Athlete Transition

Research has shown that retirement from high performance sport may cause athletes to experience difficulties. In particular, characteristics of notional contextual productivity, perceived contradictions, negotiation of investment and conceptual gateways.

Through the use of Sports psychology and other initiatives the extreme environments support the identification of valued attributes developed as an athlete that are beneficial to life after sport ie being disciplined, and those that could be seen as problematic ie perfectionistic tendencies. The Kokoda Track environment and historical journey helps facilitate an exploration of one’s own personal values and allows time to create strategies which result in the following:

• rich life experiences,
• social and confidence development skill acquisition,
• the opportunity to assess current situations
• self recognition and actualisation,
• a better understanding of self,
• a positive environment for change away from society noise
• the skills to focus on the present
• a greater understanding of historical significance

Young athlete development and Organisational Culture

All too often modern day Coaches talk about the challenges they face in coaching the younger generations and their “sense of entitlement”. Studies in this area shows that entitlement is positively correlated with “a pattern of selfish, self-serving beliefs and behaviours, narcissistic personalities and arrogance. Conversely, empathy – the ability to put yourself in another person’s shoes – tends to be low. These behaviours have been shaped by their environment. Often young athletes are not aware that they are displaying these behaviours and if allowed to grow and dominate a team culture, becomes detrimental to the overall team performances. In our experience it is only when their opinions and views are tested in extreme environments that their perspectives change. To understand that many people sacrificed their lives so that they have the freedom to be able to play in sport and to experience a native population living subsistence, challenges their perspectives on the Kokoda Track. Some of the key values reinforced and observed by participating in our Kokoda team building treks are:

• Commitment and dedication
• Discipline
• Respect
• Role modeling
• Clearly defined pathways to success
• Mind training
• Resilience training
• Handling adversity
• Character development