Session 8: Moving on – life after sport
Introduction
As you saw in Session 7, retirement from sport can be very difficult. But it can also be a positive experience through which athletes can identify new opportunities. In this session you will explore some case studies of athletes who have successfully made the transition into life after sport and the journey they have been on.
Video 1 introduces some of the challenges athletes face as they approach life after sport, which can serve as a reminder of the need for retirement planning as you explored in Sessions 3 and 7.
Download this video clip.Video player: Video 1
Transcript: Video 1
[MUSIC PLAYING]
NARRATOR:
As an athlete, you've dedicated your whole life to achieving your sporting goals. You've put in enormous commitment and hard work to get to the top. But while there is no guarantee of success in sport, there is one certainty for every athlete, and that is that your career will not last forever. Because at whatever stage you are at, retirement will become a reality. You are going to have to contemplate the next stage of your life, your career away from the sports field.
We know that the transition out of sports is tough, but also unpredictable. No one transition is the same. You don't know how you're going to feel until you get there. For some, it's a relief-- happiness at the prospect of starting over.
But for many others, it will be like venturing into uncharted territory without a map. You don't recognize where you are, and you don't know which road to take. You feel lost and alone. You may feel sad, frustrated, disappointed, or even angry.
So just as you did for your sporting career, you need to invest time and energy to prepare your second career. The good news is that you have already developed skills that you can use in your new life. You are not starting from scratch. You just need help identifying what you already know, and how your skills, interests, and passion can be best put to use. This way you can draw the map yourself.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Video _unit9.1.1 Video 1
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By the end of this session you should be able to:
- appreciate life after sport experiences of a range of different athletes
- understand the opportunities available to athletes after they retire from sport
- identify the emotional and psychological impact of life after sport.