January 2011

For immediate release

In our own words

A presentation which focuses on professional athletes’ experiences of wellbeing,

mental health and development through their careers in sport is due to take place at
Leeds Metropolitan University.

The event entitled ‘In Our Own Words’ will explore stories of athletes’ lives in sport to
illuminate the pressures and tensions they face and will identify opportunities and
possibilities for better supporting athlete well-being.

Researcher Dr David Carless explains the research on which the presentation will be
based: “The sporting performance and personal lives of elite and professional
athletes are subject to intense public and worldwide media scrutiny. Despite this
exposure, many issues which can threaten wellbeing, mental health and career
development remain unvoiced and unacknowledged. Our work is an effort to bring
these issues into the public arena for discussion, reflection and – ultimately – action.”

The presentation – given by David and lead researcher and professional golfer Dr
Kitrina Douglas – features first-person accounts of professional and elite athletes’
experiences of their own sense of well-being and development across their careers.
By sharing personal stories gathered through research interviews with professional
sportspeople, this public engagement presentation takes a “behind the scenes” look
at life in modern day sport. It aims to stimulate informed discussion and ethical
reflection on issues to do with well-being, development and support among elite and
aspiring athletes in the UK.
Kitrina and David’s ongoing research is based on the participation of students,
academics and the public, which together have provided a forum to engage with
sport-related research and their presentation format aims to make research more
accessible, engaging, and practically useful to diverse individuals and the public. The
presenters will draw on their experience of the groundbreaking use of performance,
storytelling, poetry, and music to represent their research.

The presentation, sponsored by Knowing Sport, Research Councils UK and Podium

is part of the ICSEMIS 2012 public engagement programme inspired by London
2012 and will take place on Thursday 27 January 5-6pm, Jubilee Room, Headingley
Campus.

Ends

For further details please contact Mark Dorey in the News and Media team at Leeds
Met on 0113 812 23021 or email m.dorey@leedsmet.ac.uk

Notes for editors:

Leeds Metropolitan University

 Leeds Metropolitan University has 30,000 students and over 300,000

associate students through its partnerships with 24 colleges.
 The University has achieved its best ever Research Assessment Exercise
results. Sports-Related Studies is in the top 6 institutions in the country with
research rated at the highest levels of 4* and 3*.
 Leeds Metropolitan is one of only a handful of UK universities to have been
awarded the Carbon Trust Standard.