What if growing participation starts with a different story
Coming from years of working in events, I've spent a lot of time around finish lines, podiums and presentations.
And understandably, a lot of the attention and marketing goes towards the winners and elite athletes. Don't get me wrong, I think celebrating those achievements is important. Those stories can inspire us, show us what's possible and give us something to work towards.
I often find myself noticing the other stories too.
I still remember the moment I came third in my category at an event. It was a wet day to do a swim run event. The swim run was a day where the water was like a washing machine rough and the run we were slipping on rocks and playing in the mud or sinking in the sand. Yet, amongst all that I pulled in an unexpected third. I was stoked. I celebrated like I'd won the whole thing.
Some of the people around me seemed to think I was a little crazy. They walked onto the podium as though being there was expected, or were disappointed because they hadn't won. For me, third place meant something completely different.
It represented how far I'd come.
And I've been thinking about that moment again lately as I look at the way we encourage people to participate in sport, movement and community. So often we tell the stories of the winners. We show the fastest times, biggest achievements and people already deeply involved in the sport.
Yet, that is only part of the story and the wider community as a whole. The people who are brave enough to show up and participate, move because it feels good, and still challenge themselves to be the best they can and live fully. Are you telling their story in your community? Maybe your strategy, communications and marketing story needs to bring a fresh perspective.
The person coming back from injury.
The person who took the courageous first step to start.
The person who isn't there to win, but loves being part of the community.
The person whose version of success might simply be turning up.
Or the person sitting outside the community wondering whether someone like them belongs there at all.
How are we celebrating those parts of the participation journey?
And importantly, how are we helping people see themselves in it?
Ways this might look like:
Showing someone's first session rather than their hundredth.
Sharing the nervous moment before they walked through the door.
Photographing the connection around the activity, not only the action.
Creating a small experience where someone can simply have a go.
Designing a program that makes it easier to learn without pressure.
Sharing the story of someone who stopped, came back and found a different way to participate.
There are so many creative ways we can help someone look at an opportunity and think:
Maybe there is a place for me here too.
Because participation isn't one moment. It's a journey.
People move through different seasons. They start, stop, recover, change, learn, return, challenge themselves and sometimes redefine what participation looks like altogether.
Perhaps the opportunity isn't always to convince more people to participate.
Sometimes it's to help them see what's possible for them.
And that small shift in perspective might be where participation begins.