From student-athlete to NARP

Many people assume the hardest part of college athletics is the two-a-days, or the conditioning, or the balance between academics and a grueling in-season schedule. But they are wrong.

The hardest element of being a college athlete is the adjustment from athlete to NARP. Certain ex-athletes suffer identity loss after finishing their collegiate career, while others find hobbies and activities to pursue with their newfound free time. Julianna “Juju” Grubich and Ella Schwertfager are students at Otterbein who are navigating this next chapter in life.

Juju Grubich is a senior allied health major who played basketball at Otterbein for three years but had to retire after she suffered a concussion in December 2025. The injury forced her to transition to life without basketball.

Earlier in the process, Grubich said that she began to do arts and crafts to pass the time while she was recovering. Grubich also said she found more time to journal and read her Bible. As her recovery progressed, she adjusted back to lifting, calling this her “outlet” to feel like a basketball player again.

Grubich also described the mental side of the transition. “It shocked me a little bit, because I began to realize how much basketball ruled my brain.”

However, Grubich points to her faith as sustaining her through her recovery. “I trust in God, and just knowing his plan is perfect has really eased my mind a lot.”

After finishing her collegiate soccer career this past fall, senior allied health major Ella Schwertfager was met with the challenge of what to do next. “Something that’s difficult is actually accepting that it’s done, especially with it being something that I’ve done my whole life," said Schwertfager. "It’s pretty much all I’ve really ever known, so that acceptance aspect and moving on from something that was such a big part of my life.”

Just because her time with Otterbein women’s soccer is over doesn’t mean she’s done with the game. Schwertfager currently plays among her former Otterbein teammates in an indoor league and plans on returning to her club team for the summer to stay active. With her newfound free time, she stays busy with familiar forms of exercise, like lifting weights and cardio, along with unfamiliar forms of exercise, like heated mat Pilates.

Amongst all these activities, she has also discovered the importance of relaxation after participating in sports year-round. “Now that I’m not at practice every day, I just feel the effects that years of sports and not taking a break has had on my body," said Schwertfager. "You can take a rest day, and it’s not the end of the world.”

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