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SPORTSSaturday 17 October 2015
Column: Olympic athletes need to think beyond Rio Games
PAUL NEWBERRY In this Dec. 19, 2014, file photo, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps walks into a courthouse for a year and five years beyond
AP National Writer trial on drunken driving and other charges in Baltimore. that. He never did that be-
Around the world, thou- fore,” Bowman said. “I’m
sands of Olympic athletes Associated Press trying to get Allison to start
are training intensely for thinking that way a little
the biggest moment of cent of the athletes have it rests, along with an embar- ly after the coach took a bit.”
their lives. at some point,” Canadian rassing photo that showed new job at Arizona State The U.S. Olympic Commit-
Hopefully, they’re also swimmer Ryan Cochrane him inhaling from a mari- University. tee has a program called
pondering what they’ll be said. “Before Beijing, that’s juana pipe. While the main focus is on ACE — Athlete Career
doing a year from now, all I talked about, every “The nature of preparing for training, Bowman has al- Education — that focuses
once the high of the Rio conversation was about the Olympics is you don’t ready started talking with on job placement and
Games wears off. Beijing, and as soon as it educational opportunities
Dealing with the rest of was over, I almost didn’t In this Aug. 7, 2015, file photo, Britain’s Fran Halsall checks as a way to help athletes
your life can be even even know how to have a her time after a women’s 50m butterfly heat at the Swim- deal with the transition to
tougher than winning a normal conversation.” ming World Championships in Kazan, Russia. Halsall said their post-Olympic careers.
gold medal. While there’s no hard the year after the Olympics is the most difficult. “There As athletes such as Schmitt
American swimmer Allison numbers to back up Co- wasn’t really a support system in place to help me to deal and Phelps have shown,
Schmitt knows that all too chrane’s anecdotal as- with it,” Halsall said, remembering her struggles after the more needs to be done for
well. She fell into a deep sessment, the issue has London Olympics. “It’s just such a high and you’re coming those still competing, even
depression after taking come to the attention down so much.” those at the top of their
five medals at the London of organizations such as games.
Olympics. Only in the past the U.S. Olympic Commit- Associated Press “Surviving success is hard-
year did she finally seek out tee and USA Swimming, er than surviving failure,”
professional help. which have started looking look ahead, you don’t look his swimmers about what Bowman said. “With failure,
“I set my goals for 2012 for ways to help athletes behind,” said Bob Bow- their lives might look like af- you go back to work. You
... and I reached those deal with the post-Olym- man, who coaches both ter the Olympics. That may have motivation to get
goals,” Schmitt said. “Then pic blues. In swimming, Phelps and Schmitt. “You sound like coaching blas- better. When it’s the other
I was like, ‘I don’t have there’s a new mentorship don’t think about the fu- phemy, but Bowman has way, you don’t know what
any more goals. OK, what program that includes re- ture, what might happen, seen what can happen to do except pat yourself
now?’” tired national team mem- what’s out there, any of when those issues are put on the back.”
That’s a question that fac- bers. Some have turned to those things.” on hold. Steve Roush, former chief
es many Olympic athletes, groups such as the Navy Phelps and Bowman are “Michael is doing an ex- of sport performance for
who spend four years on a SEALs, who cope with simi- now preparing for the Rio ceptional job right now the USOC, knows how dif-
single-minded pursuit but lar letdowns. Games in Tempe, Arizona, thinking what life is going ficult it is for athletes to
aren’t prepared for what “It’s hard to be able to get where they moved recent- to look like at this time next find something that comes
comes next. And the time that momentum again af- close to matching the high
for everyone — athletes, ter all the hard work you’ve of reaching a goal that
coaches, organizations — been through emotionally was four years in the mak-
to start thinking about it is and physically to get to ing. He wonders if that’s
now. the Olympics and get a what happened to Suzy
medal,” American sprinter Favor-Hamilton, a three-
In this Aug. 4, 2012, file pho- Justin Gatlin said. time Olympic runner who
to, Justin Gatlin of the United Maybe it’s not a surprise turned to prostitution once
States reacts after competing that Michael Phelps, the her career was over.
in a men’s 100-meter heat at winningest athlete in Olym- “It’s really what a lot of the
the 2012 Summer Olympics in pic history, kept running athletes keep chasing and
London. into trouble away from the why they stick around,”
pool after some of his big- Roush said. “I don’t think
Associated Press gest triumphs. He’s had an accounting job gives
two drunken-driving ar- them the same feeling.”
Win or lose, and even if Benita Fitzgerald-Mosley,
they have no plans to retire chief of organizational ex-
from competition, it’s not cellence at USOC and a
like there’s a new season 1984 Olympic gold medal-
right around the corner, a ist in the hurdles, recalled
conduit that allows them working a part-time job to-
to quickly hit the reset but- ward the end of her track
ton. career.
“The depression that That helped her deal with
comes after the Olympics, the transition, she said, but
I would say at least 75 per- “it was still difficult, an emo-
tional letdown to not go to
the track every day, not to
go outside, not to be with
my teammates, not travel
all over the world, not have
that real tangible goal-
setting I was able to do in
track.”
British swimmer Fran Hal-
sall said the year after
the Olympics is the most
difficult.q
