If Nikki Stone decides to retire from the demanding and sometimes dangerous sport of freestyle aerials, she may be better prepared for the transition than most of her peers.
Her senior thesis on “Elite Female Athletes' Retirement from Sports” explores how athletes refocus their lives after leaving an intense, singular
pursuit and a small circle of fellow athletes and coaches, said Don Spring, her thesis
advisor.
“When any elite athlete retires, it's a tremendous
letdown,” said the assistant professor of psychology. “You retire and your
identity is gone after your whole life has been wrapped up in the sport. You don't
just walk away from who you are or what you've been.
“I was intrigued to learn from her that there is a social death as
well since all your friends – your major source of support — are on the
team,” Spring said. “So, you have to get a whole new set of friends.”
Stone, who for most of the last decade has associated with other
world-class athletes at training and competition sites, interviewed about 40 women. In her
thesis, Stone found that to the extent an athlete is well rounded and has other pursuits
besides her sport, the transition to retirement will be smooth, Spring said.
Stone, who has said she is considering a second career as an
investigative TV reporter, has a number of other interests besides skiing, Spring said.
Many athletes retire from their sport embittered by disappointment at
having been injured or falling short of their goals, though this will not be the case with
Stone, he added.
“I never realized the level of intensity in a sport like this, and
Nikki is a very intense woman,” Spring said. “She has amazing responsibility,
drive and focus. You don't have to tell her to do something. She is a real
self-starter.”
As a student at Union, Stone made good use of her training in
psychology, Spring said. She used visualization techniques to help her with her jumps, and
she used imagery to overcome shoulder and back injuries, Spring recalls. “She had to
play her mind game really well because she had suffered a lot of injuries. She had
wondered whether she was going to be in it this long.”
“Nikki found that if you believe you gained something in sports,
your retirement is easier,” Spring said. “One of the things Nikki gained was a
sense of discipline.”