1 Nicole G. Dubuc, Robert J. Schinke, Mark A. Eys, and Randy Battochio are with the School of Kine- siology at Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario,Canada. Leonard Zaichkowsky is with the Sport and Exercise Psychology Program at Boston University. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 2010, 4, 1-18 © 2010 Human Kinetics, Inc. Experiences of Burnout Among Adolescent Female Gymnasts: Three Case Studies Nicole G. Dubuc, Robert J. Schinke, Mark A. Eys, Randy Battochio Laurentian University, Canada Leonard Zaichkowsky Boston University Within the current study, the process of adolescent burnout is considered in relation to perceived contributors, symptoms, consequences, and subsequently, effective and ineffective coping strategies. Through case studies, the researchers sought the burnout experiences of three competitive female gymnasts. Participants were selected based on scores obtained from Raedeke and Smith’s (2001) Athlete Burnout Questionnaire. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the process, athlete data were considered in tandem with interviews from at least one parent and one coach. Transcribed data were segmented into meaning units, coded into a hierarchy of themes and veriied by each respondent. Despite common trends among the participants, differences were also found in relation to symptoms, contributors, and the progression of the condition. Implications are provided for the athlete/parent/coach triad and also for sport psychologists. Keywords: sport, youth, gymnastics, exhaustion While striving to be the best in sport may fuel the dreams of many young athletes, the competitive pressures to succeed can be overwhelming (Gould & Dief- fenbach, 2002). Attempting to reach the pinnacle of their sport, athletes experience conlicting physical, emotional, and mental demands that can lead to sport burnout (Smith, 1986). Within amateur sport, athletes are often required to excel at a very young age. In addition to the training demands associated with elite sport, such as traveling, physical requirements, and injuries, adolescent athletes are required to balance academics with sports while trying to establish a sense of social belonging as well as a self-concept (Gould, Tuffey, Udry, & Loehr, 1996a). Managing such demands may be especially challenging for adolescents, since their coping and problem solving skills are undeveloped as compared with adults, thus increasing the risk of maladaptive behavioral responses (Hampel & Petermann, 2006).