Shane E Gould
There is a high incidence of distress in retiring athletes but very little guidance to understand why and what to do about it. Athletes, their families and coaches need this book as a Sports Career Transition guide. It will help top-level athletes, district and college-level players and may also assist young people who quit youth sports due to unrealised goals.Whether withdrawing by choice, dropped from a league team, forced by injury, or having unrealistic goals, the transition phase of a sporting life needs to be recognised.Emotional and mental suffering after retirement is caused by a sense of loss, grief that feels like a bereavement. The grief is a non-death loss though. Loss of relationships, cheering crowds, loss of purpose, reduced physical exhilaration, missing team companionship. The intensity of the pain of grief diminishes over time but because of the pleasure and purposefulness of sport, fond nostalgic memories may trigger an outburst of sadness many years later. This book is not about ’getting over it’ but it is about coping with the adjustment to life away from sport. Retiring from sport is an opportunity to begin another dynamic life. The uncertain future can be scary. It may take months and years of adaptation, everyone is different, but you will need support. It is a positive time for growth and development.This book explains reasons for a problematic retirement and practical actions to prepare for leaving sport before ’the final whistle’. Supportive help is sometimes available for elite athletes but not for the majority of sportsmen and women. The help available is limited to financial advice, work career training and rudimentary counselling. This much needed guide fills in missing information about Sports Career Transition, written by world champion Australian swimmer and cultural scholar Dr Shane Gould. Based on social and academic research of Athlete Career Transitions and her own sport retirement transitions, that was unresolved for many years due to an absence of debriefing.
