"I Have Four Months to Compete, Eight Months to Heal"

Many adolescent gymnasts compete in a sport climate that expects continued training despite pain or injury. The purposes of this study were to examine from athlete perspectives 1) reasons for continued sport participation, 2) internal and external factors influencing decisions to do so, and, 3) benefits and consequences associated with continuing gymnastics when injured. Ten female interscholastic gymnasts completed written diary questions and participated in oral diary interviews. Results revealed the internal factors of being older, a varsity level gymnast, and reporting high athletic identity and task goal orientation scores all contributed to sport participation when injured. Furthermore, gymnasts who were able to cope with their injuries and who had an internal drive to persist tolerated more pain and continued participation. External factors influencing continued participation predominantly related to teammates and the media. The importance of competitions and time in season also contributed. Finally, previously received benefits and consequences for playing or not playing through pain influenced future participation decisions.