The swimmer and me: how I see and am seen (identity

and representation) By Charlotte Blacksley

Charlotte Blacksley

Charlotte Blacksley

The swimmer in me... As a person I am generally a down to earth girl, I do as I’m told, I’m not as confident as a person and I’m a respectful student. As a swimmer I am a strong minded, well focused, I like to talk to the lifeguard due to being so social and confident in my swimming costume.

I different in my swimming costume then a I

am in my clothes. I feel so much more

confident in my swimming costume because I

have grown up in them and swimming has

taught me to love my body and love me as a

person. I may have to believe in myself that I

can do great things in my swimming that many

other people cannot do if they didn’t swim

such as be a swim at a national level or teach

young swimmers to be great ones.

As someone once said ‘Never judge a book by

its cover’ its always the inside that counts.

Charlotte Blacksley

Young and learning Being young and learning to swim is the easiest part of swimming.

Some people at natural at being able to swim, some are not as capable. My parents didn’t see swimming as a higher upper class sport they saw it as something that would save my life as they have learnt through past experiences.

Charlotte Blacksley

Me as a swimmerAs a swimmer I have high expectations all around. Due to being the oldest in my family I

also have to set aims and standards high. I have to influence my siblings to be a sports fanatic and want to do the best at it. I am expected to influence my siblings because in our society today that is what is expected of being older; setting standards and always supporting the younger and always being there for them.

I know it is not just me who has to set them its also my mum and dad. They have to make sure I am always on ball and take me to training when I have to go. The are a big part of my swimming life and they spend most of it at the pool or in the car.

I have an emotional response to the way I swim, if I swim bad I feel terrible however if I swim well it isn’t good enough.

Charlotte Blacksley

Growing The culture surrounding swimming is as a practice. Your up at 5 swimming by 6-7:30 sixth form throughout the day back at the pool by 6-8

and half an hour land training or in the gym. People see me everyday going up and down the pool being shouted at by coaches,

they shout to make me better and succeed.

The relationship between me and my coach is rather wobbly most of the time. We get along but when its a serious talk about something other than swimming. Being an older swimmer my coach expects the older squad to be mature and fast at all time and be prepared to win 24/7.

I see swimming as a popular culture sport because since the Olympics 2008 there has seen a raise in public swimming. The popularity of sporting as a whole has increased.

Charlotte Blacksley

Swimmer vs. Student Swimming in the morning; waking up as a swimmer but as soon as I leave the

pool I am in student mode. I have to be ready and dressed by 8 o’clock.

When I am a student I encode that I do wear a bit of make up and I do pick out my clothes making sure they match.

I have two sides of my personality:

As a student I show my ‘clever’ side instead of sporty side. There isn’t many sports clubs at our sixth form The cultural practises I go through as a student are: Staying in Lessons Homework Sixth form

On one side of my personality it shows my commitment and my dedication. The cultural practises I go through as a swimmer are:Gym SwimmingGalas Parties

Charlotte Blacksley

The team and me... We as a team are supportive we are like a big family. We share

our highs and lows with each other.

As being one of few older swimmers in the squad we have few social groups within the club. We have the young little new swimmers who are just finding their feet you, then we have to talkative 14 year olds who just have too much to say and then you have the older more experienced group who look out for the younger squad.

In the picture, the connotation which it encodes are that I don't mind a little fun, drawing on my arms and faces but at the same time I do want my hair to look nice and not to look too red in the face. I do take care of my self presentation when I'm at swimming and at sixth form but I'm just a little bit more relaxed about how I look.

Johari window

Charlotte Blacksley

My self

•The way I look•My appearance and the way I present myself

Hidden

•My secrets

Blind self

•All aspects of my NVC that conform to the sporty stereotype, for example my dress and body language

Unknown self

•My identity whichI chose to keephidden

Free self Not just my physical appearance but my name, age, social status etc…

Blind self NVC, specifically body language that encodes I am quite shy and quiet.

Hidden self

•Fear of not being accepted.

•My secrets, for example, I enjoy and like pain during training because it shows I have accomplished .

Secret self Deep psychological needs that nobody knows about, for example, the need for self-actualization and my love and belonging needs (Maslow).

Me as the Stereotype

Me vs. The Stereotype

Charlotte Blacksley

The family who have influenced me and swimming

Mother &Father- both have been previous club swimmers. They only did it for fun and to keep up good fitness. My Mum and Dad both see swimming as being able to save your life, everyone wants to be able to swim and be able to float and keep on top of the water. They got me into the water at 4 months and chucked me under the water and I have been doing it ever since.

Brother- My brother started in my footsteps. Due to my parents being rather sporty they want all their children to be able to swim and do as much sports as they can. Some people may see this as a social pressure.

Charlotte Blacksley

At a swimming gala Depending where you are and what pool you are at you will do a land warm up, a pool

warm up and mentally warm up. After both sexes have warmed up the national anthem is played; people stand and sing and at the end everyone claps and cheers.

This song influences swimming because it makes you feel proud to be British.

The main reason we can have the gala is the lifeguards. Carrying out a questionnaire on what they think about swimmers over half of them thought they were ‘stuck up’ and ‘messy’. This is just a stereotype of a swimmer, we walk on poolside and never really talk to them so they find us rude but its our NVC which is being portrayed here.

Charlotte Blacksley

Click on black screen

StudentOther students feel as though if I do swimming I don’t have a social life

If I wear make up and dress up can I still be taken

as a serious swimmer?

Swimmer

Yes, we are all in

the same situation

and believe it is

nice to dress up

once in a while

Crazy

Ambitious

Dedicated Fash

ionable

Charlotte Blacksley

Other influences... Music is a big part in a swimmers life. It calms, excites and soothes you. There are a few

songs which I replay all the time at swimming gala competitions Girlfriend- Avril Lavigne- its such a motivation song, a brilliant beat to it and it has so

much energy put into it. http://www.avrillavigne.com/uk/node/443 Chasing cars by snow patrol- calms me and makes me emotional which is a good

thing because the more frustrated I am the better I feel because it makes muscular pain disappear.

Pink perfect has inspired me to what makes me happy; not to just please everyone else. http://www.muzu.tv/pink/fkin-perfect-perfect-music-video/883451?country=ww&locale=en

Bibliography

"You can't put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the further you get...“-Michael Phelps

Charlotte Blacksley

http://www.avrillavigne.com/uk/node/443http://www.muzu.tv/pink/fkin-perfect-perfect-musicvideo/883451?country=ww&locale=enPrevious presentations