3 Level of participation
As Ollie Phillips (rugby) touched on in Activity 1, athletes who compete at a higher level (e.g. full time Olympic level athletes) arguably have more at stake since sport is their income. They are also likely to have a strong athletic identity. Furthermore, elite athletes tend to have a greater number of transitional events to navigate during their career, for example moving to a higher level, injury, deselection and changes in public perception (Samuel and Tenenbaum, 2011). These events all provide opportunity for disruption in their athletic career and require the ability to adapt and adjust.
However, it could equally be argued that lower level athletes face greater challenges negotiating transitions. One reason for this is because lower level athletes are more likely to have to juggle multiple roles and identities. While in the previous section you saw how this could help when coping with transitions − as less of your identity would be ‘lost’ or affected − multiple identities can take focus away from what needs attention. Take, for example, Caroline, who you met in Session 1, Video 1. Caroline as a club-level athlete found it difficult to deal with injury on top of her other roles, which she balanced with being an athlete.
Another reason lower level athletes may face more difficulties in transitions is because of a lack of support available to them. Jewett et al. (2019) looked at the experiences of university level athletes and reported that when the athlete left university and lost the support and status that came with being recognised as an athlete, they were vulnerable to several mental health challenges. This echoes the stories of the professional athletes that you heard from in Activity 1 and further illustrates how athletes of all levels can experience challenges navigating transitions in sport. You will look at the importance of support in more detail in Section 5.
While level of participation may not be a clear factor when it comes to distinguishing how athletes cope with transitions, there do seem to be some differences when the experiences of athletes from different sports are considered.
"Kama ilivyoelezwa na Ollie Phillips, ""Rugby"" ni mchezo wa mpira wa miguu ambao unajumuisha michezo ya mpira wa miguu na michezo ya mpira wa miguu." Mchezaji wa Olimpiki wa wakati wote (mchezaji wa kiwango cha Olimpiki) anaweza kuwa na zaidi kwa sababu michezo ni mapato yao. Pia huenda wakawa na utambulisho wenye nguvu wa michezo. Kwa kuongezea, wanariadha wa kilele huwa na idadi kubwa ya matukio ya mpito ya kusafiri wakati wa kazi yao, kwa mfano, kuhamia kiwango cha juu, jeraha, kuondolewa na mabadiliko katika maoni ya umma (Samuel na Tenenbaum, 2011). Matukio haya yote hutoa fursa ya usumbufu katika kazi yao ya riadha na inahitaji uwezo wa kukabiliana na kurekebisha. Hata hivyo, inaweza pia kusemwa kwamba wanariadha wa ngazi ya chini wanakabiliwa na changamoto kubwa zaidi ya kujadili mabadiliko. Sababu moja ya hili ni kwa sababu wanariadha wa ngazi ya chini ni uwezekano mkubwa wa kuwa na juggle majukumu mbalimbali na utambulisho. Wakati katika sehemu ya awali uliona jinsi hii inaweza kusaidia wakati wa kukabiliana na mabadiliko - kama kidogo ya utambulisho wako ingekuwa 'kupotea' au kuathiriwa - utambulisho mbalimbali inaweza kuchukua lengo mbali na kile kinachohitaji tahadhari. Kwa mfano, Caroline, ambaye ulimjua katika kipindi cha kwanza cha video. Caroline, kama mwanariadha wa kiwango cha klabu, alipata shida ya kushughulika na jeraha juu ya majukumu yake mengine, ambayo alisawazisha na kuwa mwanariadha. Sababu nyingine wanariadha wa kiwango cha chini wanaweza kukabiliwa na ugumu zaidi katika mabadiliko ni kwa sababu ya ukosefu wa msaada unaopatikana kwao. Jewett et al. Uchunguzi wa mwaka wa 2019 ulionyesha kuwa wanariadha wa kiwango cha chuo kikuu walipoacha chuo kikuu na kupoteza msaada na hadhi ya kuwa wanariadha, walikuwa na hatari ya matatizo kadhaa ya afya ya akili. Hii inaelezea hadithi za wanariadha wa kitaaluma ambao umesikia kutoka kwa Shughuli ya 1 na inaonyesha zaidi jinsi wanariadha wa ngazi zote wanaweza kupata changamoto za kuendesha mabadiliko katika michezo. Utafahamu umuhimu wa msaada katika sehemu hii. Ingawa kiwango cha ushiriki huenda kisikuwa sababu ya wazi linapokuja kutofautisha jinsi wanariadha wanavyoshughulika na mabadiliko, kunaonekana kuwa na tofauti wakati uzoefu wa wanariadha kutoka michezo tofauti unazingatiwa.