Continuity in sport participation as an adaptive strategy in the aging process: A lifespan narrative

The broad purpose of this paper is to contextualize the meaning and evoluti on of competitive sport participation among the aged by describing the life story of a senior aged participant. We used narrative inquiry to examine t he integration of sport into the life course and continuity theory to exami ne the evolution of his life story. Continuity theory proposes that individ uals are predisposed to preserve and maintain longstanding patterns of thou ght and behavior throughout their adult development. Based on this theory, we suggest that continuity in successful competitive sport involvement for this participant may represent a primary adaptive strategy for coping with the aging process. Successful involvement in sport appeared to mediate past and continuing patterns of social relationships, the development of person al identity, and a general propensity for lifelong physical activity.