Team Dynamics Paper

The purpose of this study is to achieve a better understanding of team dynamics in an elite individual sport setting. The research goal is to uncover issues that may take place among athletes and the day to day stress that can accompany the pressures of competing at a high level. I feel this is relevant as mental fortitude is regarded as an important aspect of competition, and with that comes the question of how a team atmosphere can effect athlete performance, what level of interest is given in regards to how a coach or teammate reacts upon a result based on their own opinions, should they give them, or the opinion of the athlete in question. Many athletes may find it hard to ignore the opinions of others, especially when those opinions

Individual sports often require a different method or approach to coaching, athletes involved in individual athletics tend to report having a closer relationship with coaches than those involved in team sports. This is largely believed to result from the amount of dedicated one on one time a coach spends with a single athlete, because of this, individual sport coaches are prone to lead with a more democratic style of authority as opposed to the typically autocratic style of decision making favored for team sports.(Aleksic-Veljkovic, A., Djurovic, D., Dimic, I., Mujanovic, R., & Zivcic-Markovic, K. 2016) Correlations have been found between interdependence and satisfaction among athletic teams, including in sports where athletes complete individually, and especially when facing challenging circumstances or increased levels of pressure. (Evans, M.B., and Eys, M.A. 2015) However, there are a wide variety of sports that are considered to be individual, and if competition is truly a solo effort there is a debate as to whether teams for such events should even exist. On the contrary, each sport offers a different atmosphere, and while individual athletes may not rely on teammates during competition, they likely have formed some sort of interdependence or connection whilst outside of competition through travel and training

Design Subjects are 30 NCAA division 1 cross country skiing athletes from universities in the Northeastern United States and New England, 15 men and 15 women where recruited via emailing coaches of said athletes. ideally participants are in their third or fourth year of competition at the college level, research will be conducted using qualitative methods, specifically interviews and observation. Interview questions will be open ended, and are as follows:

1. How long have you been cross country ski racing?

2. During your time skiing, how many different teams have you skied for?

3. What do you consider your best race result or achievement since you’ve been racing?

4. Do you prefer the skate or classic technique? Why?

5. While on a team, do you feel as though people treat you differently as a direct relation of your performance in a race or over a