No one prepares you for the fall that comes after your final college athletic competition. One day you’re checking into your dorm for the first time on an unfamiliar campus, surrounded by strangers and saying goodbye to your family for possibly the first time. Soon, you’re sitting in countless introductory meetings and participating in your first athletic practices with a group of people called your team, but they’re all strangers, too. Before you know it, you’re taking off your uniform for the final time. Then, you’re standing on a stage wearing a cap and gown in front of a huge crowd. You say goodbye to that team of strangers that has now become your family, and in many cases, you all go your separate ways.

These are the shoes I was wearing a little over a year ago, and I am still grappling with what life after college athletics looks like. Fortunately, I was blessed to go to a Christian institution where my coaches truly cared about my life outside of athletics. One of my track coaches hosts a weekly Bible study for seniors where the group goes through important topics of transition including: discovering calling and career, navigating changing relationships with friends and family, and handling finances. I feel blessed that I had someone to help prepare me for the big changes that would come after college, because I know this is an opportunity that most athletes, and college students in general, do not have. However, something that I feel was missed in this study is how difficult it would be to navigate physical activity outside of competitive athletics.

And although I’ll admit my experience has been challenging at times, I’ve certainly had an easier experience than most. My coach’s study certainly helped me to confront topics I did not want to think about at the time. Additionally, although I may not compete in many cross country or track races post-graduation, running is a sport that is easy to carry into life after college. As someone who is intrinsically motivated and truly loves to run, I was excited by all of the new opportunities that awaited me: trail running, road races, marathons, etc. However, I have teammates who quite literally have not run since we graduated, and many of them don’t have plans to start again anytime soon. And I can’t imagine what it must be like for the athletes who need a team to continue participating in and enjoying their sport.

I think there are several key issues with competitive athletics that make leaving them behind so challenging. First, for years and years of an athlete’s life we train them for their sport specifically, but do not teach them how to be physically active outside of that sport. Sure, there may be many different elements to their training – strength training, plyometrics, etc. – but each element is meant to form the athlete into the greatest pitcher, striker, sprinter, etc. that they can possibly be. A handful of my classmates have continued recycling our college workouts over the past year, because they don’t know how to do anything different.

Along with this over-emphasis on sport-specific training is the idea that we’ve lost the concept of sport as play. In training kids to excel in a particular area of sport, we’re teaching them that the absolute most important thing is to win. Kids who truly love their sport are cut or put on the bench because they’re “not good enough”. Competition and winning have taken precedence over the process and the game itself. As athletes advance to higher levels, all they know is how to compete, when at the core sport is about movement, fun, and play.

Finally, this emphasis on sport-specific training and winning encourages kids to place their identity in their performance and sport. But that’s not where identity should be, and when sport is suddenly taken away (like when you graduate college) it can feel like you’re losing part of your identity, too.

It Is vitally important for parents and coaches, at all ages and levels of sport, to encourage their athletes to have fun and remember that winning is not the only goal. Former college athletes, you’re not alone. It’s time to remember that any type of physical activity is good for your body and you don’t have to push yourself to your absolute limit to reap the benefits. It’s time to try something you’ve always wanted to but never could because you were in season – so sign up for the yoga class, go to the climbing gym, or take a walk in the woods. You’ll find movement that is meaningful after competitive athletics, whether it includes your sport or not.

Written by Kirsten, 12th Rock intern