Have you experienced this before in a race? You’re in the starting gate and ready to go physically and mentally with less than 30 seconds before you put your poles over the wand, hear the countdown, and kick out of the start. Then, all of a sudden, there’s a course hold. It may be due [...]
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 [...]
The ski racing community is now deep into what is certainly the strangest race season 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 racers on and off the hill is…frustration. For many racers, it feels like a lost [...]
The Covid-19 crisis has certainly presented me with new challenges in my work with ski racers, whether U14s or World Cuppers. It’s as if the pandemic has taken all of the normal challenges that racers face and turned their volume up several notches. Whether motivation, confidence, fear of failure, expectations, or anxiety, whatever athletes are [...]
Back in December, I wrote an article titled, Parker Biele is My Hero, in which I expressed my admiration for this young ski racer who, against significant physical odds and bucking our somewhat inflexible U.S. ski racing culture, has continued to progress and find success at the ripe old age of 21 (written ironically). I [...]
I’m sure I’m not the only follower of all things ski racing to observe what appears to be a spate of serious injuries among World Cup stars and up-and-comers. It seems as if, every week, there is more than one article on skiracing.com describing both an inspirational victory by our favorite World Cupper along with [...]
A number of occurrences compelled me to write this article. First, a growing number of professional athletes are coming forward with their own mental-health challenges in the hopes of destigmatizing mental illness and encouraging others who are struggling to seek help. Second, the Covid-19 crisis has seen an increase in mental-health issues, particularly among young [...]
It has certainly been a challenging 2020 for our ski racing community. In mid-March, Covid-19 through a wrench in the machinery of our sport’s plans, cancelling races and ending the season prematurely. The disruption continued through the summer as opportunities for on-snow training dwindled; in the U.S., only Mount Hood was able to accommodate racers. [...]
In my work with ski racers, from juniors up to the World Cup, I, of course, introduce them to typical mental training techniques such as goal setting, mental imagery, positive self-talk, and routines. All are invaluable tools to help racers get the most out of their training and ski their fastest on race day. Yet, [...]
You might be asking, “Who the heck is Parker Biele and why does she deserve hero status?” Or, you might be asking, “I know Parker Biele and why the heck does she deserve hero status?” In either case, I’ll answer your question shortly. But first, I want to explain what inspired me to write this [...]
