Dual Career of the U-23 Spanish Canoeing Team

Abstract

Canoeing is one of the sport disciplines that brings great success to Spain in international competitions and Olympic Games (of the 17 medals won in Rio in 2016, four were in this sport, including three gold). However, the journey to become an elite athlete coincides in time with the challenge of pursuing an academic education, which often involves making difficult choices in the training-university dichotomy. The aim of this research was to ascertain how the Spanish under-23 calm water canoeing team perceives their athletic and academic careers. The present study was carried out with the Spanish under-23 flat water canoeing team, the step prior to competition at the highest level. The study sample comprised the whole population, namely the entire national team, made up of 21 athletes (11 women and 10 men) with a mean age of 20.57 ± 2.64 years and 10.00 ± 3.49 years of experience. These athletes are usually based at La Cartuja High Performance Center (Seville) and combine their sports activity with studying toward a university degree. A double qualitative and quantitative methodology was used. For the first of these, an interview script was elaborated based on the theoretical model by Wylleman et al. (2013) . Applicable consents were requested from the Spanish Royal Canoeing Federation, coaches and paddlers. Interviews were carried out with each athlete twice: at the beginning and at the end of the season/academic year, which were recorded and subsequently tabulated and analyzed. Concerning quantitative methodology, the ESTPORT dual career questionnaire validated by Sánchez-Pato et al. (2016) was used. The results show that for all the paddlers canoeing is very important. It is typically complicated for them to attend classes, and subject planning is usually based on their training schedules. In the second/last part of the course, it is stressful for these athletes to combine both activities and some drop out of school. During the course, though, they appreciate having another activity that allows them to escape from the training routine. In addition, they miss not having an academic tutor to guide and advise them. These student-athletes are aware that their sport causes them to miss out on many moments with family and friends due to training or competing. However, at present this is offset, largely because of their high level of performance, which makes it easier for them to obtain scholarships that provide economic support.

Living Life Through Sport: The Transition of Elite Spanish Student-Athletes to a University Degree in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences

“…Faced with the greater time investment required in both domains, most ESAs chose to prioritize the athletic domain, leaving them less time to study (Gavala-González et al, 2019). Contrasting with previous findings (McKenna and Dunstan-Lewis, 2004;Gavala-González et al, 2019), none of the ESAs in our study considered quitting their career as an athlete because of the demands they faced during transition to university.…”

“…The participants showed a range of skills within the psychological domain that helped them cope with the demands of transitioning from school to university, supporting findings of several European studies that have highlighted the importance of applying and improving these (and other) skills to achieve optimal dual career development among elite athletes in higher education. Key skills and competencies linked to successful dual career management (De Brandt et al, 2018), include selfdiscipline, effective time management, the ability to set priorities (Petrie and Stoever, 1997;Geraniosova and Ronkainen, 2015;Miró et al, 2018;Brustio et al, 2019), and career planning and exploration (Torregrossa et al, 2015;De Brandt et al, 2018;Miró et al, 2018;Gavala-González et al, 2019). In our series, most of the ESAs were already thinking about employment opportunities after university and after retirement from sport, and this was an important motivator for them.…”

“…The main barriers that were identified were a lack of time, overlapping of academic and athletic schedules, high expectations in both these domains, and resulting stress (Giacobbi et al, 2004;Brown et al, 2015). Acquisition of stress and expectation management skills (De Brandt et al, 2018) can be essential, as even with good planning and organization, it is not easy to perform well as both an athlete and student (Gavala-González et al, 2019). Faced with the greater time investment required in both domains, most ESAs chose to prioritize the athletic domain, leaving them less time to study (Gavala-González et al, 2019).…”

“…Acquisition of stress and expectation management skills (De Brandt et al, 2018) can be essential, as even with good planning and organization, it is not easy to perform well as both an athlete and student (Gavala-González et al, 2019). Faced with the greater time investment required in both domains, most ESAs chose to prioritize the athletic domain, leaving them less time to study (Gavala-González et al, 2019). Contrasting with previous findings (McKenna and Dunstan-Lewis, 2004;Gavala-González et al, 2019), none of the ESAs in our study considered quitting their career as an athlete because of the demands they faced during transition to university.…”

“…While each athlete's career path is unique, common patterns emerge among certain groups of athletes (Alfermann and Stambulova, 2007). A number of studies have examined the transitional experiences of ESAs from specific sports (Gledhill and Harwood, 2015;Tekavc et al, 2015;Guirola et al, 2016;Pink et al, 2018;Gavala-González et al, 2019), but to our knowledge, no studies to date have analyzed the experiences of ESAs enrolled in a specific degree. The first aim of this study was to investigate how ESAs pursuing a dual career in sport and education perceive demands, barriers, and resources during various phases of their transition from school to university to study a degree in PASS.…”