There is a growing body of evidence that sport can develop beneficial skills and behaviors for young people to use in multiple life domains (Gould & Westfall, 2013). While this may be true, there is a need for research to examine if this occurs, and how individual and contextual factors influence this long-term psychology change (Camiré, 2014). This study sought to understand former athletes’ perceptions of long-term psychological change from participation in an intensive wrestling camp. Specifically, the purposes of this study were first, to examine what, if any, former athletes’ believe are the long-term psychological effects attributed to participation in an intensive wrestling camp, and are transferred to life domains outside the wrestling camp. Second, to examine how and why former athletes believe long-term psychological effects occur and are transferred to life domains outside of the wrestling camp. This study used a phenomenographic research approach and interviewed 12 former campers from an intensive wrestling camp. All of participants had previously reported, through a letter to the camp director, that the camp had a positive impact on their lives. Additionally, the camp director was interviewed to gain his perspective on the long-term psychological effects of the wrestling camp. The study found that participants learned and developed knowledge, behaviors, skills and dispositions from the camp. Participants then transferred these assets to other life domains collectively as a personal guiding identity for success. This identity was defined by a strong work ethic and a deep belief in one’s ability to use that work ethic to overcome any task or experience in life. This work ethic was guided by a personal motivational orientation that fueled the quest for success. The transfer of this identity was influenced by individual psychological and autobiographical factors (e.g., openness to learning), program features and coaching approaches (e.g., experiential learning), and transfer context factors (e.g., opportunities to use skills). Possible explanations for the transfer of life skills were identified (e.g., meta-cognitive schema) and the transfer differed in directionality, timing and awareness. These process of life skills transfer was individualized and participants varied in the way they remembered their experiences and used their identity for success in life outside the camp. These findings are discussed with connections to research in sport-based life skill transfer with the promotion of a holistic approach to examining the phenomena. Implications for research and practice are provided, along with limitations and directions for future research.
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