Mikaela has certainly put herself between a rock and a hard place. Let’s start with the rock, which is the expectations she has created from her remarkable successes she has had during her short, though illustrious, career.

Mikaela has, over the years, built a veritable Mt. Everest of expectations for herself by so dominating slalom racing since her early and overwhelming victories at Topolino and Whistler Cup followed by her trifecta of success the last three years with her World Cup, World Championship, and Olympic titles.

Mikaela has set the bar so high in the minds of the ski racing community that anything less than a win is somehow seen as a disappointment by many. Case in point. Following her first World Cup GS victory in Solden, Mikaela ‘struggled’ through the next few races in which she finished 11^th, 6^th, and 5^th. For any other World Cupper, that would be a nice demonstration of consistency and a good collection of points. But for Mikaela, because of her consistently incredible success the last few years, that string of results has been a cause for real concern among many in the ski racing world.

Now to the hard place. I’m talking about the 2015 World Ski Championships that not only is being held on American soil, but will be contested in Mikaela’s home town of Vail, Colorado. All of the expectations that Mikaela has had to carry, and the accompanying media attention, just get ratcheted up.

Yes, I think it is safe to say that the expectations for Mikaela to win championship gold on her home hill can’t get any higher. Of course, the fact is that she’s not the first great ski racer (or athlete in any sport) who had the hopes of a nation or the attention of the world resting on her shoulders. But, another fact is that some of those in the past have soared to the highest heights despite that burden of expectations while others have crumbled and failed under that weight.

I’m not Mr. Spock from Star Trek, so I can’t do a Vulcan mind meld and see what Mikaela is thinking or feeling about all of these expectations on her. I’m also not a psychic, so I can’t predict the future any better than anyone else. At the same time, there is a saying in psychology: “The best predictor of future performance is past performance.” And the reality is that Mikaela has demonstrated over and over again that she can ignore, let go of, or redirect that pressure (I don’t know which) and rise to the occasion under the brightest of spotlights. I have no reason to believe that she won’t do it again. So, if you’re a betting person, bet on Mikaela.

Despite its early focus on Mikaela, this article is really not about her. Instead, the World Championships provide yet another amazing lesson that all ski racers can learn from her, namely, how to deal with that burden of expectation before a big race.

It’s very likely that you may feel those same expectations in your own version of the World Championships, whether the High School Championships, States, Junior Olympics, Junior Nationals, or Junior Worlds. The stage may not be as grand, but it is also no less pressure packed.

Why Expectations are Bad

Expectations aren’t a guarantee of bad skiing and poor results, but it increases the chances dramatically because expectations create pressure on you to fulfill them. No way you can ski well when you’re feeling that weight on your shoulders.

Expectations can hurt you both physically and psychologically. They can have a harmful physical effect on you, causing muscle tension, restricted breathing, a decline in coordination, and a general sense of discomfort. You feel weighed down and you just don’t feel good.

Expectations can redirect your focus away from skiing your fastest and onto the results, most notably, any results that don’t live up to those expectations and the possibility that you will fail to meet them.

They can cause you to question your ability to fulfill those expectations, leading to a loss of confidence, doubt, and uncertainty.

Lastly, expectations can cause a host of unpleasant emotions including fear, frustration, worry, and anxiety, all of which can prevent you from skiing your best.

The bottom line is that, unless something is done to change your perspective on expectations or to help you let go of those expectations, you have very little chance of skiing your best and getting the results you want.

Where Expectations Come From

Expectations can come from outside of you or from within. Typical sources of external expectations come from family, coaches, and friends. Here’s a line I often hear being said to racers by friends and acquaintances that strikes absolute terror into the heart of racers: “I just know you’ll win.” Though such an expression of confidence is well intentioned, it is also painfully misguided because it creates a situation where anything less than victory will mean failure and disappointing others.

You may also create your own expectations. You may be so driven to achieve your goals that this determination causes you to focus too much on results creating self-imposed pressure, for example, “I better win or this will have been a total waste of time.”

At a deeper level, expectations arise from forces within you that you may not even be aware of. The most common source of expectations is fear of failure in which you absolutely must meet those expectations or else something terrible will happen. What are those awful things that might happen? The most common ones include your parents won’t love you, your friends won’t like you, you’ll be a total loser, all of your efforts will have been wasted, and your ski racing dreams will die. Now that is pressure!

How to Deal with Expectations

If the expectations are coming from others, you have several options. First, you can avoid those people like the plague. If you’re not near them, you won’t be able to hear those well-intentioned, though misguided, expressions of confidence in you (“You’re going to win for sure!”). Second, you can tell those people to just “Shut up!” (in a nicer way, of course). Third, you can change the way you think about their expectations. For example, you can say “I really appreciate their support and encouragement.” The key is to distance yourself from those expectations because they don’t do you any good.

If the expectations are coming from within, there are several steps you can take. In an ideal world, you would simply let go of any and all outcome expectations. That, however, isn’t an easy thing to do because the causes of the expectations are often unconscious and it usually requires some pretty intense work with a sport psychologist to exorcise them from your mind.

So, what can you do right now to lift that burden of expectation before the big race? Here are a few ideas:

• Focus on the 5 Ps: Perspective, process, present, positive, and progress. If you focus on them, you won’t be focusing on the expectations.
• Change your physiology. Expectations inevitably create anxiety and tension. By actively taking steps to relax, for example, with deep breathing and muscle relaxation, you remove the physical symptoms of the expectations.
• Distract yourself. Talk to other people, listen to music, anything that will keep your mind off of the expectations.
• Create good emotions. Expectations can cause you to feel frustration, worry, and fear. To counteract those, do things that are fun and that will inspire good emotions such as excitement, pride, and joy.
• Do mental imagery. See and feel yourself focusing on skiing your best. This will redirect your attention onto what you need to do to achieve your race goals.
• Shift your view of the expectations away from being a threat to avoid and onto a challenge to be pursued.

Ultimately, the degree to which expectations impact how you ski in big races will depend on how you finish this statement: “If I don’t do well, ________.” If you say, “If I don’t meet my expectations, it’s the end of the world,” you’re pretty much doomed to a poor result. But, if you say, “If I don’t meet my expectations, I’ll be disappointed, but I’ll be okay,” you have relieved yourself of that burden of those expectations and freed yourself to ski your very best when it matters most.