Head down, barely holding back her tears, Skatergirl exits the kiss and cry.
She skated a clean program. She landed all her jumps. And yet, she still wasn’t able to beat her personal best.
Before the scores were announced, she was ecstatic. It was her best program ever. She had a blast She even did a fist pump as she left the ice. She accomplished everything she set out to do. She couldn’t ask for anything more.
Then, the scores were announced.
Now, all of those feelings are gone. The excitement in her heart has been replaced with disappointment and frustration. Instead of celebrating her performance she wants to forget about it and move on.
The scores are out of your control
You do not have control over the scores.
Why? Because, you are not the one giving out the scores.
The only thing you have control over is your performance. The scores are decided by the judges and the tech panel, and these individuals are not you.
The judges and the tech panel are humans, not machines. This means that your scores may change slightly between competitions. Couple this with the fact that the judges and tech panel are often made up of different individuals depending on the competition, and this adds yet another factor that is out of your control.
And, that’s not all. The venue, the competitors, the time of day, all of these factors can affect your scores.
So, it’s important to remember that the only thing you have control over is your performance. The scores are. Not. Under. Your. Control.
Are scores useless?
The scores aren’t under your control, but that doesn’t mean they’re useless.
Scores are a snapshot of where you are at a specific moment in time, and can be used to help direct your training plan.
Under rotations. Edge changes. Falls. Negative GOEs. All of these can be used to help direct your training.
Low program component scores can be used in the same way.
The feedback from the technical panel and judges can be used by your coach to adjust your training plan. They can add more exercises and reps for skills that need to be improved, and lower the number of reps for the skills you’ve already mastered.
Remember, scores don’t show the full picture. They are a snapshot of your performance at a specific moment in time. But, if you are consistently under rotating your triple loop, or consistently changing edge on your triple lutz, this information can be used to help direct your training.
The real focus
Scores are like magic. They can transform a performance that an athlete was proud of into a monster that they never want to see again.
Maybe you want to beat a personal best. Even if you skate a clean program, if you don’t reach that score do you get mad?
What happens if you skate much better than your previous competition, but receive a lower score. Does that mean you didn’t improve?
Ok, scores are outside of my control. How can I stop them from deciding how I feel about my skate?
Instead of focusing on scores, switch your focus to how you feel after you finish your program.
How you feel in your ending position is the true measure of your performance. This is what you want to focus on.
Strive for that amazing feeling. Use it to motivate you. This is the reason you work so hard.
Too many athletes, parents, and some coaches treat scores as the way to measure an athlete’s ability, worth or potential. Which is the direct cause of Skatergirl’s meltdown in the kiss and cry.
In reality, they are merely a tool that can be used to direct an athlete’s training. To see what in the training plan is working, and what needs to be added or adjusted.
Did you make a technical error that caused you to get a lower score? Use that information to come up with a training plan.
Were your program component scores too low? Take some time during your training to improve in those areas.
But, no matter what you do, don’t let your scores color your perception of your performance. Instead, focus on the feeling you had in your ending position.
If skaters took Mental skills training as seriously as they do their on ice technical skills, they would find that their technical skills would improve exponentially.
Start here. Download “Confidence Myth Busters,” a complimentary eBook and make a change.