Category Archives: Mentor Messages

Your Games. Your Experience.

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July 1 2012. Happy Canada Day!

Soon you will go to London for YOUR Olympics. They will be different than anything you’ve ever done including World Championships, World Cups and other Olympic Games. How they effect – and affect you – is up to you. Everyone is different and being different is just fine. Today I’d like to share with you some advice from the experiences of two incredible competitors, Christine Nesbitt and Clara Hughes.

A year ago, I asked World and Olympic Champion Christine Nesbitt to recount what it was like going to the Vancouver Olympics for her speed skating competitions. I had heard that the atmosphere and noise in the London Velodrome would be similar to that of the speedskating oval in Richmond and I wanted to pass on any tips to Tara Whitten, Zack Bell and our other track cyclists. Her message got back to me a bit late for their test event – but I believe the experience she recounted can surely resonate with you all.

What stuck me in her message was how the energy from the Games – the competition, crowds and the media – resonated with her differently than her teammate, Clara Hughes. Even though both women would win medals at those Games, Christine realized that the way she needed to handle the Olympic energy had to be HER way – not Clara’s or anyone else’s. Some are inspired by the Olympic energy and ride it like a wave – some people need to separate it out and stay focused on their own very specific (and very well trained!) task at hand. Continue reading →

Your want-to sweet spot

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It’s getting so close. You’ve done so much work, been through so much, dreamt for so long. Your Olympic goal is just around the corner and you just want it so badly. But be aware of wanting success so much that you cross over to feeling like you have to be successful. Feeling like you have to achieve is a very difficult place to perform from.

Right about now – less than 60 days until it all begins – is sometimes a difficult time to remember that you love what you do and that it’s mostly fun. It’s been an unusually long year with higher training volume and intensity coupled with all the consequences of selection and qualification. With summer racing and competitions in full swing – we become fully aware that there are very few second chances left. Add to that the almost constant hum of expectations from our family, the media and sponsors that are ever present, whether we are focusing on them or not. But remember, nobody wants or expects more from you than you – this is your ride! You’ve earned it and more importantly – you are ready for it. Continue reading →

Protect your performance

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Happy May!  87 days until the Olympics begin – which means only 104 until they are over. (Whoa!) This time – your time – is precious.

I loved reading the tweets at 100 days out – Rosie MacLennan figured out that she had 57,142 jumps (on the trampoline) to go, someone at CTV figured out that were only 14 Wednesdays left, Ryan Cochrane got way more specific (as an athlete would) with 1.5 million seconds left to train and this got RT’d a few times: “Odds of being an Olympic athlete are 630,000 to 1. Odds of winning a gold medal are 22,000,000 to 1. #100daystogo to lower the odds.” Across the board everyone seemed to be pumped that the Games are closing in but there is a laser focus on the work that is left to do. Awesome.

A few months ago, in Bubble Wrap and Priorities I wrote about not doing anything ‘dumb’ that could risk your health. This month I want to suggest that you don’t risk your energy. You need to be selfish in the next 104 days and protect your performance. This includes protecting your energy levels too. Continue reading →

Comfort vs. Magic 2012

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This month’s message from me is really simple – but for you it’s what makes everything so hard. No matter what your role is within your sport – your rank in Canada, or in the World, my guess is that this year you want to do more than you’ve ever done before. To do that you have to be outside of your comfort zone way more than you’re in it. That is where magic often happens.

Trust in your preparation—all of it. Not just this year’s or last year’s but from your entire career. Trust that you are experienced; trust that you are really good and that you’re doing everything in your power to be better. And then let yourself stretch; reach physically, mentally and emotionally.

This image has been around for a while but I recently saw it used by an adventurer, Bruce Kirkby, as he encouraged an audience to alter their routine, get out of their comfort zone and find their own adventure. It is not about your abilities. It is about exploring beyond where you are comfortable. You should not expect to be comfortable while trying to do something hard, aka new, special, or magical (Yes, this is the whole ‘be comfortable being uncomfortable’ speech). Continue reading →