Embracing New Horizons: Life After Sports

We are often taught how to enter sports effectively but are rarely taught how to exit gracefully and with purpose for the subsequent chapters of life. Nevertheless, there are some beneficial paths to follow when exiting sports that we begin to explore in this post.

The Life of a Champion Is Wonderful but Fleeting

I’ve wanted to write this post for years. I did not know where to start.

The subject is full of emotion because championships are beautiful things, but the lifespan of a champion or championship team is fleeting, lasting only a moment.

"Embracing New Horizons: Life After Sports," aims to support individuals who have transitioned away from competitive running or are planning to do so for various reasons.

These reasons may include injury, family obligations, work responsibilities, or simply aging out of high school, college, elite, or professional competition.

The post's objective is to start the conversation about using the skills and character traits learned through running and applying them to the following chapters of life.

You may still run for recreation and health, but your competitive days have ended or are ending.

Striving For a Championship

While striving for a championship, the feeling is like it will never end.

The next champion or championship team is suddenly born and replaces the former champion on the podium.

What once was is no more. The champion's 15 minutes of fame flicker momentarily and burn out quickly in the strong winds of competitive change.

Champions take years to reach the pinnacle of their sport. All that hard work and sacrifice are rewarded with a prize that does not last, but how lovely the championship is during the moment.  Relish and be grateful for that moment.

The championship moment, though, comes, goes, and is never seen again. The thrill of victory, especially a significant team victory, is a type of short-term euphoria that only a few experience in their lifetime.

It isn't easy to describe what happens when the significant sacrifices of many people come to fruition in a championship season or individual championship.     

Some experts call championship moments exquisite, encouraging, uplifting, and euphoric moments that are sometimes hard to duplicate in a lifetime.

Therefore, preparing for the next chapter of life is best done before the championship days end.

I am writing the Faith and Miles blog series to help you consider all that you’ve learned from the benefits of running, as defined in my last two blog posts. I want to help others reach even greater heights by applying what they've learned in running to other parts of life.                           

As mentioned before in prior posts, I also want to help people as soon as possible apply the character traits, skills, and benefits gained through running to the other more important aspects of their lives.

Advice For Champions

How do you prepare for the inevitable day when it all ends?

Savor the moment of a championship, be grateful, and soak in the day's joy, but don’t let a championship crown define you.

Your identity is so much greater than winning a championship.

Your competitive days will end, guaranteed, at some point. The end comes for all who compete in competitive sports.                                                                     

Be prepared for the winds of change, as they will inevitably come.

Remember, good coaches and others love you whether you win or not. Winning or losing a championship does not change your value as a person.

You are also loved by parents, friends, spouses, and most of all, by your creator, whether you win or not. No one remembers how many championships they won on their deathbed; they remember the people they loved and helped along their journey.

The lifespan of championships and reaching personal records is short-term, so never place your identity in sports. Learn from and love the lessons, insights, and benefits gained from running, share them, apply them to other aspects of life, but move forward with the next chapters God has for your life without looking in the rearview mirror.

Finding the next chapter

Sometimes, helping someone else succeed in running, if that is your passion and calling, allows you to transition out of the sport more quickly. Let it be their time.

Keep your identity in Christ, where it belongs. Don’t let this phrase become a nice Christian platitude; ground yourself in your faith if you are still in the midst of your career.

The grand prize, gold medal, world record, and Super Bowl ring do not last in this life; your relationship with loving God and loving others endures and lasts into eternity.

Be grateful, soak in the joy, and remember the championship day with heartfelt thanks. Then, move on to greater days with family and friends, finding ways to help and serve others throughout your lifetime.

Jesus said, “Anyone who aspires to greatness must serve the rest; whoever wants to rank first among you must serve the needs of all.”

You reach your God-given potential in your post-athletic career by helping and serving others with your unique giftings.

Begin your journey of exploration into your other gifts by consulting with a professional or a qualified coach who genuinely cares about you and can guide you through the steps you need to take on this exciting new path.

Helping Others Find Their Niche After Sports

My first job out of college was assisting young people in assessing their career interests and matching their passions and skills with jobs that were meaningful to them.

I still volunteer to help young people discover their niche and unique calling, mainly if they are interested in the topic. Finding a new life niche, is essential to transitioning out of sport well when you're playing days are over. 

During young people's sports careers, I coach and teach interested student-athletes how to apply the lessons gained through sports to their future careers.  Our running programs, which can include a formal career and gifts assessment process, help develop the traits a person needs for their unique career and transitioning well out of competitive sports.     

In short, interested student-athletes practice the skills and attributes they'll need in their careers and subsequent chapters of life through our programs, following a formal assessment process. This helps with the transition to the following chapters of life well.

Some organizations also help people transition to life after sports by providing various services on the emotional and career side of life after sports. If you need help transitioning after you're playing days, you can search for and utilize one of these services.

Reflections

When I think about life after sports in this blog post, Ecclesiastes 3:1 comes to mind:

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven."

For most of us, competitive running or other sports was a short season of life. Taking the lessons learned and insights to the next chapter of the life begins a new exciting journey if you plan for what’s next.

Plan and learn skills for the next chapter while still competing. I understand and value athletes' successful transition out of sports, and that’s why I help interested students with career planning and skill development through the sport of running during their competitive days. Running is one of the most excellent tools on the planet to prepare student-athletes for the following chapters of life on many different levels.

Final Words

As the final whistle blows and the cheers start to fade, athletes often find themselves at a crucial crossroads. This moment signifies not just an ending but the beginning of an exciting new chapter. Life after sports is more than just an adjustment; it presents an opportunity to rediscover passions, forge new paths, and inspire others.

Imagine applying the discipline, teamwork, and determination developed on the track to your next big adventure. Whether you decide to pursue higher education, start a business, work for a non-profit, enter the military, or engage in volunteer work, the skills cultivated in running can translate into a variety of new endeavors.

Life after sports is not just about closing one chapter; it’s about rewriting your story with vibrant new experiences and exploring uncharted territories. Take a deep breath and step boldly into your next great adventure!

Questions for Prayer and Reflection

1.     How can you transition out of sports well?

2.     Who in your community can help you plan your transition to the next chapters of life?

3.     What do you see as the purpose of the next phase of life? How can you use what you learned through running in the next chapters?

4. What specific organizations value the characteristics and skills you learned through the championship mindset?

In the remaining chapters this blog, I will demonstrate how both myself and others have applied the running lessons from our youth throughout our life.

One resource to help create a life after sports is below.

Life after sport: Why Athletes need to prepare - Athlete365 (olympics.com)

If you missed the purpose about why I am writing the Faith and Miles blog series, you can start in the beginning here: Faith and Miles: Devotions for a Runner's Soul

There is a reason why Fortune 500 companies, outstanding Non-Profits, ROTC programs, the military, and other organizations select or hire former championship athletes. The Championship mindset learned in meaningful youth and other running programs extends well beyond the scope of sports into professional careers and personal lives.