Influential relationships as contexts of learning and becoming elite: Athletes' retrospective interpretations

Becoming an elite athlete is a social affair. This paper aims: 1) to explore and identify elite athletes' key persons in their career; and 2) to explore how these key persons are influential for athletes by analyzing characteristics of their relationships as contexts for learning and development. In-depth biographical interviews with 17 elite athletes from a variety of sports were analyzed using a focused cross-case analysis of excerpts from the interviews to explore these influential relationships. Athletes had two main types of relationships with key persons, both of which had critical significance. The transitory relationship had a directional supportive influence during a transition and had significance for the onset of a pivotal turn in the athletes' career. The existential relationship was characterized by continuity across career stages, by the integration of the private and sport spheres, and by the supportive influence in the process of becoming an elite athlete.