“At All Times It Is Important Not To Lose Sight Of The Fact That Sport Is About People At Play. Select A Biography Or Autobiography About A Prominent Australian Sport Participant. Analyze The Sport Development Of The Participant, Indicating Ho

Essay

“At all times it is important not to lose sight of the fact that sport is about people at play. Select a biography or autobiography about a prominent AUSTRALIAN sport participant. Analyze the sport development of the participant, indicating how sport delivery systems enabled them to maximize their potential”

Introduction

Purpose of Essay

To successfully demonstrate how Australian sport delivery systems propel potential athletes into prominence, I will examine the journey of Australian sprinter Catherine Freeman and decipher the opportunities she utilized to achieve her success. I have studied the autobiography, “Cathy, her own story” which further exhibits Freeman’s success and how this phenomenal athlete became a house hold name. Sport Delivery Systems within Australia encompass the responsibility to provide sport for all. This concept proves a particularly significant provider of athletic opportunities for current and potential sporting participants with differing heritage, gender, skill, ability and interest levels.

My motivation for selecting Cathy freeman in particular for this assignment was influenced by the fact she exemplifies the sport for all concept. More specifically, Catherine Freeman is an Aboriginal Australian female; both characteristics have in fact prompted discrimination within professional sport. To illuminate the importance of the Sport for all concepts within Australia, this essay will examine the obstacles Freeman was faced with and analyze its development whilst exploring the sport delivery systems available to Freeman.

Organization of essay

The commencement of this essay will explore and discuss the first sport delivery systems utilized in order for Catherine Freeman to begin her athletic career. To gain a deeper understanding of Freeman’s early sporting opportunities, I will include a brief examination of the sprinter’s lifestyle and environment she was brought up in. The essay will continue with a critical analysis of how Freeman utilized specific sport delivery systems in the professional world of athletics in a chronological arrangement. Furthermore, throughout the critical analysis this essay will delve into the sport for all concepts by illuminating the many obstacles faced by Freeman due to her heritage, gender and lifestyle. Specific examples of such obstacles Freeman encountered will be illustrated and analyzed to objectively confirm the importance of sport equity in athletics. The central analysis will continue with a meticulous examination of how the hierarchical structure of sport organizations have aided Freeman’s development as a professional athlete by illustrating precisely which distinct pathways were available for her to excel in athletics and allow her to contribute to the awareness and significance of equity in sport.

To further explore the various reasons as to why it is essential to research and understand sport delivery systems in Australia, the analysis will be divided into a detailed discussion outlining exactly which systems shaped Freeman’s career and how they maximized her potential. Throughout the core analysis, attention will be awarded to the development of sport delivery systems and potential changes that can be expected in the future to better cater for new athletes.

This analysis will conclude by revisiting the sport delivery systems utilized by Freeman and determine how each system individually influenced her success both positively and negatively. Referring to the evidence exhibited throughout the critical analysis the importance of the sport for all concepts within sport delivery systems will also be confirmed.

Sport Delivery Systems

To accurately examine the importance of sport delivery systems, it is vital to first understand them. As stated in the week 3 lecture notes, slide 17, 2008, Sport delivery systems are ultimately the sporting organizations and associations which act as a vehicle to providing sporting competitions and clubs for all participants. Effective sport delivery systems not only focus on providing sport for all, they also aim to develop the sport for future years to gradually increase player numbers. The notion of the development of sport through sport delivery systems is heavily based on a hierarchal structured pyramid. Each level represents the rank of competition an individual represents. As the pyramid develops, the level of skill and competition becomes increasingly challenging until the ultimate level of competition is achieved. This structure is a clear representation of the hierarchy within sports competitions and demonstrates the pathway potential athletes must follow to achieve their maximum potential. The pyramid assists in not only sport delivery, but aims to develop the sport as well. More specifically, “the goal is to increase the number of participants at each level so as to increase the number of potential elite athletes who will reach the apex of the pyramid”. (Shilbury, Deane & Kellett, PG 226, 2006). However, “It is just as important for sporting organizations to provide a number of sporting competitions to cater for participants of all ages, sexes and abilities.” (Shilbury, Deane & Kellett, PG 225, 2006).

When examining the importance of sport delivery systems to maximize participant’s potential in their chosen sport, it is important to acknowledge that sporting agencies are not the only mode of delivery. There are indeed a number of equally significant organizations, which actively assist potential athletes and are highlighted below.

Ð'* Government

Ð'* Advocacy Groups

Ð'* Education

Ð'* Health

Ð'* Media

Ð'* Sponsors

(Sibson, week 3 lecture notes, slide 21, 2008).

Throughout the analysis of Cathy Freeman’s rise to success, I will highlight certain agencies including sporting organizations and other organizations which support athletes to demonstrate precisely how a diverse range of systems deliver and develop sport.

Analysis

It is near impossible to find an Australian in contemporary society who is not familiar with the inspiring Olympic sprinter