Have a dream. Find your passion.

2008 Olympic Games - Beijing, China
Bird's Nest Stadium
Photo credit: Michele Walker

If you have ever dreamed of competing in the Olympic Games or playing hockey in the National Hockey League, yet have come to the realization that as an average athlete with a passion, it’s just not going to happen, you may be able to fulfill your Olympic dreams by working in a career in sport. The great thing about working in sports is that the working career lasts a lot longer than the athletic career does, yet the same passion and drive is necessary, as are the feelings of accomplishment. Like any profession, if you really love what you are doing, it never feels like work.

Getting on the path to the excellence podium starts with a passion and the motivation to do something about it. If it wasn’t for sport, some sports crazed people might not have even gained higher education. It will keep you motivated towards your goals and soon you will learn that studying physical education, kinesiology, marketing or media relations can lead to a much broader career in sport. Those years in high school and university should be utilized researching all the sports career opportunities that are possible. When you find your passion, it will be the anchor to keep you going, but paths often change as opportunities present themselves that can never be predicted, so be prepared to be flexible without giving up on the dream.

Even though they don’t give medals to organizers of the Olympic Games, they really should as so many have achieved their Olympic goals and dreams by dedicating their life’s work to being the best they can be, so that others have the opportunity to have their moment in time.

So how do you get there, you ask? Here’s a little Sports Career 101:

• Sign up for the Daily SIRC Careers Section and Press Release Email Distribution Service
• Join the other career listing services that post sports related jobs
• Read press releases, articles, etc. to learn about the wide variety of jobs in sports
• Learn about all the sports related businesses 
• Find someone who has the job you want and start asking questions
• Look at the path less traveled
• Network, network, network
• Be willing to take a chance
• Be willing to move
• Never give up

2006 Asian Games - Doha, Qatar
Main Press Centre
Photo credit: Michele Walker

How big a role does luck play in a career path? A lot, because “luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” 

And as the great Wayne Gretzky once said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

 For more information on careers in sports, please visit SIRC.

Coaching and the passion for life-long learning

The coaching profession is constantly changing and coaches at every level need to know more than just the basics to ensure success in the field.  This is why education and further professional development such as conferences, workshops, and mentoring are vital to a coaches career path. Coaching should be a profession where the opportunity for continuous learning should never be passed up.

Career-long learning is essential for coaches to stay relevant and up-to-date on their sport and its practices. Gaining years of experience as a coach is essential to progress in terms of professional development but if career-long learning is not on the radar, it can mean passing up chances for you and your athletes to grow. Here are some ideas on how to expand your knowledge:

1. Try mentoring - Mentoring can be highly effective in coach development since it can expand your knowledge base by exposing you to a variety of styles, skills and techniques learned by others.
2. Reflective practice - There is always room for improvement!  During practice or even competition, coaches can reflect on their own performance, rethink their actions, and learn from the experience.  If taking a notebook along to write down your ideas for change helps you out, take one along.
3. Look for educational opportunities - Sign yourself up to meet new people and hear different perspectives, whether it's a webinar, conference, workshop or joining an association; surround yourself with others in your field.

A lot of research has been done on how people learn and it shows that experience and working with or observing others is the most influential method of developing your knowledge base. A coach who seeks opportunities for development, works with others, and develops a reflective practice could easily be on their way to being a high-level practitioner capable of producing high-level performers.

References from the SIRC Collection: 

1. Callary B, Werthner P. Exploring the Learning Environment of Women Coaches. Canadian Journal For Women In Coaching. July 2011;11(3):1-7.
2. Cushion C, Armour K, Jones R. Coach education and continuing professional development: experience and learning to coach. Quest (00336297). August 2003;55(3):215-230.
3. Nash C, Sproule J, Callan M, McDonald K, Cassidy T. Career Development of Expert Coaches. International Journal Of Sports Science & Coaching. March 2009;4(1):121-138.
4. Norman L. Developing female coaches: strategies from women themselves. Asia-Pacific Journal Of Health, Sport & Physical Education. December 2012;3(3):227-238.
5. Thibert H. Developing Your Coaching Philosophy. Olympic Coach. Fall2008 2008;20(4):24-26.
6. Werthner P, Trudel P. Investigating the Idiosyncratic Learning Paths of Elite Canadian Coaches. International Journal Of Sports Science & Coaching. September 2009;4(3):433-449.

Defying Father Time: Elite Athletes Career Longevity

The average career span of most major league sport athletes is not long. Even those who defy father time retire earlier than the everyday person working a 9 to 5 job. An NFL player has an average career of 3.5 years, an NHL career is on average 5.5 years and MLB player plays for 5.6 years on average. But there are athletes who are defying the norm of what is the expected longevity in elite athletics.

Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos is 37 years of age. He is having a career year, even after having neck surgery two years ago. Dara Torres is another example, having qualified and medaled at the 2008 Beijing Olympics for team USA in swimming at the age of 41. Then there is Simon Whitfield who at 38 years of age, just retired in 2013 after a long and successful career, which included Gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. But the man who we might say has truly defied father time is Jamie Moyer, who at the age of 49 became the oldest pitcher to win a Major League baseball game.

These athletes are not the same as they were when they began their careers. Peyton Manning has learned to read defenses better than any other quarterback. In addition, he throws a lot of short passes which saves his arm from getting tired at the end of the season. The American swimmer, Dara Torres had 2 coaches, 2 masseuses and a chiropractor as part of her support team on her quest for making Beijing. Simon Whitfield had to learn to swim properly by studying video footage of his swimming form, since he could no longer rely on brute force. And in order to remain at the top, Jamie Moyer set his mind to focusing on the task at hand, established short-term goals and concentrated on just one pitch at a time.

As these athletes age, they have also changed the way they approach their profession. Injuries, competing against younger athletes and the changing nature of their sports means they have had to adjust to changes occurring within the sport and with their bodies. Since they are not as young in terms of athletic longevity, they have to:

1. Make sure they recover properly by sleeping, eating right, and getting regular therapy including massages. 
2. Seek to strengthen their weaknesses by studying video footage, understanding what their opponents’ strengths and weaknesses are, carrying out resistance training to maintain muscle mass and working on their mental preparation. 

As we age, our bodies change and we are simply not able to do certain things in the same way as we could when we were young. With aging in athletic terms, we must evolve and come to understand our limits, learning strategies to compensate for those limits. Even as a recreational athlete, you can age successfully. Even though your body does not work in the way that it used to, you can adapt to the changes. Maybe playing fewer minutes or fewer games might be the solution for you; little changes like this can make a big difference in terms of allowing you to keep enjoying being active.

References from the SIRC Collection:

1. Abel E, Kruger M. Longevity of Major League Baseball Players. Research In Sports Medicine. January 2005;13(1):1-5.

2. Abel E, Kruger M. The Healthy Worker Effect in Professional Football. Research In Sports Medicine. October 2006;14(4):239-243.

3. Albuquerque M, Menezes Lage G, Fernandes Malloy-Diniz L, et al. RELATIVE AGE EFFECT IN OLYMPIC TAEKWONDO ATHLETES. Perceptual & Motor Skills. April 2012;114(2):461-468.

4. Buśko K, Michalski R, Mazur J, Gajewski J. JUMPING ABILITIES IN ELITE FEMALE VOLLEY-BALL PLAYERS: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS AMONG AGE CATEGORIES. Biology Of Sport. December 2012;29(4):317-319.

5. Nédélec M, McCall A, Carling C, Legall F, Berthoin S, Dupont G. Recovery in Soccer: Part I - Post-Match Fatigue and Time Course of Recovery. Sports Medicine. December 2012;42(12):997-1015.

6. Rüst C, Knechtle B, Knechtle P, Rosemann T, Lepers R. Age of peak performance in elite male and female Ironman triathletes competing in Ironman Switzerland, a qualifier for the Ironman world championship, Ironman Hawaii, from 1995 to 2011. 

7. Whiteside D, Elliott B, Lay B, Reid M. The Effect of Age on Discrete Kinematics of the Elite Female Tennis Serve. Journal Of Applied Biomechanics. October 2013;29(5):573-582.