Alternative youth sports as worlds of interaction and meanings

Päivi Harinen, University of Eastern Finland Veli Liikanen, Mikkeli University of Applied Sciences

Anni Rannikko, University of Eastern Finland

ESA 2013, TORINO01RN28 Critical, creative and collaborative sports practices

Image sources:Carlos Marko-Tapio (roller derby)Shutterstock (others)

Researching alternative sports

• Research project Diverse Spaces and Practises of Sport: analysing the changing spatial and social ‘landscapes’ of youth sports culture and their youth cultural meanings

• Focusing on ten forms of alternative sports: capoeira, bouldering, parkour, street dance, skateboarding, longboarding, roller derby, freestyle scootering, contemporary circus, and inline skating

Research question

• Our first impressions on– Forms and features of interaction in alternative

sports communities– Meanings related to these interactions

Research material

• Online survey targeting young people practising alternative sports, n = 935 (end of 2012)– Focus on the intensity of sport practise, the practitioners’

background, social differences, attitudes• Ten theme interviews with key persons and other

actors (from 2012 on)– Focus on youth cultural, communal and life-style

meanings; and on the social and spatial environments of these sports

• Participant observation in order to understand the inner dynamics of the phenomenon (from 2013 on)

Sporty youth culture”Everywhere in the world you can find street dancers with the same passion and love, we’re all one big family” (24-year-old street dancer)

•Imagined communities (Anderson), recognition by stylistic markers•Unknown practitioners are greeted when met

• Practitioners express extremely positive characterisations of their group

• Emphasizing (mutual) respect of diversity: encouragement and peer support

• Practitioners refer to unspoken rules and principles that everyone is expected to respect

Keeping critical distance “Capoeira is not only about sports but rather a lifestyle where sports, culture, music and open mind are combined.” (29-year-old capoeirista)

• Collective identification of being ”different together” creates special interactions and relationships with the world outside

• Distinctions to ordinary sports: e.g. non-competition, spontaneity, avoiding age groups

• Emphasizing reputation management• Subcultural antagonism: collective stances are represented

as lifestyle choices, identity dimensions•Exclusions: e.g. new, own vocabulary is constantly being created

Self-constrained freedom“Everyone is equal, tricks are shared and no one should claim a trick for themselves. Everyone’s encouraged to express their own style.” (28-year-old circus practitioner)

•Practitioners are expected to be creative and find their own unique style

• Avoiding competition and ranking – competing only against yourself

• Peer coaching (”each one teach one”)• Co-creation and re-defining of sport

Conclusions• Critical: alternative sport communities distance themselves

from mainstream sport practises and use of space

• Creative: rejecting models given by authorities

• Collaborative: intensive but light memberships: participants may come and go yet are emotionally involved

• Cracks in the picture: – These generalisations do not do justice to the features of

specific sports – Practitioners are willing to give an idyllic picture of their sport –

in practice it might be different

http://www.helsinginuutiset.fi/artikkeli/60710-katutanssi-kasvaa-tanssilajeista-kovimminImage sources: Maria Hopponen (circus), Wikipedia (bouldering), Shutterstock (others)