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Battling Changes in the Aging Process
Tait Ricks
Department of Sport and Performance Psychology, University of Western States
COUN6550/8550: Sport Psychology
Dr. Jaime Ringstad
November 20, 2024
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Sports in America are competitive and they become competitive at a very young age.
Now I feel like it’s hard to be successful in a sport unless you play year round and start at a very
young age. It takes a lot of commitment, dedication, and motivation to play at a competitive
level. Starting from a young age there is a lot of messaging that comes from adults and the media
about where motivation should come from and what should motivate you. I feel that it is in
American culture that sports can be its own motion within itself when it comes to students. You
must receive good grades and have good attendance in order to play.
Based on Horn and Smith’s (2019) principles of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) there
are many ways a parent or consultant working with youth could address the issues of extrinsic
pressures in Western society. One would be to educate others about SDT to bring mindfulness
around autonomous and controlled motivations. Another suggestion would be to begin to shift
focus to the process instead of the outcomes and setting personal goals.
As a coach I want to encourage long lasting motivation so my athletes continue to play
the sport and find joy in what they are doing. I find it helpful to track progress and celebrate the
improvements and personal wins. In my past volleyball season many of my girls would come up
to me everyday and ask for specific feedback about what they can improve on. It made me happy
they were dedicated to improving and focused on accomplishing their goals. I always make sure
to identify their strengths and touch on how far they have come. I think it is so important to
create a supportive and intrinsically motivating environment especially for young athletes.
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References
Horn, T. S., & Smith, A. L. (2019). Advances in sport and exercise psychology (4th ed.). Human
Kinetics.
