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POSTED IN 01/10
JOSH SMULLIN
Contributing Editor
Josh coaches the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club and races for Rossignol. He has a masters degree in sport psychology from the University of Utah, where he was assistant coach of the ski team. Josh competed for CU-Boulder where he earned bachelor's degrees in kinesiology and psychology.
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Last winter I attended a social gathering that included several of the country’s top Nordic skiers and heard them discussing a local “fun” race they had recently participated in.
The topic soon switched to the upcoming “very serious” U.S. National Championships.
It occurred to me that these athletes were approaching different caliber races from very different perspectives.
For many ski racers, the higher the stakes and more serious the race, the less fun and enjoyment they experience. Why can’t the serious races be fun as well?
“Serious” racing can be a very enjoyable opportunity to put yourself out on the line and decide to give your best effort if you approach it from a healthy and positive perspective.
Many athletes are able to perform well in the “fun” races when the stakes are low. In contrast, very few athletes are able to step up and give their best performances in big races.
What is it about big races that “forces” athletes to approach them differently from a fun race?
Pressure! Pressure is not actually a real phenomenon that exists in sports.
Pressure exists only in our heads and is a result of our perception of a situation.
Many of the athletes who are able to give great performances in the big events have found a way to change their perceptions about the importance of an event.
By changing their approach they can reduce anxiety and free themselves to think about a serious race in the same way that many of us approach a fun race.
It is not mandatory for a racer to approach big races with feelings of anxiety and panic.
The best line of defense against pressure and the resulting anxiety is to realize that you are not your result. By this I mean to convince you that your result in a ski race does not determine your worth as a person. Not even close!
Many athletes know this to be true, but continue to exaggerate the importance of their performances and results.
The more a skier exaggerates the importance of their result, or equates it with their self worth, the higher their anxiety and likelihood of racing poorly.
If you find yourself feeling the pressure before, during or after your “big” race this season, take a moment to put everything into perspective.
Your training for this race has already been done. There is nothing you can do about that now.
Getting serious and thinking about the consequences of not meeting your race goal will not help you rest/sleep/conserve energy any better in the days leading up to the competition.
If you decide to put on a bib and race, let that bib signify your commitment to put forth the best effort you are capable of giving on that given day (no matter how fun, or serious the race).
By downplaying the importance of ski racing, I am not attempting to convince you that it is not important to you; quite the opposite.
Ski racing is very important to many of you, and it should be. You have invested many hours of training and sacrificed in other areas of your life to pursue your goal of improving as a skier.
The big race of the season is your opportunity to reward yourself for all of the hard work you have put in.
For most people, thinking about the potential consequences of a race will only distract them and will not help them perform any better.
The nerves and excitement that you experience in the big races provide you with some great feedback that you are really alive, excited and passionate about racing!
The serious races are actually more enjoyable than the fun ones if you free yourself from exaggerated worries and allow yourself to embrace the “pressure”!
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