Abstract

FERNANDES, Rita  and  LACERDA, Teresa. Aesthetic experience of the swimmer. A study grounded in the perspective of elite swimmers. Rev. Port. Cien. Desp. [online]. 2010, vol.10, n.1, pp.180-188. ISSN 1645-0523.

The current study fits in the field of the aesthetics of sport. This field aims to contribute to the understanding of aspects related to sensibility and emotions, always present and inseparable from sport, within a context of its continuous growth and development as a cultural phenomenon. The purpose of this paper was to describe the aesthetic experience the swimmer, aiming to contribute to a better understanding of the subject. Using a qualitative methodology, 10 high performance athletes (7 were part of the Portuguese Olympic team in Beijing, 2008) were interviewed following a semi-structured interview script. The contents of their narratives were then submitted to content analysis in order to reach an assemblage of categories that could explain the swimmers aesthetic experience. Those categories were: body, technique, feeling the water, victory versus defeat, and the surrounding environment.

Keywords : swimming; aesthetic experience; body; water.

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