POSITIVE TRANSITIONS FROM HIGH-PERFORMANCE SPORT

The purpose of this study was to explore the transition experiences of high-performance athletes. More specifically, this study investigated reasons for retirement from sport, individual coping strategies, supp ort networks used by transitional athletes, and other variables that m ay have impacted on the athlete's adjustment process. Retired high-per formance athletes (N = 199) with international competitive experience completed the Athlete Retirement Questionnaire, a 34-item instrument d eveloped for this study. Analysis showed that those athletes who adjus ted smoothly tended to retire after they achieved their sport related goals or because they had achieved their goals in sport. In addition, athletes who had a more difficult transition tended to feel incompeten t outside of sport and to also feel that keeping busy was not an effec tive coping strategy. Practical implications are presented.