Results aren’t the Only Criterion of Success in This Sports Year of COVID

The sports community is now deep into what is certainly the strangest competitive year ever, overshadowed, of course, by the Covid-19 pandemic. The predominant emotion I have seen in my work with athletes and in conversations with many more athletes on and off the field of play is…frustration. For many athletes, it feels like a lost year in which opportunities for advancement up the competitive ladder are being stunted by fewer competitions and even fewer chances to lower their points. This frustration is especially acute for athletes who want to compete in college, those trying to qualify to higher-level teams, and those near the top who are trying to turn professional or be named to a 2022 Olympic team. Everyone in the sports community feels for all the committed athletes who feel held back by the pandemic.

Here’s a simple reality. Results matter in sports. You don’t get ahead by working hard (though great effort is certainly required) or by being a nice person. You progress up the competitive food chain by getting results. You qualify for higher competitive levels and get named to teams almost exclusively based on your results (yes, in some cases, there are discretionary picks, but you don’t want to leave your success in the hands of others). And let’s be even more honest. Psychologically and emotionally, you may base a good part of your self-identity as a athlete (maybe too much) on your results.

Let me say this upfront. If you are judging this stranger-than-strange year only on your results, you are potentially setting yourself up for a big disappointment.

A problem is that, for those with big aspirations, plateaus or declines in results from year to year can mean the end, or at least a major setback, for those aspirations. And Covid-19 throws a huge wrench in that machinery as well. Your reaction can range from disappointment (which can be motivating) to devastation (which can be deflating).

During this Covid-dominated year, this singular obsession with results can blind you to other criteria of success that demonstrate real progress even if you don’t get the results you want this year. It can also prevent you from seeing your year in the broader context of your long-term goals. Additionally, when you focus too much on your results, you keep yourself from recognizing that sports are definitely not linear, meaning progress isn’t always steady or consistent. It’s more like the stock market in which it can have terrible years, okay years, and outstanding years. And, again, due to Covid-19, this year can feel like the Great Recession! But, if you step back and look at the stock market with a big-picture perspective over a number of years, what you notice is that it continues to climb steadily. You should look at your competitive efforts in the same way.

Even without the pandemic, the frustrating fact is that sports progress often occurs in fits and starts influenced by a variety of factors including your physical and psychological development, your coaching, the arc of your skill development, as well as those outside of your control such as the improvement of your competitors, injuries, and competitive conditions. And Covid-19 has added to the frustration factor by limiting off-season conditioning opportunities, ongoing sport training, and the competitive schedule.

Depending on your sport and when its main competitive season is, you may be gearing up for, in the middle of, just finishing, or, worst-case scenario, never had a season, here a few things you can do:

Recommit to giving your best effort through the end of the year.
Focus on what you can control (yourself!) and ignore what you can’t control (Covid-19, whether competitions).
Identify areas you still need to work on this year.
Double down on your on-snow training, sleep, nutrition, physical maintenance, and school.
Remind yourself why you ski compete: because you love it.
Stay focused on the “long game.”

Also, as this Covid-driven sports year continues, I suggest that you broaden your definition of what constitutes a good year beyond your results. What should you look at and what questions should you ask? Here are a few ideas:

Am I stronger this year than I was last year?
Am I better technically and tactically?
Am I mentally stronger: more motivated, confident, intense, and focused?
Am I more competitive against my teammates and opponents?
Am I continuing to progress toward my goals?

Improvement in these essential contributors to sports performance doesn’t always lead immediately to better results, especially during this Covid-infected year. Sometimes it takes time for all these necessary contributors to gel. It can sometimes take more than one year for the many pieces of the perform-my-best puzzle to fall into place.

As Shakespeare once said, “One bad year doth not a career make (or break).” Actually, I just made that up, but you get the point.

Sure, you’re going to be disappointed if you don’t get the results you want this year. But don’t let it devastate you and don’t let it cause you to give up on your dream. Be patient, stay committed, and, at some point, good things will happen, including those outstanding results that you covet.

Want to make mental training a part of your winter training and compete plan? Here are a few options: