Life as a retired college athlete

Competing in college athletics is anything but easy. With daily practices, early morning workouts and constant travel for competitions, it's nearly time consuming enough to be a full time job. Add to the mix classes, homework and trying to maintain any relationships and college athletes have little to no free time.

Until a couple months ago this was my schedule. Finishing up my last semester of eligibility with my school's Division II volleyball team, I've had four years to adapt to the time commitments of my sport and was used to finding down time around my packed schedule. So it's safe to say it was a bit of a shock when I was faced with free time in place of what had previously been practices, workouts or travel.

I have also found myself struggling with my relationship with food and fitness. Where I used to enjoy meals and snacks with few limitations around the holidays, this year I have been more concerned with the fact that there wouldn't be mandatory spring workouts to keep me in shape. Over winter break, I constantly thought about what I was eating and was consumed with worry that I wasn't doing enough in the gym to maintain my fitness.

Another challenge came with the first week of spring classes. As someone who had grown accustomed to having little time to myself, I struggle having my afternoons free of commitments every day. Because I would have typically spent the time between 1:30 and 6 pm at the school in the training room and in practice I have been at a loss as to what to do for those five and a half hours each day.

With all of the attention college sports receive, whether it be in media or just around campus, I rarely hear people discuss what happens after the last season of competition. Athletes don't talk about how difficult it is to adjust to life after over a decade of devoting countless hours to a sport.

Speaking as a recently retired college athlete, I think there is a larger audience of ex athletes than many people realize because life after sports isn't a hot topic for discussion. But I suspect many other people experienced the same feelings of loss and confusion as I have in the last few months. The abrupt ending of something you have come to be so passionate about is difficult to accept, regardless of your feelings toward the sport at the end.

While I am still struggling to adjust to life after my time as a college volleyball player came to an end I don't yet feel I can give advice on what to do to ease back into everyday life or how to fill the free time. I am still figuring that out for myself. What I can say is, although it's been difficult to find a comfortable routine, I'm looking forward to this next part of my life.

Written February 2019