Athletic Career Transition Research Articles

From athletic excellence to academic influence: a study of retired Chinese athletes transitioning into the higher education sector.

While the career transition of athletes has been explored to several extents, it is often marked by complex psychosocial challenges and requires a redefined sense of identity and professional purpose. Research to date has predominately focused on the disadvantages or inequity emerging from broad social demographics without delving into specific career transition pathways, such as into higher education settings. This study specifically investigates the unique psychosocial factors underlying the career transition of retired Chinese athletes into higher education. We conducted an interview phase with retired Chinese athletes (Phase 1, n = 17) and a Delphi phase with senior human resources (HR) managers from Chinese higher education settings (Phase 2, n = 15). This approach allowed us to understand the lived experiences and challenges of these athletes within the Chinese cultural and social context, as well as HR experts' perceptions of their career transitions, respectively. The results unveil crucial psychosocial factors that motivate, and the barriers that challenge, and difficulties retired Chinese athletes in their transition, informing intervention and policy efforts to facilitate their successful integration into higher education.

Dual career (DC) experiences of Korean elite judokas before and at university

The present study aims to explore the experiences of Korean elite judokas in managing dual career (DC) during: (a) pre-university years, (b) at the university, and (c) in preparation for the transition to the post-university life. We adopted an intrinsic case study design to gain a better understanding of the experiences of Korean elite judokas at a university. We aimed to explore a particular case in depth, focusing on the experiences of the individuals involved. Purposive sampling was applied to 12 DC athletes (seven male; five female) who are elite judokas and were in year 4 of university study at the time of the data collection. They studied at the same South Korean university and competed at an international level. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data and thematic analysis was applied. The analysis identified four main themes: (a) DC path of prioritising sport and maintaining education, (b) Increasing sport demands and their impact on athletes’ DCs, (c) Specific career development barriers of Korean judokas, (d) Coping resources and strategies and support in need. The study discusses the unique challenges and barriers as well as coping strategies of Korean judoka based on the Athletic Career Transition model, highlighting the importance of sociocultural context in their experiences.

Developing and Implementing a Constellation Mentoring Program with Canadian Varsity Soccer Teams

Peer mentors can assist first-year student-athletes transitional demands by offering perspectives and resources to support their adjustment processes. Sports psychology practitioners (SPPs) can form mentoring programs to foster supportive relationships between athletes. We authored this manuscript to showcase the development of a constellation mentoring program (CMP), a form of mentoring where student-athletes had multiple mentors, integrated within two Canadian varsity soccer (football) sport contexts. We begin by situating our university context and why the CMP, underpinned by the athletic career transition model and constellation theory, was needed to support first-year student-athletes’ transitions. We then introduce the stages of the program, beginning with its development, spanning its implementation, and ending with an evaluation to gauge its effectiveness. Each stage was informed using student-athletes’ experiences of their demands in their university contexts. We conclude with reflections on mentor training, preparatory planning, team-building activities, and making time for reflective practice to help guide SPPs interested in adapting this program for use within further contexts.

The contextualisation of Chinese athletes’ careers in the Chinese Whole Nation System

ABSTRACT The current manuscript contributes to the development of culturally situated athletic career transition literature through an examination of how improved support may be developed for Chinese athletes within their training environment and the Chinese Whole Nation System (CWNS). An overview of the CWNS three-level training network is contextualised through a storied account written by two of the authors who are former Chinese elite athletes. The contextual insights of the CWNS conveyed through the blending of their shared reflective account, brings meaning to their journeys through the CWNS, whilst evoking consideration of the potential challenges and pathways embedded within Chinese athletes’ careers. The impact of the CWNS on athletes’ career development is then considered more broadly in relation to the athletic career scholarship. Highlighted is the importance of supporting aspiring athletes’ holistic development and accounting for transitions in athletes’ sport and non-sport lives as they transition through the CWNS.

Dual Career Development Perspective: Factors Affecting Quality of Post-sport Career Transition of Employed Olympic Athletes.

Although Olympic athletes are celebrated for their sports achievements, they often face serious difficulties in their post-sport career employment. Factors of development that are affecting the quality of post-sport career transition of Olympic athletes are important to acknowledge in the dual career (DC) development perspective. Due to the side lining of academic activities, athletes are often not well prepared for the labor market. If they do not gain sufficient financial background in their careers, it can lead to a lack of proper economic inclusion of athletes in their post-sport career employment and further impact their lives. Career transitions of athletes have been the subject of research in different aspects of DC support (e.g., athletic, psychological, psychosocial, academic/vocational, financial), but most research is linked to the student-athlete DC perspective. Therefore, the aim of our research was to examine the impact of factors directly contributing to the quality of the post-sport career transition in Slovenian elite and Olympic athletes and the social class position and employment of these athletes after the termination of their sports career. From DC support practice, we learned that although athletes often have a proper level of education, their post-sport career transitions were not successful. To fill this gap, 168 elite athletes (Mage = 33.34, SD = 13.1) from Slovenia were asked to complete online questionnaires. The results showed a significant contribution of education and DC support-related finances (e.g., employment of athletes in public administration) to the quality of post-sport career transition. Regarding developing a national DC model and based on empirical research, this study identifies the social class position and employment status of former elite athletes from Slovenia. It also identifies opportunities for further research on the quality of the post-sport career transitions and perspectives on DC support. Understanding how different factors contribute to the integrated development of individual athletes to reach their potential in sports, education, and their post-sport career employment is important for theorists, DC practitioners, and stakeholders working with DC athletes. To develop a sufficient mechanism, DC support providers should consider supporting education along with the financial support of athletes during their sports careers and recognizing study-training ecosystems, based on good practices to successfully transition to their post-sport careers. These findings can also be useful for athletes and their athletic triangle support network (e.g., coaches and parents) as a support in the decision-making.

The Process of “Becoming” a Certified High-Performance Coach: A Tailored Learning Journey for One High-Performance Athlete

Although high-performance (HP) coaches’ learning journeys are idiosyncratic and winding, most of these coaches share the characteristic of having rich experiences as athletes. Studies on the career transition of HP athletes to sports coaches reveal a sharp disagreement between these incoming coaches with their practice field experience and national governing bodies responsible for coach education programs about what is needed to be certified. This article presents a tailored initiative to support an HP athlete (Dan) in his process of “becoming” a certified HP coach in the Canadian context. This unique project took shape from a collaborative effort to combine elements of two opposing views on learning: off-the-job versus workplace learning. The article provides details on (a) the coaching context, (b) the main supportive others, and (c) the tools used to document the coaching topics that emerged from Dan’s coaching practice, as well as the learning material used, discussed, and created. When all the above content and materials were carefully organized and placed into folders, a unique “emerging curriculum” was formed and presented to the members of an evaluation committee who agreed that Dan met the HP coach certification criteria.

Letting Go of Gold: Examining the Role of Autonomy in Elite Athletes’ Disengagement from Their Athletic Careers and Well-Being in Retirement

Retirement from competitive sports significantly influences former athletes’ well-being. We propose that disengaging from the former athletic career is a crucial factor in retired athletes’ adaptation. Using the theoretical framework of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) we propose that sport motivation at the career peak and motivation for retirement are important determinants of athletes’ disengagement progress from a terminated athletic career. We also seek to examine how motivation for retirement and disengagement progress predict retired athletes’ well-being. Using a mixed-retrospective/prospective longitudinal design we followed 158 government-supported elite athletes who had recently retired from an athletic career. In two online surveys administered 1.5 years apart, retired athletes reported on motivation, disengagement, and well-being. Results suggested that SDT motivation factors are important predictors for elite athletes career disengagement and well-being in retirement. The clinical implications of these findings for athletic career transition and support programs are discussed.

Psychoeducation through digital video for Olympic and Paralympic athletic career transition

Objective: Prior research has noted Olympic and Paralympic athletes are often unaware and unprepared for upcoming career transitions, resulting in experiences of psychological distress. The purpose of this study was to explore the use of digital video as a delivery method for psychoeducation about an upcoming career transition. Design: Post-survey design. Method: Video development was guided by entertainment-education theory. Participants were shown the video at a centralised training location and asked to fill in questionnaires following viewing and again within 72 hours of viewing. Specifically, subjective and objective recall of the intended learning points was assessed. In addition, participants’ appreciation of the content and design was measured. Analysis was descriptive in nature. Results: Participants included 168 Olympic/Paralympic athletes ( N = 116), coaches ( N = 10) and athlete support providers ( N = 42). Immediately following viewing, participants could accurately recall between one and three learning points, but at 72 hours post-viewing, this range had fallen to one to two learning points. Participants indicated they enjoyed the video, identified with the narrators and found it informative and personally relevant. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest a digital video 2 minutes 35 seconds in length is a useful psychoeducation tool for up to three learning points. The results support the development of video psychoeducation resources using education-entertainment theory and the social validity of video as a psychoeducation tool in Olympic and Paralympic sport.

Transitioning to and thriving at the Olympic Training Center, Colorado Springs: phases of an adaptive transition

This study was focused on the process of an adaptive transition to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO (OTC) and guided by the research question: What were the dynamic transition experiences of elite resident-athletes that constituted their successful transition to the OTC? A retreatment of semi-structured interviews with six accomplished resident-athletes was conducted through the lens of the athletic career transition model to propose a temporally based Transition to the OTC (TOTC) empirical framework. The TOTC describes the successful transition as having four phases—preparation, assimilation, adaptation and thriving—involving the dynamic interactions between the resident-athletes and the OTC programs/staff influencing the perceived transition challenges, barriers, resources, coping strategies and outcomes throughout the four phases. Based on the TOTC, future research on the transitioning to residential training centres is outlined, and practical applications for the OTC staff, coaches and sport psychologists (e.g. developmentally relevant intake protocols, strengths-based interventions and orientation materials) are proposed.

The Inaugural Women in Sport & Exercise Conference: Blood, Sweat, and Fears Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent, UK, June 13–14, 2018

Background: Motherhood has been deemed incompatible with an athletic career, with women encouraged to end their involvement in sport to have children. However, there are a growing number of women who achieve both personal and high-performance sport goals. For these women, having a child during the course of a sport career can be viewed as an athletic career transition – one that causes a significant interruption to their career trajectory, bringing with it a unique set of demands that requires coping processes to allow a return to elite sport. Aims: Our qualitative investigation focuses on three successful Olympians who have balanced motherhood with the highest level of training and performance. We aimed to uncover the experiences of the participants during this unique transition. Methods: The participants all decided to have a child during their athletic career and to return to Olympic-level training and competition. Data were gathered qualitatively via the participants’ compilation of a memory book containing pictures, cards, cuttings, notes and drawings representing this time of their lives, which generated discussion with the researchers during an interview. The interview transcriptions were analysed inductively using thematic analysis. Results: Participants cited examples of the injustice of biology as a female athlete. Nevertheless, in their quest to become mothers, participants reported combining pregnancy with a lengthy period of injury rehabilitation to use their downtime effectively. During pregnancy, all athletes experienced a cut in or removal of funding or a loss of sponsorship, forcing them to return quickly after childbirth. Postpartum, there were expectations of enhanced physiological performance as a result of increased blood volume and greater range of movement in joints. This advantage was counterbalanced by the scheduling of training and competitions which were incompatible with motherhood. Yet, motherhood brought psychological benefits of a broader identity and an opportunity to disconnect from poor performances. Conclusion: Much more work is needed to understand how best to support pregnant and nursing athletes in elite sport.

La psychologie du sport comme approche préventive

Sport participation can lead to positive development but also have negative consequences and lead to adversity. Sport psychology can be considered as a preventive approach while acting a various levels. The Development Model of Sport Participation (DMSP) postulates that early diversification and late specialisation can be beneficial both for elite level development and also to avoid negatives consequences of elite sport participation (such as overtraining or burnout). By taking into account the athletes’ social life and their athletic career project and transition experienced at athletic, psychological, academic/volitional, and financial level, sport psychology can help athlete to manage the challenges and make serene and informed decisions. And, the development of specific psychological characteristics and competences can help athletes to strive for excellence.

Are NCAA Division I Athletes Prepared for End-of-Athletic-Career Transition? A Literature Review

ABSTRACTObjective: This review focuses on research that specifically highlights the constructs, paradigms, and factors that impact the end-of-athletic-career transition. However, the majority of the research conducted around this topic is established outside of the United States and regarding professional athletes. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is one of the most dominant athletic institutions in the world, and arguably transitions the most end-of-athletic-career athletes per year, and minimal research exists on this specific collegiate athletic population. The purpose of this review is to review the existent literature on this topic and highlight the leading research and components impacting athletes during the end-of-athletic-career transition in order to inform future research and practices with the college athletics population. Method: This review utilizes a Client Oriented Practical Evidence Search question as an Evidence Based Practice approach to guide the literature search and literature review process while identifying the leading research contributing to end-of-athletic-career transition. Results: Following rigorous search criteria, a total of 14 articles were included in the literature review. The selected articles identified central constructs impacting the athletic career transition process, including retirement planning, identity loss, coping skills, and support systems. Conclusion: Additional research is warranted in the United States, particularly with the NCAA collegiate athletes in order to better understand the end-of-athletic-career transition process, as well as instituting interventions to increase resilience in college senior NCAA athletes transitioning out of sport.

Phases in the junior-to-senior transition of Swedish ice hockey players: From a conceptual framework to an empirical model

The purpose of this study was to explore a temporal structure (i.e. sequence of phases and relevant psychological content) of the junior-to-senior transition in Swedish ice hockey players. The study was a qualitative exploration of the junior-to-senior transition process designed in three steps. First, the athletic career transition model coupled with a holistic developmental approach and analysis of the Swedish ice hockey context were used to create a conceptual four-phase (preparation, orientation, adaptation and stabilization) junior-to-senior transition framework and interview guides. Second, seven active semi-professional ice hockey players were interviewed about their junior-to-senior transition experiences and asked for their feedback on the conceptual framework. Finally, based on the empirical data and the participants’ feedback, the conceptual framework was transformed into an empirical model of the junior-to-senior transition. In the empirical model ‘Phases in the junior-to-senior transition of Swedish ice hockey players’, the authors provided a summary of the players’ transition experiences (i.e. perceived demands, resources, barriers, coping strategies and outcomes) within each of the four (i.e. the preparation, the orientation, the adaptation and the stabilization) junior-to-senior transition phases. Further, the authors discussed the empirical model in relation to theoretical frameworks and previous research and also provided methodology-, future research- and practice-oriented reflections addressed to researchers, coaches and sport psychology practitioners.

A Quantitative Analysis Of The Academic, Athletic, And Social Domain Perceptions Of Division I Football Players

The purpose of this study was to assess the results of a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I football team in terms of male student-athletes’ (N = 78) perceptions of identity development and the athletic career transition process in the context of student engagement research literature in higher education. Previous research with the Life After Sports Scale (LASS) (Harrison & Lawrence, 2002, 2003, 2004; Lawrence & Harrison, 2011), a 58-item mixed method inventory, has focused on the Division II male and female student-athlete experience. Using validation theory (Rendon, 1994) and student engagement frameworks, we found three major findings that are unique to previous literature in this area: a) there was cultural uniformity (Allport, 1954) between white and non-white student participants; b) student-athletes who are the first in their family to attend college are more likely to perceive faculty members as encouraging them to plan for a career after sports; and c) student-athletes who are the first in their family to attend college are more likely to have more non-athlete friends on campus as compared with student-athletes who are not first-generation college students. Future research directions and best practices are recommended for scholars and practitioners.

Research on the Social Support of Athletes’ Career Transition in China: A Literature Review

Being an athlete is not a lifelong career. 40% of Retired Athletes are facing difficulties with career transition each year in China. International studies have shown that despite the differences in the way each athlete responds to a career change, the success of career transition is often associated with the social support they received. Although the retirement often makes the social support system for athletes to be broken or be disappeared, relinking or developing a new social support system affect the effective mobility of athletes’ old skills. Social support influences the adaptation process of the athletes’ career change. Most people advocate sharpening focus on the availability of social support, breaking through the influence of cultural traditions and promoting positive empowerment orientation of social support. Relatively speaking, the domestic research on social support mainly focus on the vulnerable groups, such as the special study of the elderly, women, children, migrant workers, college students and laid-off workers. What’s more, the research on the social support for employment of vulnerable groups is beginning to increase. In the domestic and foreign researches on the retirement and reemployment of athletes, the discourse of social support for athletes started to appear. But the research is mainly limited to the ‘physical education authority that lacks of discussions on the action mechanism of social support for athlete career transition, takes static actions, and considers no cooperation and mutual assistance between relevant social support subjects or the dynamic mechanism of athletes. This article analyzes domestic and overseas social support theories, summarizes and analyzes the literature on the social support for career transition of Chinese athletes, and argues that the social support system built and improved can help athletes achieve a successful career transition, which is both related to the athletes’ reemployment quality and the cultivation and reserve of Chinese sports talents; the social support system for athlete career transition is a complex system, and diversified social supports require the use of government and market forces to break trade barriers and the empowerment to build and improve the social support system for athlete career transition.

Continuando a jornada: explorando a recolocação profissional de ex-atletas de alto rendimento

The aim of this study was to understand the career transition of athletes, considering the completion of his or her career as a professional. For this it was selected a group of six former athletes, in individual sports, which during their sports career were members of the national teams of winning titles such as the South American, Pan American and / or Olympic. The research consisted of conducting semi-structured interviews with participants, from which we sought to apprehend aspects of the construction of the sports career from the first contact with sport, as well as the existence of a career after acting as professional athletes and their consequent construction considering transitions experienced throughout the process. This was an interpretative approach, thus opting for the interpretative paradigm. The nature of this research was qualitative. For data analysis we proceeded with content analysis from the proposition of an analytical framework composed of elements related to career and sport career concepts. The narratives were analyzed from three fixed categories: Career Sports, Career Transitions, and The Construction of a New Career. It was observed that the sports career started and ended early, due to age. Great importance was attributed to the coaches when regarding guidance and planning a sports career as well as afterwards. The influence of family it was considered strong, even if not always positive. The choice for a new career was, in most cases, influenced by the sports practice and is considered to be responsible for the development of physical, cognitive and especially emotional for effective coping and career development after being an athlete.

A British university case study of the transitional experiences of student-athletes

ObjectivesWithin Great Britain, increasing numbers of elite sport performers are attending higher education institutions. The current study presents an exploration of the transitional experiences of these individuals at a specific British university. Wylleman and Lavallee's (2004) developmental model on transitions faced by athletes and Stambulova's (1997, 2003) athletic career transition model were used to provide the theoretical foundation of inquiry. Design and methodAn instrumental case study design was adopted to provide an in-depth analysis of student-athletes’ experiences at a university. The case university was selected based on its provision of elite sport support services. To acquire a holistic understanding, interviews were conducted with current and recently graduated student-athletes from the university, and focus groups were run with university staff (viz. administrators, coaches, and support staff). Qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic framework approach. ResultsElite student-athletes at the British university were found to experience simultaneous athletic, academic, psychological, and psychosocial transitions. To overcome the transitional demands, student-athletes were found to draw on a variety of internal (e.g., self-awareness) and external (e.g., academic flexibility) resources and to implement coping strategies (e.g., seeking social support). Potential barriers to successful transitions were also identified (e.g., parental overprotection). ConclusionsThese findings advance the limited existing literature on British university student-athletes’ transitional experiences and suggestions are provided for how other universities can enhance provision for their elite student-athletes.

Searching for an optimal balance: Dual career experiences of Swedish adolescent athletes

ObjectivesThe paper presents a national level Swedish project aimed at examining adolescent student-athletes' dual career experiences (including sport, studies, and private life) during their first year at national elite sport schools (Swedish abbreviation RIGs will be used) with a particular focus on development of their athletic and student identities. The developmental model of transitions faced by athletes (Wylleman & Lavallee, 2004) and the athletic career transition model (Stambulova, 2003) served as underlying frameworks. DesignA longitudinal mixed-method research design was used with autumn-to-spring quantitative and qualitative parts. MethodSixteen year old student-athletes, representing 27 sports and 33 RIGs (n = 261 in the first and n = 250 in the second measurement), completed three quantitative instruments. Additionally, in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 participants. ResultsResults revealed (a) significant changes in the participants' transition/adaptation variables from the first to the second measurement accompanied by rather high perceived quality of adjustment at RIG both at the beginning and at the end of the educational year; (b) significant contributions of the transition variables to the perceived quality of adjustment with personal resources as a key predictor; (c) significantly higher athletic than student identity in both quantitative measurements, but with inter- and intra-individual differences with regard to balancing the two shown by the qualitative data. ConclusionsThe study contributes to deeper understanding of dual career experiences of Swedish adolescent athletes; the authors provide recommendations for psychological dual career support services at RIGs and outline future research in the Swedish dual career model.

Successful Transitions to the Olympic Training Center, Colorado Springs: A Mixed-Method Exploration with Six Resident-Athletes

Researchers examine athletic career transition in a quest to optimize performance achievements and the well-being of athletes (Alfermann & Stambulova, 2007). This exploratory study examined the internal and external resources that contributed to a successful transition to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs (CSOTC). Six athletes (four males and two females; M age = 23.5 when entering CSOTC) participated in individual interviews (dominant feature of the mixed-method design) and responded to a battery of psychometric tests (less dominant feature). The composite (qualitative and quantitative) findings included three meta-themes: optimism, sport-life balance, and transition- and performance-enhancing resourcefulness.

Construction of the integrated model for practical career support to the professional athletes

Recently, along with the enhancement of the argument for career of athletes, many researchers who major in sports psychology focus mainly on athletic retirement, a coordination of transitions in sport or and outside sport, social support and professional assistance in career transition, in the context of the second career concerning to professional athletes in Japan. However, when it comes to career transition of professional athletes, it is necessary to consider "career" from the whole perspectives of human life. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to clarify the career transition of professional athletes by the way of questionnaire and interview survey, which is approached from the view point of industrial/organizational psychology. For this purpose, we implemented the interview survey to professional athletes in 2008. In addition, we carried out the investigation to professional football players (interview survey: 5 players, questionnaire survey: 102 players) in 2009. Consequently, three following findings were led in conclusion. (1)Career intervention to professional athletes should be performed before the turning point of the career (career transition). (2)It is important to assess the career intervention to professional athletes. (3)It is an important stance to watch the processes when professional athletes open up one's career by oneself.