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Storying sports injury experiences in VR

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Intro

Script

Welcome to Storying sports injury experiences in VR

When an athlete is injured, it can be psychologically devastating

the stories they tell about their injury experiences

will shape how they think, feel, and behave in relation to their injury experiences

and ultimately, the trajectory of their careers

Recent sports psychology research “Storying Sports Injury Experiences of Elite Track Athletes: A Narrative Analysis”

explored athletes’ injury stories across their careers

and identified six narrative types that underpinned the athletes’ stories

These narratives enable athletes to make sense of their injury experiences

and reframe them if needed, thus enhancing their recovery.

We will spotlight the merry-go-round narrative,

a cyclical plot of highs and lows

where chronic and recurring injuries impact athletes’ well-being and sporting careers.

Storyboard

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Tutorial

Script

You may have noticed you can use your hands in this experience.

Take a look at your hands

And move them around.

Great, now lets try using them. During the experience, you will be presented with virtual objects.

Like this one.

When they appear, pick them up and take a closer look at them.

To pick up an object, reach out and pinch your thumb and fingers together.

Keep gripping it to move it around.

Great work, now bring it closer to you to hear the object.

We are ready to experience the Merry Go Round.

Storyboard

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Merry-Go-Round

Script

Intro

vo-1-intro

The merry-go-round narrative depicts a cyclical plot of highs and lows

where chronic and recurring injuries impact athletes’ well-being and sporting careers.

The merry-go-round narrative has different phases

as athletes’ stories started with ‘what could be’,

shifts to ‘what should be’

and ends reflecting on ‘what could have been’.

as-1-constant-cycle

it was just that constant cycle

get injured, do your rehab

work back to the track

and it could be a few weeks or a few months

and you would be right back at the beginning again

every time I had to pick myself up

and go back through that cycle again

and every time it was just chipping away at my motivation

and my love for the sport

What could be

vo-2-what-could-be

Initially, injury setbacks were countered by brief moments of hope

Inspiring athletes to envision, ‘what could be’

However, if they remained trapped in the injury-rehabilitation cycle without clear progress markers

they began making comparisons to other athletes.

as-2-upwards comparison

if you look at our training we did everything similar up until that point

but her star kept rising while mine was crumbling

every time I would see a result from her

I was like that should be me, that's where I should be at

What should be

vo-3-cheating-rehab

Attempting to prove where they should be,

athletes can become consumed by performance objectives.

Cheating and rushing rehab,

to pursue a sporting goal

as-3-cheating-rehab

just before the race it flared up again, but I wasn't ready

all year I was rushing to get back

I was panicking and I kept cheating the rehab

which is so easy to do when you have a goal in mind

vo-4-trapped-in-body

These cycles of injury and re-injury lead to athletes experiencing a disconnect from their bodies

a growing anxiety over never being able to predict or control what their bodies were going to do

leaving them feeling trapped

in a body they no longer recognise

as-4-never-had-to-think-about-body

it's a strange feeling, because I never had to think about my body before

but then it was like I didn't trust my body

because I didn't know, like am I going to get through this training session

or will I be going home with a bag of ice

I felt like I no longer controlled my body, it controlled me

vo-5-distance-themselves

At this point, some athletes begin to distance themselves from their bodies

others resign themselves to a body where injury is the norm.

Let down and feeling powerless

athletes withdraw their engagement in rehab and other health-related behaviours

as-5-run-through-pain

I mean, I feel I’ve tried everything to strengthen it

But it seems no matter what I did

I was still in pain

So eventually, I just began to run through it

vo-6-questioning-purpose

Eventually the cumulative impact of these repetitive cycles wears down athletes’ motivation and commitment to their sport.

Compounded by a lack of empathy and understanding from others

athletes experience feelings of low self-worth and isolation

and begin questioning their sense of purpose within the sport.

as-7-what-am-i-doing-with-my-life

I remember being on a training session

and I was just like what am I doing in my life.

Like what is the point of this

I'm losing money , I've had my funding cut

I've had my contract cut two years in a row

All these negative thoughts

And I just stopped and burst into tears in the middle of the session

And it was a mental breakdown

I'm telling you now because I couldn't control it

I knew my mind had gone

I was exhausted physically

I was malnourished, mentally I was ill

I was just done

And it wasn't the emotion of one bad session

It was those three years of injury frustration just pouring out of me

What could have been

vo-8-viable-future

Unable to see a viable future in the sport, athletes become nostalgic about their past

and what could have been.

Feeling robbed and cheated of their sporting careers,

the merry-go-round storyline confines athletes to the actions of their past

and so they may be left constantly pondering about

what could have been.

as-8-even-when-im-50

It will always be that thing of what could have been

if it weren't for those injuries, where would I be now

and I think I'll always think that

even when I’m 50

Storyboard

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