The Trials and Triumphs of a PG Year
For every serious ski racer who has aspirations to ski in college or get named to a national team, a PG, or gap, year is almost an inevitable these days. PG years have been around for decades; they were common even back in my day when I took two PG years between graduating from Burke […]
Read MoreSix Attitudes Parents Should Instill in Their Athletes
When most people in the sports world think of sport psychology, they think of mental training, that is, helping athletes prepare mentally to perform their best when it matters most. Mental muscles that help athletes strengthen include motivation, confidence, intensity, and focus. And mental tools I help athletes to put in their mental toolboxes include […]
Read MoreSix Attitudes Parents Should Instill in Their Ski Racers
When most people in our ski racing community think of sport psychology, they think of mental training, that is, helping racers prepare mentally to ski their fastest when it matters most. Mental muscles that help racers strengthen include motivation, confidence, intensity, and focus. And mental tools I help racers to put in their mental toolboxes […]
Read MoreSix Phrases That Weigh You Down on Game Day
For many athletes in many sports, the competitive season is now in full swing. In other words, the season is getting real and the competitions are starting to really matter! So, this is the time when you want to perform your best consistently. Yet, this is also a time when you may start to feel […]
Read MoreSix Phrases That Weigh You Down on Race Day
The race season is now in full swing with qualifying races underway for regional and national championship series. In other words, the season is getting real and the races are starting to really matter! So, this is the time when you want to ski consistently fast. Yet, this is also a time when you may […]
Read MoreSet Healthy Expectations for Your Young Athlete
Setting expectations for your children is an essential responsibility of being a sport parent. Expectations communicate messages to your children about what’s important to you and establish a standard toward which they can strive. But expectations can be double-edged swords. They can be a tremendous benefit to your children’s athletic and personal development or they […]
Read MoreFive Obstacles That Prevent Ski Racing Success
In my last post, I introduced you to my Prime Performance System that acts as the foundation for my new 12-week online mental training program which I will begin offering on June 1st. In that post, I described the first of five mental areas—attitudes—that comprise my Prime Performance System and that I believe most impact […]
Read MoreFirst Run, Second Run; Good Run, Bad Run
There are two scenarios on race day that I hear frequently from the racers I work with and the coaches I talk to that are a source of immense frustration, poor skiing, and disappointing results. I’m going to discuss the first scenario in this article and the second scenario in a follow-up article next week. […]
Read MorePerfectionism is REALLY Bad
New York magazine just published a really unsettling article on perfectionism, expanding on my own notions on the topic. Let me state this clearly: Perfectionism is REALLY BAD! It may appear to lead to great success, but, to the contrary, it often results in a lack of true success and, more importantly, it will make […]
Read MoreSet Healthy Expectations for Your Ski Racer
Setting expectations for your young ski racer is an essential responsibility of parenting. Expectations tell your children what’s important to you and establish a standard toward which they can strive. But expectations can be double-edged swords. They can be a tremendous benefit to your children’s development as both ski racers and people or they can […]
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