Here’s what I would retrain for in 2026:
Becoming a better Pro Athlete
Becoming a better pro athlete is something I would retrain for in 2026 because there’s moments in my own career where I believe I fell short. There’s times where I was considered what was at the top of my game, but it wouldn’t last longer than about a month or 2. It’s a painful feeling to experience because I’m sure it’s tied with regret in a way.
I can recall when I found a sport that I would dedicate my entire life to—wrestling. I’d put my body through complete hell just to compete and continue doing so, specially as a student-athlete. I have so many relationships I’d choose to neglect, normal experiences I declined on for the sake of chasing a dream, and serious health scares I somehow found a way to overcome.
When I think of what would’ve made the difference in having a better relationship and experience with my time as a student athlete, it would’ve been much better if I emphasized balancing my personal responsibilities along with my physical capabilities:
Balancing personal responsibilities and physical capabilities
This is an expectation that I’m pretty sure plenty of establishments at least introduce, but I’d like to see more assist with guiding student athletes with being true professionals. It’s literally a balance between intelligence and athletic capability that’s by no means a walk through the park for lack of better terms. It can be a frustrating situation for everybody involved if the student athlete attempts this but can’t seem to get it completely right.
You get to where there’s 2 carrots being dangled in the sight of someone who has ambitious goals—graduation and championships can be safely assumed. It’s a frustration that gets triggered when you don’t make the cut (failing grades that won’t let you compete and or falling short of getting wins you want really bad within your sport). You’re tugged in so many different directions that doesn’t have much empathy if any (unless you have a special coach), and you’re only expected to produce. If not, you’re just thrown to the side and left to have time work against you in the system you’re part of.
Coaches and teachers are gonna be expected to do their part in this process, but they’re expected to focus more on their world. There has to be another medium that this demographic of individual can confide and depend on to establish and continue a cycle of satisfied experiences with the choices they make. It’s calling for us specifically to help them (and the rest of our kind) to figure out how to juggle our goals with confidence that becomes independence eventually.
Final Thoughts
Retraining for this applies specifically to 2026 because it’s so fresh of an opportunity even though being a student athlete isn’t. There’s things like NIL deals and such that’s letting literal kids sign for sponsorships and programs that most of us didn’t have growing up. That means the expectation to produce is developing at a quicker rate than what we were used to. We’re gonna have to adapt and help the rising generation more than ever it seems. That’s actually why this is something that essentially has to be retrained. We know how to be students, and some of us know how to be athletes. We’re even at the point where we’ve been successful student-athletes, but now there’s a professional element that we’re gonna have to assist with to help our loved ones succeed and not develop regret for activities that are actually designed to empower and bring joy to their lives.
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