Written by Rebecca Matthews: English born (Leeds), moved to France when she was 11 and then to the U.S. at 21. Now aged 23 she has obtained a BS in Psychopathology and Athletic Performance, an MS in Applied Psychology and an MBA in Sports Management. From an athletic perspective she was a Division II swimmer and cross country runner at Lynn University. She achieved 8 All Americans and three national titles during her two years there in addition to a national record and a NCAA 2016 women of the year nomination.
What am I supposed to do? How do I find balance? Where should I start?
Many of these questions are asked by the average college graduate, but when you were also a student athlete these questions have a whole new level of significance. As a former NCAA Division II National Champion, and MBA student, I’m learning how to answer my own questions. From how I see it, going through this transition into a new chapter of your life can be viewed in two ways; through a professional perspective, and through a personal perspective.
Professionally, your job has been to study for classes while athletically performing to the best of your abilities; answering to course work and professors, and then training religiously toward the goals of your team. Coming out of that bubble, that social circle and support system, is uncomfortable to say the least. Looking for a new purpose and finding your new goals to strive toward is a complete new task. One of which no-one can have a concrete protocol for you. You have the memories of being a part of something great, but can’t help but worry that you won’t find something just as fulfilling. Maybe you know exactly what you want to do, or maybe you have no idea. But there’s a hole needed to be filled, a purpose to be gained. Transitioning the life skills that you obtained throughout your student-athlete experience gives you the edge on other college graduates. Your life management experience, competitiveness and dedication puts you above the rest. Settling would be a disappointment for you, which makes the search even harder.
Which brings me to the personal conflicts involved; the global lifestyle that provided your balance and self identity has been removed. Finding a new way to be seen by others and by yourself will be demanding. It will require you to understand your values and principals, prioritize your needs and outlets. The only advice I can give you is to be aware of what makes you happy. Use your passion to strive for greatness just like you did with your sport.
Being a student athlete allowed me to grow so much as a person, and I realized that the more passionate I was about something, the more chances and opportunity I would have to succeed in it. I don’t see myself without swimming, it will always be a part of my life. Don’t limit yourself, be patient, don’t change trying to adapt to social norms. It’s not how we grew up. Swimming truly is a way of life, and gives so much more back than an individual would expect.
After my college swimming career was over I didn’t swim for a few years, then I discovered finswimming and got totally addicted. For me it is the next step in my swimming journey, finswimming in college was just a drill, now it is a means for exploring my personal limits, all of the fun and none of the tedium, I reccomend it to anyone looking for a new way to swim in an adult world, I miss my team but I don’t miss the rigid structure imposed by the swim program. Now I am my coach, and I have never had so much fun!
I couldn’t cope with life after college swimming, so I joined masters. It doesn’t quite fill the void, but you still get the benefits of the camaraderie of everyone coming together after a long day at work and getting in a couple good sets. Great article!