Athlete Transitions
Melanie Chowns
Performance Lifestyle Advisor
Aims and Objectives
1
• What is meant by Transition?
• Models of Transition
2
• Identify examples of transitions within an athletes career
• Task Activity
• Possible Negative impact of poorly managed transitions
3
• Looking at Case Studies of University athletes in Rowing
Programme
• Task activity
4
• Dealing with Transition
• Possible Support Mechanisms
• What can you do differently?
What is a transition?
A transition has been defined as an event which
results in a change in assumptions about oneself
and the world and requires a corresponding
change in behaviour and relationships.
(Nancy Schlossberg, 1981)
The Model of Human Adaptation to
Transition
Schlossberg 1981
Models of transition endeavour to describe how individuals respond to
change, either in their own lives or environment
There are many types of change and varying degrees of impact. Not all
changes cause transitions and transitions can be positive as well as
negative.
Most transitions are associated with significant life events – changes to the
individuals role or environment that require radical restructuring of the
individuals view of themselves and their world
Transitions
The process takes longer than most people expect, typically 6-12 months,
sometimes longer
Types of Transition
Transitions (Schlossberg, 1984)
Normative
Nonnormative
• Athlete exits one stage and
enters another
• Predictable and anticipated
• Part of a definite sequence of
age related biological, social
and emotional events or
changes
• i.e. junior to senior, regional
to national, amateur to
professional, active to retired
• Do not occur in a set pattern
or schedule but are the
result of important events
that take place in an
individuals life.
• Unpredicted, unanticipated
and involuntary, non events
• i.e. season ending injury, loss
of a coach, unexpected cut
from the team
Types of Transition
Athletic Context
Personal Development Context
Initiation stage - Talent recognised
and confirmed
Psychological
Development stage – athletes become
more dedicated and training and
specialisation increases
Psychosocial
Mastery or Perfection stage –
reaching the highest level of
athletic proficiency
Discontinuation
Academic
Vocational
Wylleman & Lavellee, 2004
AGE
Athletic
Level
Individual
Level
Psychosocial
Level
Academic
Vocational
Level
10
Initiation
Childhood
Parents
Siblings
Peers
Primary
Education
0
15
20
Adolescence
Peers
Coach
Parents
Secondary
Education
15
30
Perfection
Mastery
Development
Puberty
25
Discontinuation
(Young) Adulthood
Family
(Coach)
Partner
Coach
Higher
Education
20
35
Professional Career
25
30
35
Key Rower transitions
Relocation
School to
University
Junior
to
Senior
Healthy to
injured
Competing
to
retirement
Key Transitions
Junior to
Senior
School to
University
Relocation to
centralised
programme
Healthy to
Injured
Normative & Nonnormative
Competing to
Retirement
Key Transitions
Junior to
Senior
School to
University
Relocation to
centralised
programme
• New training loads
• Higher frequency
of training
• More preparation
for competition
• Higher
expectations
• Increased costs
• Family / friends
conflict
• Perception of less
fun
• Coach
/parent/athlete
triad
• How to be elite
• Selection / non
selection
• Subject choices
• University choices
• Adjustment to
campus life
• Conflict with sport
/course work /
Exams
• Time Management
/ work overload
• Making new
friends
• Financial hardship
• Financial
• Finding somewhere
to live
• Moving away from
home and support
network
• Conflicts with
house mates
• Distance to training
• Having to find work
• Sponsorship
• Integration Into
squad
• Sport / Life balance
Healthy to
Injured
• Time to think
• Frustrations
• More free time?
• Conflict
management
Normative & Nonnormative
Competing to
Retirement
• Adjustment
difficulties /
Grieving
• Identity issues
• Coping Strategies
• Pre Retirement
planning and
career exploration
• Job Acquisition
• Financial concerns
and expectations
Key School/ University Time Transitions
Most common issues
School to University
Year 1 – Year 2
Year 2 – Year 3
• Rowing or University
discussions
• Training overload - fatigue
• Injury management
• Understanding rest / recovery
and nutrition
• Completing A levels around
training and going on camps =
stress
• Feeling isolated
• Who has control / influence?
Parents or coaches / GB
• Not enough help with
practical support – i.e. boat
transportation, phone calls,
places to stay when travelling
• Pressure to travel to all
competitions whilst at Uni,
setting up conflict, recovery
issues
• Conflict between Uni Club and
GB can create issues for
athlete
• Not enough flexibility to
support combining rowing
with study - both from sport
and uni
• Difficulty in managing
relationships – new kid on the
block (established hierarchy)
• Exam conflicts with training
camps
• Mental breakdown of stress of
combining rowing and Uni
• Defer final year?
• Understanding reporting lines
and responsibilities. Who is
line manager?
• Clear understanding of what
are real priorities – rowing v
uni. What is going to make a
genuine real difference
Athletes who have failed to cope with
transitions in their careers
'I ate so little I'd feel faint
during training': How one of
Britain's brightest Olympic
hopes gave up her sport to
save herself from anorexia
London 2012 drove me to suicide
attempt says Olympic winner Tasha
Danvers
Positive and Crisis transitions
Positive Transitions
Crisis transitions
• Athlete makes a relatively quick
and easy adjustment to the
demands of a given transition
• Usually occurs if the athlete has
the necessary pre-requisites from
an earlier transition e.g.
theoretical and practical
knowledge, skills and attitudes.
• High motivation, positive attitude
and coping strategies and is in a
positive psychological climate
• Occur when the athlete has to
make a special effort in order to
successfully adapt
• Inability to adjust creates
symptoms of low self esteem,
emotional discomfort, increased
sensitivity to failure,
disorientation in decision making
and confusion
Factors Associated with the Transition
Process
Negative Adjustment Factors
• Unplanned
• Forced out
• Poor Performance
• Strong Athletic Identity
• Little Assistance
• Lack of options
• Lack of coping resources
• Financial Difficulties
Positive Adjustment Factors
• Planned
• Voluntary
• Achieved goals
• Low Athletic Identity
• Support network
• Balance and options
• Coping resources
• Financial planning
Case Studies
Group Discussion and how to help athletes through
transition
Real Life Transition Experiences with
our Rowers
Case Study
Read the athletes real experience and discuss:
• What are the possible issues facing this athlete in
this transition and the implications of those issues?
• What as coaches could you do to help the athlete
through this transition?
Real Life Transition Experiences with our
Rowers
Case Study 1 – From club rower to GB U23
whilst at Uni
• Athlete X is at the end of her first year at university and
rowing for her boat club.
• She has end of first year exams ahead.
• She trains largely by herself with a programme set by her club
coach
• She goes to GB trials and finishes as one of the top U23’s and
is selected into the squad.
Real Life Transition Experiences
with our Rowers
Case Study 2 – From social rower working and
at uni to rower on the Start Programme
• Athlete Y rows socially for the first two years of university.
• She works full time in the holidays to pay for being at uni.
• In year 3 she starts on the Start programme and has no time
for work to increase her income due to rowing commitments.
• She has to catch up on uni work in the evenings and in the
holidays.
Real Life Transition Experiences with
our Rowers – Case Study 1
Issues
Possible Coach Support
• Expectation to travel every
weekend in last term
• Impact on exams
• Increase in training volume and
new programme
• Conflict with uni work – huge
time pressure
• Less free time / uni life impact
• Difficulty in integrating into squad
• Assign Mentor
• Build in flexibility into training
programme
• Negotiate flexibility with Tutors
• Provide practical support in terms
of transport, regular contact
• Plan well and communicate
efficiently. Minimal travel option?
• Educate athlete around over
training risks and nutrition
• Trust athlete issue
Real Life Transition Experiences with
our Rowers – Case Study 2
Issues
Possible Coach Support
• No money, so stressful when she
has to travel to camps / training
and call coaches
• Pressure on parents to provide
additional finance, stretching
them and stressing the athlete
about asking them for help
• Has to buy a single scull! How?
• Course work suffers and goes
from 1st’s to 2:1’s
• Working 18 hours on training and
study and rest / recovery suffers
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Coaches to understand what grants are
available
Coaches to use PL pack for sponsorship
advice
Coaches to help find athlete good paid
coaching jobs – small time commitment,
high pay
Practical support – transport, coaches call
athlete
Good communication across all parties
Understand financial implications and plan
ahead to athlete can plan finances better
and get deals.
Bring in impartial support
Potential support mechanisms and
Coping Strategies
Strong social
support
Develop
Transferable
skills/
personal
development
Counselling
and support
Transition
Shared
Knowledge
and
experience
Plan ahead
for transition
Education
and career
guidance
The Magic Questions!!
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What’s the issue (clarify the goal)
What makes it an issue now?
How important is it on a scale of 1:10
How much energy do you have for a solution on a scale of 1:10
Tell me a bit about the difference in the scores? What would you want the energy score to be?
Who owns the issue/problem?
What are the implications of doing nothing or of letting things carry on as they are?
What have you already tried?
What’s your own contribution to the problem (or how are you getting in the way of this?)
In an ideal world what would be happening around this issue?
What is standing in the way of that ideal outcome?
What’s an example of when it went right and you were motivated to do it?
Imagine you at your most resourceful, what do you say to yourself about this issue?
What are the options for action here? (you might try brainstorming)
What criteria will you use to judge these options?
Which option seems the best one against those criteria?
So what’s the next step / first step?
When will you take it on?
How could I help to ensure you do this?
What can you do as coaches to assist
in transition process
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Encourage planning for transition and effective time management and provide
information as early as possible to support good planning
Encourage open and frank communication between all parties – assist them in
combining sporting & academic excellence and in developing career and life skills
Negotiate for and provide flexibility
Provide practical support
Link up athletes / mentor role
Athlete education in the training process to prevent injuries and over training –
quick recognition of this
Support and advise athletes as well as providing them with the opportunity for
independent decision making
Use the Performance Lifestyle Manual to assist athletes in other transitions i.e. job
search, financial planning, time management tools
Ask the “What?” questions when counselling / mentoring athletes to support
athlete accountability
Summary
• Sports careers correspond to a sequence of transition phases – each is a
process not a single event
• The transition phases occur within their athletic, psychological, social,
academic and vocational development.
• We must link the demands of each particular transition with the resources
available to the athletes to support them to make each transition
successfully
• Provide practical and psychological support to help them develop their life
skills and coping strategies to deal with future transitions
• In this way we can assist rowers at all development levels, stages or
transitions to move successfully throughout their sporting career
Thank you