MENTAL FITNESS A FOCUS ALONGSIDE PHYSICAL READINESS Fox

Brandon Peifer has been instructing students for 19 years now, both in the classroom and as a nationally recognized strength and conditioning coach known for his innovative approaches to youth fitness. In those settings, students have opened up to him. He’s had conversations about the issues they believe are preventing them from reaching their goals in sports, school, and everyday life, such as anxiety, expectations, perfectionism, and a lack of self-confidence and focus, to name a few.

When Mr. Peifer heard about the Little Bets grants funded by the Pittsburghbased Grable Foundation, he knew the mental training and peak performance sessions would help students and athletes alike overcome the many challenges they face.

“All of this is really about building relationships with kids and providing a safe environment for them to try new things and learn from those experiences,” Mr. Peifer says, while stressing that the program is open to the entire student body of Fox Chapel Area High School.

It focuses on three approaches to holistic wellness – weight room and fitness through the ongoing school-sponsored strength and conditioning program, nutrition counseling, and positive mental training.

Donato Fanelle, a mental training and peak performance specialist for KPEX Consulting, is conducting five sessions as part of the program. The intent is to give students the tools they need to develop positive habits and decision-making skills that will help them become more resilient and prepared for life. Each open discussion session is based upon the topics the students identified as being most important to them: relaxation and energy management, concentration and focus, self-talk, and visualization.

Nutritionist Leslie Bonci, formerly a consultant to the Pittsburgh Steelers who now works with the Kansas City Chiefs, also talked to students about their nutritional needs and requirements to achieve optimal mental and physical success.

Junior Ben DeMotte, the Foxes’ starting quarterback and a standout baseball player, says he is learning how much of an edge nutrition can give him in performance on the field and the weight room, and how important his thoughts are when he’s on the field.

“I learned from Mr. Fanelle to have a neutral mindset,” says Ben. “Everyone always says, ‘Just stay positive,’ and there is good to that, but really staying neutral and having the mindset that, ‘Here is our goal, what are we going to do to accomplish it?’ is most important. I also learned about ‘flushing it,’ something to help with adversity. It’s part of every sport, but how you respond to those mistakes and adversity, and moving on from them is what’s important.”

Junior Lucy Rygelski is a member of the girls golf team. With golf being such a game of the mind, she has done a lot of reading on her own about mental toughness.

“I am interested in anything that would strengthen my game,” Lucy says. “It isn’t just about the good days. In golf, you lose more than you win, so you learn early to enjoy the journey.

Coach Peifer has taught me the importance of being a good athlete and a strong and balanced athlete, both physically and mentally. Strength is as important as nutrition, which is just as important as mental health.”

For Ben, the efforts to help students reach peak performance and mental awareness is about getting an edge and “trusting the process.” He adds, “It’s about having the same mindset going into every workout, practice, and game, and being able to perform to the best of my abilities.”

Mr. Peifer reports the sessions have received positive feedback from students and athletes. Coaches at the high school are also very supportive of the program because it reinforces and expands upon important topics that they cannot address as thoroughly or expertly as the professionals, he says.

Mr. Peifer and Fox Chapel Area School District Athletic Director Michael O’Brien hope to repeat the series next year.

“When Brandon approached me about this concept, I immediately thought it was a great idea,” Mr. O’Brien says. “Of course, we always want our athletic teams to be very successful competitors, but our first priority isn’t always the number of wins and losses. High school athletics is about so much more than that. A big part of our job is to teach our student-athletes the life skills they need to be mentally prepared both on the field and in life. This program will help our students become more well-rounded individuals.”