By Dr. David Hoch

David Hoch, EdD, CMAA, is the Athletic Director at Loch Raven High School in Baltimore County, Md. He is a past President of the Maryland State Athletic Directors' Association and a frequent contributor to Athletic Management. He can be reached at: dhoch@bcps.org.

For most of us, this is the very busiest time of the year. We are finishing up winter sports (and possibly arranging postseason competition) while getting our spring sports up and running. We are budgeting for next year in a very difficult economic climate, and we may be planning a late winter fundraiser.

So when the prospect of retirement pops into our heads, it can be very appealing. I immediately start to daydream about many things. Not getting up at 5:30 a.m. and putting in 14-hour days. Not having to smile while listening to overbearing parents. Not playing phone tag only to find out that the purpose of the call was frivolous. Not completing mounds of paperwork just to get the next stack.

But am I ready to cease being involved in a pursuit that has been the passion of my life? Working with a great bunch of coaches who tremendously benefit student-athletes is difficult to leave behind.

For those of us who have put in our 30 years (and kept our investments in low-risk bonds!), retirement continually beckons. How do we know if we're really ready?

REASONS TO GO
Retiring is a very personal and individual decision that is somewhat confounding. But here are some clues you may be ready:

• You don't have the energy or passion to do the job at the same level you have in the past.
• You realize your family needs more of your attention and you have short-changed them throughout your career.
• You are facing a health-related issue or have a family member dealing with one.
• A difficult working environment will not improve any time soon and you don't want to start over at another school.
• Time is running out to do other things that you wanted to accomplish in life.

That last reason is enticing. One of my friends, an athletic director, can't wait to retire because he's always wanted to start his own business. It's not that he wants to be his own boss or earn huge sums--he just wants to open a small bait shop near a bass lake. He's enjoyed his career, but he's also excited about having a different lifestyle and combining it with one of his passions.

Another clincher is if you have hobbies you know you won't tire of. When my brother took early retirement five years ago, I asked him if he had thought it through: "Don, what are you going to do all day?"

He responded that he was going to golf. How often can you go golfing? "Well, that's what we're going to find out," he said. "I'm going to go golfing until I get bored with golf and feel that it is time to do something else." He's still golfing.

REASONS TO STAY
I occasionally take long runs on Sunday mornings with a friend named Steve who is 10 years older than I am, but runs me into the ground. Even more impressive than his physical stamina, Steve talks my ear off.

Steve is retired and craves conversation. He was not an athletic director, but did fill a very important position in business, commanded a large department, and made major decisions every day. He was not truly ready to retire.

Steve explains his current life: "I take my morning run, tackle my wife's to-do list and then what do I do? You can only watch so much mindless day-time television and my wife and neighbors still work. I can go days without a meaningful conversation and I don't really have a purpose in life."

While I need every ounce of energy to keep pace during our runs, I was once able to ask if he considered volunteering. Steve had an interesting response. "Look, I was the leader and made major decisions for most of my professional life," he explained. "It just wouldn't work for me to take direction from someone who is probably 30 years or more my junior and doesn't have my experience. To be a gofer or grunt isn't fulfilling."

An article I read last year in the Baltimore Sun also gives pause to my retirement plans. Written by columnist Susan Reimer, who references Daniel Gilbert's book Stumbling on Happiness, it offers these interesting points:

• We can't know what will make us happy in the future because we will change between now and when the future arrives.
• The person we imagine ourselves to be when we retire will be a different person than the person we are now, imagining our retirement.
• The classic mistake is thinking things we enjoy the most in small doses when we have free time are things we will enjoy in big doses.
• We may lose things that we didn't know were so meaningful--the structure of a job, a paycheck that says we are worth something, our identity as a leader and mentor.
• Happiness comes from connections with friends and family and doing good.

WHAT'S THE ANSWER?
For me, personally, I know I can't putter around the house all day. And I don't play golf. I have no interest in starting a new career, or opening up a small business. I do gain a lot of satisfaction from my career and it is a huge part of my identity.

At the same time, on a lot of days, I know I am ready to close the door for the last time. So how do I cut back on the hours and stress of my full-time position, yet still have an impact upon the profession, young people, and coaches?

Here are the options I'm looking into and offer to others as food for thought:

• Could you fill a part-time position with your state athletic association or state athletic directors' association? These options help you keep a hand in athletics but perhaps at a little easier pace.

• Can you teach a course or two as an adjunct professor at a local college?

• Would you be interested in volunteering? Your state athletic directors' association or the NIAAA can usually use additional help and would welcome your offer. Maybe there is a local youth sports program you could volunteer with.

• Have you considered setting up your own consulting business? With the rapid turnover of athletic directors, there are a lot of new, young professionals who could use your knowledge and benefit from your experience.

The ultimate question you have to ask yourself is, why get up in the morning? There has to be a meaning and purpose to every day, even in retirement. This may be the most difficult decision in life.