Abstract

The Developmental Model of Sport Participation (DMSP) outlines two specialization pathways towards elite performance, and these are presented as specific trajectories which any elite athlete’s participation in sport may take. Following a cultural turn in sport psychology, however, we must ask ourselves how culture affects the specialization pathways of elite athletes. This paper argues that specialization pathways are more unique to the individual and more culturally situated than we often acknowledge. The present study is based on in-depth interviews with 17 elite Danish athletes. Results are presented as ‘portraits’ of four types of trajectory that the authors term Early specialization, Late investment and playful training, Late entry into main sport, and Sampling in playful training. Discussion centres on how the study informs the notion of age cut-off points, sampling, practice and transitions in relation to DMSP and how this is linked to the cultural context. Verf.-Referat (geändert)