College women athletes and the life skills they learn from competition

Thirty-five years after the passage of Title IX, women are still working towards equality in athletics. In order to encourage young girls to participate in sports it is helpful to acknowledge the life skills that are learned through competition. This qualitative study explored the life skills college women athletes transferred to other areas of their lives. Twenty-one student-athletes from five Division I institutions in New England were interviewed about the life skills they learned from competition. These athletes had completed their final season of competition in college before they were interviewed, and were members of one of the following sport teams: basketball, field hockey, soccer or volleyball. Thirteen life skills were identified by at least ten of the athletes: competitiveness, hard work, leadership, self motivation, teamwork, time management, to develop relationships, communication, confidence, respect, to be supportive, composure, and to be a role model. In addition to these thirteen skills, fourteen other life skills were mentioned on a less frequent basis. They are: sacrifice self for team, deal with adversity, mental toughness, commitment, mediation, organization, trust, physical conditioning, learn how to lose, accept criticism, cooperation, develop networks of people, take risks, and put self first.; NCAA statistics note that women athletes graduate at the highest rates of any college students. The life skills identified in this study contribute to the success these women have in the classroom when they transfer skills from athletics. Coaches may be able to enhance the life skills of their players if they are able to teach the athletes to recognize the life skills they are learning through competition. In addition to the academic and athletic implications, student affairs personnel should enlist the participation of athletes to fill leadership roles on campus as the life skills they have learned from competition will have an impact on any student organization.; Future research needs to include comparisons among all sports and across the three NCAA divisions. A second recommendation is for a longitudinal study which would allow women additional time to reflect on the life skills they learned from collegiate competition.