First meet of the year! -Very nervous, excited, stressed out, excited, freaking out- that’s how I feel. Part of me wishes to go back to working on individual skills, upgrading my difficulty and what not, another part of me gets excited about playing the game of hitting as many routines as possible. We leave tomorrow for Pennsylvania, leo is packed, gym bag in order with tape, grips, floor music etc. Haven’t packed my bags but that is less important.
My head is totally divided at this point. Part of me feels confident, excited to get out there and show all of the new skills that I have been training for months. This part of me is not very concerned with the fact that I haven’t mastered the skills; this part of me is happy to just go out there and do as best as I can. The other side of me is terrified of falling, fearful of embarrassing and disappointing myself after trying hard and failing. As a gymnast I know that I should not listen to this second voice. I have to be confident, stay positive, believe in my training, know that I can do the skills and that even if I fall I will get up and keep on going. It is just a meet, a place for me to try new skills and gain confidence while performing in front of a panel of judges.
I have a hard time understanding this divided brain of mine. I am the one in control so I get to decide which voice I listen to. My goal this meet is to learn to listen to the positive side, to for the first time in my life feel confident about my gymnastics. Yeah, skills are not perfect and more training will definitely help, but for now the focus is the mind and I have no handicap that will make me unable to control my brain. So on Saturday, my goal is to be in the zone- stay positive, do not get frustrated, picture perfect routines and have the confidence that I can do it- If I fall, I have 10 seconds (except on floor) to brush it off, forget about it and concentrate on the rest of the routine. The goal is not to win but to perform with confidence, showing clean and high difficulty gymnastics. We are going for the street credit!
So breathe in and out, get a good night sleep. Forget about gymnastics until Saturday morning. Listen to inspiration station, picture the routines perfect in your mind. Once at the meet, focus on the key words that go with each skill, forget about the rest of the World and just stay tune to the apparatus and to my body. Scott will be there as a support, so, don’t even worry about it. See this meet as a chance to finally show what you have been working for so long in the gym. All those hours at Duke’s gym doing cardio and weight training, all that time spent on bars, floor, vault and beam, going through progressions that have lead to this moment, to the point in which I can perform a difficult skill all by myself! I am proud for what I have trained and for what I have already achieved. Now for three hours and a half (or however long the meet will be) I will get the opportunity to share with my teammates and other gymnasts my hard work and mental toughness that has helped me get to where I am.
BE CONFIDENT! SI SE PUEDE!
No comments:
Post a Comment