I recently heard about athlete A. That was a good result. It’s not a big record, but it means a lot to him who endured hard times, to his colleagues who often contacted and understood that he missed him, and to the team who waited for him. It was because he was A who once completely left the team and wandered. I won’t give his name for privacy reasons. In A’s story, I’d like to think about the pauses and choices that brought him back to life.

He was the one who once ran out saying, “I feel like the world is taking advantage of me.” With a hobby of collecting nice sneakers, he seems to have been uncomfortable with life on his pro team. One day, he said, ‘It’s frustrating’ and took a taxi to go to another area. He had left his roommate with the words, ‘I’ll call you and come back,’ and disappeared without packing up his belongings. 

After going through such a process, he rests for about 6-7 months. It took him over a year to play as a player. At first he didn’t know how long he would leave the team. The team decided to let him go too, but they had no idea how much time they would give. He also considered whether he would be two or three months, whether he would be a year, whether he would not come back. He also raised issues such as ‘You have to think about fairness with other hard-working team members’ and ‘Who will take responsibility if you really quit’. We searched for the cause, such as A’s complicated family history, his personality, and whether there was a discord with his colleagues.안전놀이터

He withdrew from the sport. About four months later, the team leader who met him to check on his safety informed the company that “he lost his muscles completely and changed like a normal person, but his bright face was impressive.” A says that he often traveled while he was away. In particular, it is said that he also found oxygen for an adult relative, whom he followed wholeheartedly when he was young. 

The team puts one condition on him. I decided to meet the mind expert teacher B once a month. A does as well as that. The interview was confidential and was not forwarded to the team. In front of the team who is curious about the situation of A, teacher B says this. “If you don’t tell me, I won’t ask about sports. Let’s leave it up to A’s choice how long you will be away. ” Mr. B adds, “Don’t ask what the cause is.”

At the end of the 6th month, we receive word that A wants to return to the team. Afterwards, A met the team leader in charge and said, “I wanted to do something I can do well while watching other motives on stage from a distance.” He explained that he had tried other things and felt he really wanted to do them. I prepare for my comeback like that, but I go through a few twists and turns. Really, the day he gets back on the team, he just sticks to the schedule with no events. Just like we did every day. Team leaders also did not interview him separately. I decided not to ask “why did you do that, how was it?” This is because it was judged that if A looked around for a reason, it could remain a burden like guilt. He decides to just watch.

The adult’s worries were unfounded. A adapts well. There is a similar case in the US Major League. This is Jack Greinke (40, Kansas City Royals), who was a teammate of Ryu Hyun-jin during his Dodgers days. Greinke also returns after leaving the team early in his debut. It is said that the stop of promising players in the professional sports world, both at home and abroad, has recently increased significantly. Sometimes they don’t come back. Isn’t that the case in normal workplaces these days? ‘I don’t like it when I try it’, ‘Should I be concerned about relationships with other people besides what I have to do’, he confidently leaves.

You can stop when it’s hard. Like going into a rest stop for some reason, not to stop because the car has a problem, but to change direction, to rest, for some reason. Stopping is a process of resetting, not a result. It is also necessary to meet an expert who will explore this in various ways. Organizations and teams must also break away from the logic of investment and causation. You just have to come back or give up or understand and accept your choice. Even more so in the age of sensitivity. Because people are precious.

Korea Coaches Association Certified Coach Kim Jong-moon

Kim Jong-moon was a reporter for the JoongAng Ilbo and worked as a front for the NC Dinos baseball team from 2011 to 2021. At the end of 2018, he took over as the captain of the ‘last-place’ team and led it to the first championship team two years later. He is currently a certified coach of the Korea Coaches Association (KAC).