I have a lot of pet peeves when it comes to young athletes in their training and competitive efforts. For example, it drives me crazy to see athletes not prepare themselves fully for a practice session (but you can’t do that in a competition!). Or, young athletes standing around and chatting it up before drills [...]
I have a lot of pet peeves when it comes to young ski racers in their training and race efforts. For example, it drives me crazy to see them slip a training course, yet barely inspect it because they figure they can learn the course in the first few runs (but you can’t do that [...]
In this week’s vlog segment, I share with you seven important messages related to your children’s sports participation that you want to send them. These messages are so valuable because they will set the tone for how your young athletes approach their sports involvement. If your messages are about results, expectations, and pressure, three bad things [...]
I was recently interviewed by John Bennett, "The Travel Ball Dad," on a variety of issues and concerns related to raising young athletes. The interview explores how parents can best support their children in their sports participation, the challenges created by the "youth sport industrial complex," and questions and answers about when young athletes should [...]
Happy New Year!! And with 2018 just around the corner, many of us are thinking about the New Year's resolutions we want to establish in which we want to be a better us in some aspect of our lives. If your New Year's resolution is to be the best athlete, coach, or parent you can [...]
Over the last few decades, I have worked with many ski racers, from juniors to World Cuppers. One thing I have noticed is that the most powerful work I do with racers isn’t your typical mental training where I teach them about positive thinking, mental imagery, routines, and how to stay intense and focused (though [...]
In my seventh of 12 vlog segments devoted to athletes and coaches, I examine the impact that frustration has on athletes in their training and competitive efforts. Frustration is typically defined an emotional reaction that arises when the path toward a goal is blocked and can’t be readily cleared. Common sources of frustration for athletes [...]
The day of a game is a stressful time for athletes and parents alike. Athletes are putting their efforts on the line and must accept that those efforts don’t always pay off in sports. Parents want the best for their children and it pains us beyond pale to see our kids not find the success [...]
The race season is now upon us and race day is a stressful time for racers and parents alike. Young racers are putting their efforts on the line and must accept that those efforts don’t always pay off in our sport. Parents want the best for their children and it pains us beyond pale to [...]
Ski racing is a family to me, big and close-knit. Like any family, we disagree often, squabble periodically, and fight occasionally. Yet the ties that bind are strong: our passion for our sport, the joy in being in the mountains, the adrenaline rush of speed, the satisfaction of mastery, and, as the saying goes, the [...]
