Skatergirl was warmed up and ready to go for her long program. She’d finished her six minute warm up and since she was skating second in her group, she was standing with Skatercoach behind the boards waiting to be called.
Unfortunately, the skater right before her had a costume malfunction. Swarovski crystals ended up scattered across the ice, forcing the referee to call for an emergency ice resurface.
Skatergirl didn’t know what to do. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before.
She put her warm up jacket back on and chatted with Skatercoach, trying to distract herself to keep herself calm.
The ice resurface finished, and the event staff checked the ice to make sure all the crystals had been picked up. By the time all the judges returned and the event resumed, almost 45 minutes had passed.
At this point, Skatergirl was cold. Her feet felt like blocks of lead, from being in her skates for too long, and her muscles were tense, from standing around in the cold.
When Skatergirl stepped onto the ice, she knew something was wrong. Her feet were numb and her legs were frozen. The six minute warm up felt like a distant memory.
The announcer called her name, and Skatergirl took her opening position. What happened after that was a disaster.
“How did your competition go?” Mentalgamecoach asked.
“It was a complete and utter disaster,” Skatergirl said. “My short program was fine, but my long program was trash.”
“What happened?” Mentalgamecoach asked.
“The girl who skated before me had a costume malfunction, and the referee called for an ice cut. It took them forty five minutes to resurface the ice and verify that all of the crystals were gone, so I was super cold by the time I got to skate.”
“I see,” Mentalgamecoach said. “During the ice cut, what did you do?”
“I stood around and talked to Skatercoach. My skates were already on, so I couldn’t do anything else.”
“If you were skating later in the group, what would you have done?”
“I would have taken off my skates and listened to music, while walking around to stay warm.”
“So, you have a routine, that’s great. The next time there is a delay, go back to your routine. Take off your skates for a bit, plug in your music, and do a reset.
“When the delay is over, put on your skates and do what you normally do. Start your routine from that point.
If you think the delay will be long, take off your skates. If you don’t have time, leave them on. The most important thing is to reset and start your routine from wherever you are.
“Routines are important. They help to minimize the number of decisions you need to make. This keeps you out of your head and helps you to stay in the moment. In addition, routines help to prepare your mind and body for whatever is coming next.
“When something happens that is out of your control, like an unexpected ice cut, a routine gives you something familiar to fall back on. This helps you to stay loose and relaxed, and gives your body the best shot at performing well.
“In this particular case, your routine is listening to music and walking around before you take the ice for your skate. So, if something happens after you finish your six minute warm up, go back to that point in your routine.
“Does that make sense?”
“Yes,” Skatergirl says.
“Awesome. Unexpected things won’t always happen to you. But when they do, a routine will allow you to reset and click back in after an interruption, which will allow you to perform at your best.”
Mental skills training can make a difference because it can help you access what is already there during competition and practice.
Start here: download “Confidence Myth Busters,” a complimentary eBook and make a change.