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This blog considers the factors that underpin excellence in sport and their implications for developing expertise in other walks of life.
In a series of articles, what makes people successful in sport is outlined and how the answers to this question can impact on our chances of being successful in other professional domains and in life more generally are discussed.
The issues are explored from several angles. The role of serendipity and environment on the path to sporting excellence is considered. The chances of becoming an elite athlete are markedly influenced by where we are born and the opportunities provided for access to sport, a suitable level of competition, as well as training facilities and high-level coaching.
Parents and significant others play a key role in introducing kids into sport, whereas having an older sibling provides earlier access to sport as well presenting a shared learning environment and an opportunity for greater exposure and earlier progression. An athlete’s month of selection, relatively to the start of the selection year, markedly influences the chances of being selected into an elite training environment.
Children born in the first few months of the selection year – and those that are typically bigger and stronger for their age – are more likely to be selected for elite training programs at younger ages, whereas paradoxically, one’s chances of reaching the elite level, winning personal awards and having the highest salary in professional sport is higher for children born late in the selection year, provided one makes the original selection cut.