Interview, Did he have the motivation to play again after his injury?

Background:

I interviewed a 54 year old man, he has 4 kids now and a wife. His injury occurred playing basketball at the end of his college career. The injury consisted of a severe concussion, broken nose and broken ribs all in one game. This injury stopped him from trying out for the New York Knicks, as so he planned later that year!

Q:
In general….?
Do you consider yourself a recreational or competitive athlete?

A:
Today I am a recreational athlete and before my injury I was very competitive. My injuries were a severe concussion, broken nose and broken ribs all in one game during the end of my college career.

Q:
How important is sports participation in your life?

A:
Sport participation in my life was key in giving me a competitive edge, in my day to day life as I grew older. It gave me great insight into my children’s participation in sports. Also it helped me to learn to deal with failure and success and manage it in regular life situations as I got older.

Q:
What were your goals as an athlete?

A:
My goals as an athlete were to be the best I could be in the positions that I played in basketball and other sports. Also, to try to excel at each skill necessary and to compete and never back down. Challenges were welcome goals to be achieved and the better the competition the more motivated I became. I wanted to be known as a fair competitor and tough competitor and to be the man who wouldn’t back down.

Q:
Do you have a supportive team and coach?

A:
Having a supportive team and coach was always key in having a successful winning season, but even during losing seasons the support of my team and coach were key in giving me the confidents one needed to succeed as an athlete. Sometimes things become overwhelming, wither that being too small or not as fast or as talented in certain skills and still being able to compete at the level one needed to by being scrappy or hustling to make up for the physical ability I was lacking.


Injury:

Q:
How much distress did you feel about your injury?
Did you perceive it as a disaster? Annoyance?
Were your moods affected by your injury?

A:
What distressed me most was getting injured to the point that I was no longer able to compete and it seemed insurmountable at the time, it affected my over all attitude with people my social life and my ability to communicate with others. It seemed to be a major disaster more then just an annoyance and my mood was that of depression. I also was torn by the fact that was not able to support my teammates and coaches effort in supporting me.

Q:
How did the injury interfere with your goals?
How did you cope with the injury?

A:
The goal was to continue to excel to the level of a professional, but it was just not in the cards, I therefore began to redirect my energies towards my school work and overall future. My future now includes having my own established business in which the redirecting those energies helped me succeed.