Looking back, moving forward? Reflections from early action sport researchers

Today, scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds are employing an array of methodological and theoretical approaches to understand and explain the experiences of individuals and groups within action sports cultures in local, national, global and virtual contexts in both historical and contemporary conditions. However, it is important to keep in mind that this work builds upon a strong academic foundation established by scholars who forged new ground in the mid and late 1990s when they argued for, and clearly illustrated, the need to understand and explain new trends in sporting participation and consumption. Among their number were (in alphabetical order) Becky Beal (skateboarding), Douglas Booth (surfing), Jason Laurendeau (sky diving), Catherine Palmer (the commodification of risk and extreme sports), Robert Rinehart (alternative sport media and events) and Belinda Wheaton (windsurfing). These scholars were scattered across the disciplines (i.e. sociology, cultural studies, history, anthropology) and indeed the world (i.e. Australia, England, Canada, New Zealand, the USA) . They were working mostly independently with very little, if any, other research in action sports to draw upon to inform their analyses and interpretations.

In chis chapter, we present the responses from the aforementioned scholars to a series of questions (again in alphabetical order) focused less on che key findings from their research and more on their personal journeys into and through researching action spore cultures. In particular, it has been their attention to women's and gender issues that have been of significance to our own work. We have been fortunate to have many of these scholars as formal or informal mentors and/or academic friends, and thus are very grateful for their willingness to share their experiences and sage advice with us. Of course, this is far from an exhaustive list. Various others have made valuable contributions over the years, and their work is drawn upon extensively in the chapters in this book. However, in the reflections of the scholars in this chapter, we hope that other researchers will find the following insights from these academic pioneers helpful (perhaps even inspirational) as they embark on their own journeys in action sport and/or gender studies.