At a camp for aspiring skaters, World and Olympic coach Audrey Weisiger offers insights about how athletes need to manage and control their thoughts to create the results they desire and achieve their goals. Shout out to well-known figure skating sports psychologist Caroline Silby for many of these insights. Audrey begins by noting that we all have a mental and emotional response to challenges, and learning to have an empowering response is critical. She continues with the exclamation, “Watch your language” and she goes on to discuss self-talk and how it affects performance. It’s important for skaters to check in with their thoughts, and have a clear picture of what they’re trying to accomplish. And the goal is positive and effective thinking rather than negative and distracted thinking. Effective thinking is remaining focused on whatever is required to fix an element.
Everyone tends to have a certain thinking style, typically one of “blame, shame, or claim.” Audrey gives humorous examples of these and reiterates how powerful it is for skaters to take responsibility for outcomes when things don’t go well (“own it”). She also cautions against “black and white thinking” or seeing things as all good or all bad. She says, “You’re never as good or bad as people say you are.”
Audrey continues with the concept “You become what you think of the most.” Then she gives an example of how effective training should create technique and muscle memory that allows a skater to “just do” rather than think. To reach one’s potential (destiny), the path is “Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your actions, your actions become your character, and your character becomes your destiny.” Audrey gives an example that these skaters can easily relate to.
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