lives and for their communities” (p. 98). The researcher ensured participants’ consent to videotape each session, and interviewed each participant individually. Semi-structured interviews were used.
Analysis/Results:
Constant comparison was employed as part of the qualitative data analysis. The analysis began with the verbatim transcription of the interviews. The raw data of the transcripts was repeatedly referred to the constant comparative method to ensure that the analyses were grounded in the raw data of the words of the participants. Inductive analysis was employed, as the raw data from the interviews were read and re-read to identify recurring words and themes (Patton, 2002). These emerging themes were then coded with short phrases to signify meaning termed in raw data themes and were classified according to the research question.
Conclusions:
The proposed project certainly fills a gap in the literature and sheds light by offering a rich description of the lived experiences of TEAM USA youth Olympians who were in Innsbruck, and connected these to the mission and vision of YOG with regards to the two themes that emerged: athletes' becoming 'agents of change in their respective communities' and their ability to 'live by and adopt the Olympic values'.