Road trips.

As a Melburnian in 2020, I miss them. And as I ponder my next one, I’m reminded of how they reflect the journeys young athletes take within sport and the role of national pathways and programs to support them.

Some athletes know their destination, some are there enjoying the scenery, and some are only on the road trip to be with their friends. Many are loving the trip, most are willing passengers - a few are sitting in the backseat fearful to admit they wanted to stop hours ago.

We often assume everyone in the car is there for the same reason, when in reality it could be any number of reasons which change across the trip:

• The allure of the end destination (rewards / high performance)

• The task of driving itself (intrinsic motivation)

• Socialising with friends (social)

• The playlist and the snacks (fun and ‘swag’)

Most athletes follow the GPS directions provided by the sport, along roads that were more than likely designed for the needs of their parents. These roads continue to be maintained as small potholes form because lots of athletes are using them, and on face value this seems a logical way to maintain roads. However governing bodies would benefit from pausing and asking the question: ‘are athletes driving this route because it is the best one for them, or simply because it’s the one we paved for them?’

Because as we see frequently whilst a few athletes reach their end destination, others take an earlier exit, and some simply run out of fuel. The challenges posed to sporting governing bodies in 2020 are also a great opportunity to make the sporting road trip for athletes a lot smoother.

So, how do we support athletes to better enjoy their ‘sporting road trip’ ?

1. Invest time understanding why each athlete is on the road trip.

2. Maintain the existing highway, but continually look to create new roads according to where athletes wish to arrive.

3. Add more exits and on-ramps through more diversified and holistic pathways.

4. Replace GPS directions provided to athletes with a map, for them to explore and find the route that suits them.

Or in other words, by having more conversations with athletes and co-designing diversified pathways which actively transition athletes into contemporary programs or roles that maintain their interest in sport participation.

If you would like to discuss with us how participation and performance can be improved through a review of your organisation’s current athlete pathways, we invite you to connect with us for a chat.