Retiring at age 25
http://sports.yahoo.com/ten/news?slug=ap-heninretires&prov=ap&type=lgns
Henin’s success in the sport is obvious, and since she doesn’t strike me as a moron, I expect she’s in good shape financially for the rest of her life as well.
But this got me thinking: What would it be like to be “retired” at 25? Initially, I suspect it’d be great - to truly have the opportunity to do *whatever* you wanted with the rest of your life while still young enough to do *whatever* you want.
The only negative I can see is the (likely) loss of childhood, teen and/or college years. This may sound trivial, and perhaps it is - and I don’t know Henin’s history specifically, only the general assessment of athletic prodigies: A childhood spent solely on one sport in an attempt to (a) go pro as soon as possible, and then (b) achieve as much success as possible. For every Justin Henin, how many young women (and men) sacrificied the “normal” childhood/teen years for nothing… no meaningful pro career, or perhaps no pro career at all. The issues that Jennifer Capriatti experienced after early success are perhaps one of the case studies of the negative impacts of such a childhood.
I dunno… I suppose she can have her childhood now, or her college career now, or indeed whatever she wants now. But I’m just not sure I’m *completely* envious of Henin’s life to this point… my only point. I mean - she doesn’t know what its like to throw darts in a crowded, smelly dive bar and to then grab a foot-long french bread pizza (w/ grease and garden… naturally), on the way back to the house to play Asshole until the sun comes up. Hey… we’ve got *that* going for us… which is nice.
Okay, I’m grasping at straws - she’s 25, with enough money to set her up for life, having achieved career successes that none of us will ever comprehend, likely on the way to her sport’s Hall of Fame. But can she bring it in a game of Varsity Asshole?