HEADSTRONG!
Fall- 2010
The Mental Edge ~ Gail Royce ~ 10045 Morningside Dr. ~ Morrison, CO, 80465 ~ 303-697-6389 ~ mental_coach1@msn.com
Happy Fall My Friends! For many of you that’s meant back to school, daily practices, football & volleyball games and cross
country & gymnastics meets. For others, it’s meant winding down from a summer of cycling & running races, triathlons & golf
tournaments. Wherever you are in your “season” I hope you’re having fun and that your body and mind are staying healthy and
strong. Enjoy!
For me it was a quiet Summer & Fall, but I enjoyed some nice hikes and a few road and mountain bike rides. I’m still not back to
“real” training and competition health, but am continuing look for a solution. My new bodywork guy is giving me hope! I’m
definitely looking forward to strapping on the snowshoes, doing some XC skiing in Yellowstone and hitting the slopes at Copper
this Winter.
I recently returned from my annual trek to the 24 Hours of Moab Mountain Moab mtn. bike race as a support team member.
Sampson had a spectacular race, riding a full 2 more laps this year! Can you imagine even sitting on a bike seat for 24 hours?
Much less riding 12 hours in the dark, navigating rocks and drop offs, maintaining your energy and focus, and just staying
awake? As always, the race and Samspon were a testament to the unparalleled spirit of competitive athletes.
So, what incredible challenges, extraordinary goals or outlandish adventures are YOU putting on your calendar!
Who
Am
I?
You’re a serious, committed, driven athlete. You spend a good part of your days training, developing your strength and
endurance, improving your skills, and preparing for competition. You’d rather be on the field, the ice, the court, the putting
green, or the bike than anywhere else. You have a vision, a dream, a goal; maybe a championship, a scholarship, a pro contract.
You’re passionate about your sport; it runs in your blood and lives in your soul! You’re an athlete 24/7. To be successful at a
high level you need to have that exceptional intensity. But, it’s also important to understand and remember that you are so
much more than an athlete; you are so much more than your sport.
It’s definitely a huge pride thing to be able to say, “I’m a gymnast,” I’m a baseball player,” I’m a skater,” I’m a cyclist.” It’s fun to
feel special, to be an athlete whose extraordinary skills set you apart from the crowd. But it’s also necessary to see, appreciate,
and value who you are in the other areas of your life; who you are as Jo, Taylor, Darrin or Megan. You may be a student, an
employee, a friend, a son or daughter, a parent, a brother or sister, a spouse, a volunteer, a teacher or coach. And your selfesteem, or how you feel about yourself, should be the result of a combination of all these life roles and accomplishments, not
just your athletic ones.
It’s helpful to recognize that the qualities which make you successful as an athlete are part of your overall makeup. Your
commitment, focus, persistence, passion, resilience, creativity, leadership, ambition, organization, etc. are traits you carry to all
of your life roles. Bill Bradley was an NBA Hall of Famer, Olympic gold medalist…and a Senator & presidential candidate.
Shannon Miller was a gymnastics Olympic gold medalist… now she’s a mom, speaker, business owner, lawyer and radio
personality. Their athletic characteristics translated into many successes off the competition field. So can yours.
When you’re injured and unable to train and/or compete in your sport at the intensity you’re accustomed to, it can mess with
who you feel you are. Athletes sometimes begin to question “what else they’re good for.” It’s important during these times to
look to your other roles and acknowledge and appreciate your abilities and relationships. When you pitch poorly, lose a match,
fall on a skill, or drop the game winning pass, its’ easy to feel bad about yourself. Yes, a poor performance is upsetting,
disappointing and frustrating; but it shouldn’t decrease your sense of self-worth. You must learn to separate the competition
from your value as a person. For example, you may have lost the race, but that doesn’t make you a loser. You may have failed
to make the varsity, but it doesn’t mean YOU are a failure. Your win/loss record or beam score are not who you are.
Absolutely love being an athlete and take pride in your passion for your sport. But also remember to be aware of how much you
have to contribute when you’re not in your uniform. As one of my favorite racquetball players likes to remind herself, “It’s not
WHO I am, it’s what I DO.”
A Mentally Tough Athlete
I’ve developed a list of 15 actions and habits I feel help define a mentally tough athlete. These actions concern how an
athlete handles herself/himself in both the practice and competitive arenas. I’ll be sharing them with you over the next
few newsletters. As you read them, evaluate yourself and see what areas are strengths and which areas need some
improvement. For the full list and your own personal checklist, please visit my website at mentaledgecoaching.net.
*******
A Mentally Tough Athlete:
Learns about and consistently includes positive mental skills in all training and competition situations.
Some athletes may consult a sport psychologist or read a mental skills book to learn more about the mental side of their game.
But then they fail to effectively use what they’ve learned. Or they might remember to practice their mental skills on the good
days, but don’t make the effort on the difficult days (when it’s most important.) The mentally tough athlete continually learns as
much as they can about productive mental skills and makes sure they become a daily part of their training, preparation and
competition.
Sets challenging goals and follows a well organized plan to achieve them.
Having strong, well defined, and written down goals is the foundation of good mental preparation and mental excellence. As
you may have heard before, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might just end up somewhere else!” In order to stay on
track, work through the tough times, and achieve your potential, establishing challenging goals and creating well thought out
action steps are a must.
A
Huge
Thumbs
Up!!
Sampson- 14 Laps (210 miles) at 24 Hours of Moab!
Alex- State High School Tennis-2nd
EHS XC- League Champions
Marianne- Gold medal-5K Masters Racewalking Championships
BCHS Gymnastics- League Champs
Phoebe- XC State qualifier
Tricia- Ironman Triathlon Competitor
Joel- Two awesome touchdowns!
Danny- Podium finish in Tour de China road race and California cyclocross race
To all of the high school athletes competing in
your Fall State Championships in volleyball,
cross country, gymnastics, football and field
hockey.
Sending
Healing Vibes To
Cole Baylea Tomi Taylor
FOR A LITTLE EXTRA INSPIRATION:
* Create a motivational collage with pictures of yourself, athletes you admire, goals you have and inspirational
words and phrases cut from magazines
* Subscribe to an email service that sends motivational quotes daily
* Write your Fire in the Belly Goal in big letters on a huge poster and put it on the ceiling over your bed
* Make a bracelet with “Yes I Can” or a special motivational word
* Choose several powerful motivational quotes, write them on Post-It notes & put them up around your house.
*******
“I am a winner. I just didn’t win today,”
Greg Norman–golfer-Multiple PGA Championship winner
“It’s very, very dangerous to have your self-worth riding on your results as an athlete.”
Jim Courier –tennis player- formerly ranked #1 in the world
“I love playing tennis, I love winning titles. For my tennis career, this is great. But as far as being Venus, it doesn’t really
make a huge difference.”
Venus Williams- tennis player #5 Tennis
“I knew that however I performed, my parents would still love me!”
Greg Louganis-diver- his final thought just before diving for the gold medal