I’m going to make a request of you: Don’t think about a pink elephant. What did you do? Well, you thought about a pink elephant, of course. Now I’m going to make a demand: DO NOT THINK ABOUT A PINK ELEPHANT, DO NOT THINK ABOUT A PINK ELEPHANT, DO NOT THINK ABOUT A PINK ELEPHANT!! [...]
Photo credit: www.123rf.com It’s that time of the race season when results REALLY start to matter. For many racers in the U.S., the REALLY important races of the year—States, Regionals and Nationals—are coming up and it’s REALLY important that you ski fast. Yet, this is also the time of year when many racers aren’t [...]
I come to this article from two directions. First, as a sport psychologist who has worked ski racers and their parents for decades. There is no doubt that my experiences in helping racers to achieve their goals and assisting parents in best supporting their children has informed my ideas here. At the same time, perhaps [...]
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 [...]
I’m working with a World Cup downhiller (not named Lindsey Vonn and not an American) who is coming back to racing this season after a series of injuries. As you can imagine, it’s a real challenge for her to get her “mojo” back and regain her feel and comfort on the fastest downhill tracks in [...]
This article is my third and final in a series on the role of technology in ski racing (here’s #1 and #2). Today, I will focus on one particular recent technology that is changing the way we follow races. I’m talking about Live-Timing, that now “essential” tool for the ski racing world to track race [...]
I have a lot of pet peeves when it comes to ski racers when they’re training including leaning on their poles shortly before a training run (no intensity), chatting it up with teammates when they’re in the starting gate of a training course (no focus), and half-hearted effort to the first gate (easing into the [...]
Technology is playing an increasingly more important role in the lives of ski racers both on and off the hill. This influence is, no doubt, both helpful and detrimental to their athletic, personal, family, and social lives. This article is the first in a three-part series exploring how technology impacts racers, coaches, and parents, and [...]
The race season is just around the corner. Could there be a better holiday gift than helping the ski racers in your family to get mentally prepared to ski their fastest (probably, but this is a pretty good gift too!)? Just a quick reminder about the re-launch of my Prime Ski Racing 101: Train Your Mind like [...]
Photo credit: Mitchell Gunn I just returned from Copper where I was working with the USST women’s Europa Cup and D teams and the National Training Group (a great group of young women!). A major goal they wanted to pursue was consistency in their skiing. This objective fit nicely into my own priorities [...]