A Tale of Two Surfers: Joy and Wellbeing in Mature Participants

Abstract

Within larger concern over wellbeing at a global level, there is growing interest in the role that sport can play in developing positive wellbeing with a focus on young people. Lifestyle sports that people participate in for pleasure rather than competition are likely to offer opportunity to develop wellbeing but research on them neglects middle aged participants. This article redresses this oversight by focusing on two surfers, with one male and one female, in their forties to explore the role that surfing plays in their lives and its contribution to their wellbeing. Using a narrative inquiry approach it explores the place of surfing in their lives over three decades to identify how its meaning changed as they matured and how it offered a highly effective coping mechanism for dealing with life’s stresses and pressures.