Research of Leisure Culture through Sports Club Activities
1. Research on Leisure Culture through Tennis Club Activities
The purpose of this study is to look into the culture of leisure tennis club as a one of popular leisure sports clubs, analyze t ...
Research of Leisure Culture through Sports Club Activities
1. Research on Leisure Culture through Tennis Club Activities
The purpose of this study is to look into the culture of leisure tennis club as a one of popular leisure sports clubs, analyze tennis club members' leisure experience, and, ultimately, examine suggestive clues in defining a healthy, sports leisure culture and implanting a setting for sports leisure culture. In order to probe into the leisure culture of tennis club as sports-for-all clubs and contribute to creating a healthy, leisure culture, this study used in-depth, focus interview, participant observation, field notes, and other data collection methods for qualitative research. Seven participants were interviewed about their awareness of tennis and the extent to which they acknowledge and experience leisure with tennis. The study results are presented as follows: First, regarding enjoying leisure activities in tennis club, the study participants' main experiences in their club activity were discussed. 1) Through the balance of life and leisure, the study participants appreciated tennis as happiness in their life. 2) Club members recognized the tennis court as a metaphorical playground for enjoying tennis culture. 3) Among club activity experiences, participating in tennis contests or tournaments was regarded as a means to measure their tennis ability. Secondly, the identity and culture of tennis club as one of sports groups in terms of relationship were discussed regarding ‘enjoying tennis club as a culture'. 1) Club members formed club culture on the basis of communal interest and passion for tennis. 2) For the purpose of protecting the culture and its current members’ interests, the club exercised due care when selecting and admitting new members. 3) A tennis court represented a space for sharing and building social relations and embodied a small society in terms of the complicated and diverse social relations among members.
2. Exploration of Badminton Club Leisure Culture:
Centering on couple members of badminton clubs
Today, there has been a growing interest in the area of leisure as a solution to the family/couple problems. In this context, the purpose this study is to examine the leisure experience shared by family members/couples and the meaning of the shared experience, taking note of cases of couples that participate in badminton together. To that end, in this study, non-participant observation and in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 couples and two research assistants participating in a badminton club, and the processes through which couples participate in badminton and continue the participation, and the meaning of sharing of leisure by couples were discussed. The findings of this study are as follows. First, with regard to the processes through which couples participate in badminton and continue the participation, although study participants became to start playing badminton for diverse reasons, couples were shown to have started playing badminton mainly through the recommendation of their spouse and it could be understood that personal leisure lives have been changed into family/couple centered leisure lives. In addition, the continuous playing of badminton by couples was explained through the characteristics of the badminton games per se and the club culture. Second, the meanings of sharing leisure by couples were shown to be the "sharing of daily life", the "sharing of emotions", and the "sharing of memory". The sharing of leisure by couples while playing badminton together was shown to increase communication, lead to acknowledgment and understanding of each other, and accumulate precious memories of life in the process.
3. Exploring Women’s College Soccer Club’s Leisure Culture:
The Significance and Pleasure that Women College Students Experience from Soccer
This study is focusing on the participation experience of women college students from the recent noticeable growth of women’s college soccer club. To elaborate, this study aims to look into the pleasures of women college students participating in women’s college soccer club and analyze the meaning of it. In order to solve this research question, in-depth interview and non-participant observation were conducted against 13 participants who had been actively participating women college soccer club for more than 3 years. The result of this study is as followed. First, the women college students participating in women’s college soccer club were experiencing pleasure from the attributes of soccer. Second, the participants felt pleasure of soccer from the feeling of bonding, that is ‘us’, from soccer. Third, the participants experienced pleasure of soccer from playing soccer ‘among women’. Considering that previous studies of women soccer were mostly analyzed by leisure restriction, such result shows that this study offers multilateral view of women soccer.