More than between the start and finish line: Women 50 and over and outrigger canoe paddling

Despite the health benefits of participation in leisure time physical activity, only a minority of older individuals participate. Participation declines with age and women have lower participation rates than men. Researchers and recreation practitioners need to better understand why individuals choose to participate in certain leisure activities. Since the population of older women is expected to grow, it is important to understand factors influencing the leisure activity choices of older women. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding why women 50 and over participate in outrigger canoe paddling.;The experiences of the women in this study comprised three themes: context, benefits and challenges. The theme of context was divided into two sub themes. The first was personal context, and it included aspects of the experience that were unique to each participant's history, preferences, abilities and circumstances. The other sub---theme was the social context, which included interactions with people, such as family members or other paddlers; and social institutions such as the paddling club or society's attitudes towards women or older people. The second theme that emerged from this study was benefits, and it had three sub-themes. The first sub-theme was social benefits: outcomes of participation in outrigger canoe paddling that involve connections with other people. The second sub-theme of benefits was physical benefits: outcomes of participation that affected the body, health or well-being of the participant. The third sub-theme was mental benefits, which included outcomes of participation that related to how a person felt or thought about the activity. The third theme was challenge. The first sub-theme of challenge was interpersonal challenge which included challenges that originated from sources and people external to the individual. The final sub-theme of challenge was personal challenge which included challenges that were initiated by the paddler herself. Examples of each sub-theme were expressed by the women in this study. Standpoint theory enabled each woman's voice to be heard individually and not be forced into categories traditionally defined by the aging and leisure literature. Life span feminism enabled each participant's life context to be considered in the description of her experience over the life course.;The findings of this study have implications for research and practitioners. Research looking to gain an understanding of the experience of an activity for an individual must explore beyond the event situation in order to get a broader perspective of the meaning of that activity for the participant. Further exploration is warranted for the use of photo elicitation as a technique in the focus group setting. Recreation practitioners could develop programs that are based on the activity interests of the participants and move away from a programming focus based solely on age.;Four focus groups were held with women aged 50 to 72 from three paddling clubs. Photo elicitation was used to evoke memories and elicit discussion amongst 16 participants. Transcripts were analysed thematically and allowed for themes to emerge. Transcripts and preliminary themes were distributed to the participants for feedback.