THE PSYCHOLOGY
EDITION
How To Achieve The Flow State
The 8 Types of Athletes Is Glory Important?
JONAH HUDEC
Ski Champion
WHY YOU NEED TO CROSS COUNTRY SKI
Editor’s Adress Why Do We Play Sport? Do we even PLAY anymore or do we just compete, and if so who are we competing against? For what purpose? Does sport need a purpose? As children we used to play. We didn’t ask why, the game was about enjoyment. At what stage did we start to care about the results? Were we taught to value winning or our humans innately competitive? In this edition we look at the pyschology behind the game; what motivates us, why we keep pushing forward and for what end. We explore a diverse array of opinions, is sport about passion, enjoyment, results or glory? We can’t promise that we’ll offer you absolute answers but hopefully we might give you enough food for thought that you can find the answer that’s right for you. Good spirits, Emma.
THE STUDENT ATHLETE
Content The Flow Zone
Did You Know
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Nordic Skiing The Legend
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What Type Of Athlete Are You
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Cross Country Skiing
The Glory of Being Mediocre
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Jonah Hudec: What Makes Him Tick
Material used in this publication is not all my own original work.
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Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play. Mike Singletry Greece is the only country to have participated in every olympics under it’s own flag.
“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.^
“Only he who can see the invisible can do the impossible.” – Frank L. Gaines “You are never really playing an opponent. You are playing yourself, your own highest standards, and when you reach your limits,
Venus Williams (7 Grand Slams) has been ranked No.1 in the WTA rankings for 17 weeks, more than a full year less (56 weeks) than Caroline Wozniacki (O Grand Slams).
DURING THE 1974 WORLD CUP IN MUNICH, NATIONAL TEAMS WERE GIVEN BMW BUSES FOR TRANSPORTATION. * *
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AFTER BEING ELIMINATED, ZAIRE UNSUCCESSFULLY TRIED TO DRIVE THEIRS BACK TO AFRICA. THE STUDENT ATHLETE
The phrase about winning something “hands down” originally referred to a jockey who won a race without whipping his horse or pulling back the reins.
Roger Bannister held the world record mile for exactly 46 daYs.
Football doesn't build character, it reveals character.
Jesse Owens captured four gold medals at a single Olympiad. Although Adolf Hitler intended the 1936 Berlin Games to be a showcase for the Nazi ideology of Aryan racial supremacy, it was a black man who left the biggest imprint on that year’s Games. In one of the greatest performances in Olympic history, Owens captured gold in the 100 meters, long jump, 200 meters and 4×100 meter relay, a feat that would not be matched until American Carl Lewis did the same at the 1984 LA Games.
Owens ran to gold in German-made track shoes handcrafted by the founder of Adidas. German shoemaker Adolf “Adi” Dassler didn’t view the Berlin Games as a vehicle for Nazi propaganda but as a chance to launch his humble athletic shoe business. He successfully lobbied not only German athletes, but Owens as well, to wear his personally handcrafted leather track shoes with extra long spikes. The American’s triumph helped to launch his business, and a decade later Dassler would start his own company—Adidas.
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being in the zone: THE FLOW STATE IN ATHLETIC ENDEARANCE
Sometimes in an athletic endeavor, you can’t go wrong. You anticipate next steps, you are right where you need to be, and you feel invincible. You might describe it as being “on” or “on a roll.” A good visual example of it is in the movie The Matrix, specifically the scene where the character Neo is dodging bullets being shot at him. To Neo, the bullets appear to be moving in slow motion, enabling him to dodge them effortlessly, because he can see them coming far in advance and react in plenty of time. Claremont Graduate University psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has chronicled this phenomenon, which he calls “flow,” in the book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. He defines flow as a state in which people “are completely absorbed in an activity, especially an activity which involves their creative abilities. During this ‘optimal experience’ they feel “strong, alert, in effortless control, unselfconscious, and at the peak of their abilities.”1 Csikszentmihalyi began his study of flow as part of his curiosity about what makes people truly happy. Some hallmarks of the flow state include: losing track of time and external concerns or stimuli, feeling connected to something greater than oneself, and feeling challenged but not overwhelmed in terms of the ability and attention needed to complete a task. Csikszentmihalyi’s research suggests the state applies across cultures and across activities. According to a study by Young and Pain (1999), the concept of flow is quite relevant to athletic endeavors, and the term is used interchangeably with the term “the zone.” The authors describe flow or the zone as “a state in which an athlete performs to the best of his or her ability. It is a is a magical and... special place where performance is exceptional and consistent, automatic and flowing. An athlete is able to ignore all the pressures and let his or her body deliver the performance that has been learned so well. Competition is fun and exciting.’ (Murphy, 1996, p. 4)”.2 Many readers have probably experienced flow, or something akin to it, during an athletic endeavor. Perhaps it manifests itself as a streak of perfect, “nothing-but-net” shots, or an uncanny ability to be in just the right place at the right time to block a pass, or the absolute certainty that the lift will be successful. While we can’t enter the flow state at will, we can master the basics of a sport in order to be prepared to experience it when it happens - and to yearn for a long time afterward to return to that state again. * Valerie Worthington-Coach* THE STUDENT ATHLETE
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have been around the strength/fitness and sports industry for quite a while. In the early to mid 1970s, it was junior high and senior high school sports participation. I went on to be a so-so track and field athlete (pole vaulter) at the University of Iowa in the late 1970s and early 1980s. I coached throwers and jumpers during graduate school at Western Illinois University and then pole vaulters at Central Missouri State University as a part-time coach (1983-1984). college football, college football athletes, what makes a good athleteI then moved to the University of Florida in 1984 as an assistant strength and conditioning coach and weight-training instructor in the Physical Education Department. I assisted with the football and men’s basketball strength and conditioning programs, and had full control of women’s volleyball, women’s basketball, and men’s and women’s track and field.
In 1988 I assumed the role of head strength and conditioning coach, so Gator football and men’s basketball were the priorities, but I also oversaw women’s basketball. Moving forward to the positions of the head strength and conditioning coach at Southeast Missouri State University (1991-2001), the University of Illinois-Chicago (2001-2004), and Saint Louis University (2004-2008), I have worked with hundreds of male and female athletes in a variety of sports. Since moving on from the collegiate scene, I now work with law enforcement officers and engage in personal training on the side (not just anyone - only those serious about getting results). The bottom line: I have worked with many athletes/people of varying abilities, from the not very talented, to professionals, to Olympians. 7.
Needless to say, I have seen the full gamut of physical abilities and mental capacities: exceptional abilities (genetic freaks) to average and below-average abilities (genetic trash bags), the tall versus short, the fat versus lean, the strong versus weak, the highly-motivated to the I-don’t-give-a-crap unmotivated, and the go-for-the-throat to the “Oh, that hurts” toughness levels. Knowing these “continuums,” there are three general qualities that can be used to assess athletes/people:
2. Let me work with them! 3. I could use them in some capacity. 4. A tough nut to crack. 5. I love this type - they will fill a role. 6. We will find a place for them. 7. Go out for the debate team. Athletics is not your cup of tea. 8. They don’t exist, except in some fantasy on a com-
-Genetics/physical qualities – body type and physical abilities.
-Talent/skill – ability to perform sport skills and mesh within a team. -Mentality – intelligence level, work ethic, and ability to handle pressure. Various combinations of the general qualities create eight categories that all people will fall into: Good or great genetics/physical qualities + highly talented/skilled + mentally sound. Good or great genetics/physical qualities + highly talented/skilled + mentally weak. Good or great genetics/physical qualities + lacking talent/skills + mentally sound. Good or great genetics/physical qualities + lacking talent/skills + mentally weak. Average or below average genetics/physical qualities + highly talented/skilled + mentally sound. Average or below average genetics/physical qualities + highly talented/skilled + mentally weak. Average or below average genetics/physical qualities + lacking talent/skills + mentally sound. Average or below average genetics/physical qualities + lacking talent/skills + mentally weak. My thoughts on each category: 1. I would give my left index finger for these.
puter game. The ultimate combination is category one. An individual or team with outstanding physical ability, a high skill level, intelligence, and mental toughness would be hard to beat. Olympic gold medalists, FIFA World Cup, Super Bowl, World Series, and NBA Finals champions mostly fall into this category. Life would be great for all coaches who have category one athletes year in and year out. However, this is not reality. Even though the goal is to be at category one, one small deviation can mean defeat, and this usually comes down to the mental aspect. Therefore, there is hope for the other categories. Great athletes normally have outstanding genetics/
THE STUDENT ATHLETE
physical qualities relative to their sport, are very talented and skilled, and when the chips are on the line they are mentally “on.” However, a poor mental error or the inability to be mentally tough can doom even the best specimens. Here is how to win championships: 1. Obtain (recruit/draft/sign) genetically gifted athletes.
is how you can improve your chances of becoming a champion: Category 2: You’re genetically gifted, talented but mentally weak. Seek a sports psychologist.
Category 3: Work on your skills. Hire a specialist. Practice, practice, practice.
Category 4: You have innate ability. Time to work overtime on your skills and mental acumen. Category 5: Your type is plentiful. You can make a difference. Keep busting your butt in the weight room, in conditioning, and at practice sessions.
Category 6: You are a rare breed. Look in the mirror and decide if you want your abilities to make a difference. Category 7: Cheerleader. Not much hope. Sorry.
Category 8: Keep your season tickets and best of luck playing video games.
Whatever your situation, heed this advice if you want to become a champion:
2. Hone and refine their sport-skills and their ability to work within the team. 3. Coach them properly, educate them, and make them mentaly tough.
4. Hope that luck is on your side, as many championships are won or lost due to uncontrollable issues ( think Jeffery Maier, the Tuck Rule, or U.S.A. versus Soviet Union in 1972 Olympic basketball). If you are not a genetically-gifted athlete, skilled and/ or mentally sound - or you cannot recruit/draft/sign those of that ilk – there is still hope. This is where the other categories enter the picture. There are plenty of these people out there. If you are one of these, here
Do everything you can to improve yourself – practice hard, refine your skills, study the game/your opponent, improve your strength, speed, conditioning, body composition, and become mentally sound. If anything, you’ll at the least maximize whatever raw material you possess. In conclusion, here is the easiest route to winning championships: Be genetically gifted Stay healthy Refine your skills Become mentally sound Hope for good luck Tom Kelso 9.
The JAW DROPPING BENEFITS OF CROSS COUNTRY SKIING T
he options for aerobic exercise during the Canadian winter can seem grim: slipping and sliding along icy streets, pedalling nowhere under the fluorescent lights of the gym, and so on. But there’s a better option, one that, recent research suggests, actually offers unique advantages compared to the alternatives. When it snows, why not make for the cross-country ski trails? Researchers in Sweden and at Ball State University in Indiana assembled two remarkable groups of octogenarian men. All of the volunteers were healthy, lived independently and were capable of completing a vigorous exercise test to exhaustion. The difference was that one group was composed of lifelong cross-country skiers who trained four to six times a week, while the other group didn’t do any formal exercise beyond the activities of daily living. It’s not difficult to predict the punchline here: The skiers were in better shape than the non-skiers. But the magnitude of the
differences is jaw-dropping. The results of a battery of physical tests, which will be published in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology, show that the skiers had approximately twice the cardiovascular and muscular fitness of the untrained group. Even compared to previous studies of lifelong endurance athletes in their 80s, the skiers were about 40-per-cent fitter, suggesting that the full-body workout provided by cross-country skiing is uniquely effective. In fact, their fitness “places them in the lowest allcause mortality risk category for
earlier studies of cross-country skiers: An analysis of 73,000 men and women who participated over a 10-year period in Vasaloppet, an annual long-distance race series in Sweden, found that they were less than half as likely to die during the follow-up period as matched controls from the general population. In contrast, the untrained subjects, despite being blessed with remarkable health, were perilously close to the “prognostic exercise capacity” that’s associated with an inability to live independently. The message: Good genes can help you live a long life, but if you want to fully enjoy those later years, go skiing. Use your arms
men of any age,” the researchers point out. The results are consistent with THE STUDENT ATHLETE
One of the big differences between cross-country skiing and other forms of endurance exercise, like running and cycling, is that your upper body plays a big role. How big? A forthcoming study in the Scandinavian Journal
of Medicine & Science in Sports offers some clues.
slightly outward and herringbone up at top speed. Clambering up a hill in this style Researchers tested a group of 16 is like a miniature sprint, and it elite Norwegian skiers, half of will send your heart rate shooting the group male and the other half upward. That’s a good thing: Over female, in four different exercise the past few years, researchers protocols, each requiring different have shown that including some levels of upper-body contribution. short bursts of intense activity in The most arm-intensive activity was your workout can produce a much double-poling, where the propulsion more effective and time-efficient is provided entirely by the arms. workout. Next was “G3 skating,” the freestyle technique in which skiers double It’s possible to insert similar bursts pole with every stride. Then came into other types of workouts, like the classic skiing style, with skis running or cardio machines at the kept parallel. And the final exercise gym, but a rolling cross-country was running, which doesn’t use the arms at all for forward motion. The goal of the study was to understand how the male skiers’ greater upper-body strength would affect performance in the different techniques. Sure enough, the men were comparatively better in the most arm-dependent tasks: They were 20-per-cent faster at double-poling, 17-per-cent faster at skating, 14-per-cent faster at classic style, and just 12-per-cent faster while running. The results suggest that you should vary your technique on different types of terrain in order to maximize your full-body workout. In particular, include some double-poling – particularly on long, gradual downhills, where it’s tempting to just coast. Climb hard The occasional steep uphill on a cross-country course is a necessary evil. (How else do you earn the downhill that follows?) You can turn your skis perpendicular to the hill and side-step your way up, or even take your skis right off. But the quickest solution – like pulling a band-aid off – is to angle your skis
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ski loop integrates them naturally, since you’ll slide backward if you don’t keep pushing. Of course, cross-country skiing isn’t without drawbacks. For city-dwellers in particular, it can be difficult to find good trails, though temporary tracks blossom in many urban parks after a good snowfall. More importantly, it’s a strictly limited-time option. Come spring, you’ll be back to your usual workout routines. So ski while you can.
JONAH HUDEC What’s his secret? 20 year old cross country skiier and Psychology student Jonah Hudec is preparing to compete at the Canadian National Ski Championships this January. We sat down with Jonah and found out how he balances his commitments, what motivates him and how he mentally prepares. SA: Why do you ski? J: I ski because I like to compete against others, I like being outside in nature, and because it is an excellent way to stay physically active and healthy. SA: How important is skiing to your personal identity? J: Skiing is very important to my personality. I dedicate a large portion of my time towards skiing also, I have met some of my best friends through skiing related events. SA: It must be hard to balance study and sport? J: I don’t find it too hard to balance my athletics and my academics. The reason being that they complement each other, for example when I am stressed because of academics I can use skiing to remove some of this stress. SA: How often do you train? J: Ten hours of training a week, sometimes more. If I’m not skiiing I’m running, cycling, roller skiing and doing strength work outs in the gym. SA: How does your spor impact you compared to other people you age that don’t compete competitively? J: Really we’re just normal people, we dedicate our time to doing our sport but other than that we’re just like everyone else we hang out with friends, etc. SA: What drives you? J: I like being fast and I also like winning. It’s also something that not a lot of people do and I guess I like being different. SA: Have you had any accidents? J: I’ve had a few close calls... SA: How do you prepare for a race mentally? J:People think the psychology behind sport is obvious but it’s not. Right before the competition you want to get to a good stress level. You don’t want to be too stressed but you don’t want to be too mellow, you want to be able to jump off the line. You have to concentrate and think about what you have to do. Tip: use of you
Mental visualisation is one regularly. You don’t have to this tactic. Try visualising train and see the differTHE STUDENT ATH-
tool that athletes of a compettitive nature be a professional though to take adventage your run or work out going well next time ence it makes. LETE
“I’ve had a couple of close calls...”
“When I am stressed because of academics I can use skiing to remove some of this stress.”
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5
THings You Never Knew About NoRdic Skiing
Growing up as a cross-country skier I was always somewhat of a nerd. The kids on the downhill ski team were cool, the kids on the Nordic ski team were nerds, it’s just the way it was and we thought we were awesome so we didn’t really care. But, as I’ve been diving into the history of cross-country skiing for our podcast, Free Heel: Legends in Cross-Country Skiing I’ve decided that there is absolutely nothing nerdy about cross-country skiing or cross-country skiers. In fact, we kick ass and we have since the first skis were invented. So, in honor of awesomeness, today we’re sharing a few interesting facts about cross-country skiing. All of these tidbits come from the really, really good book ‘Two Planks and a Passion, by Roland Huntford‘.
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. Cross-country skiing is 22,000 years old. Yep, in a cave drawing in central France there is evidence that the Paleolith Cro-Magnon man hunted reindeer on snowshoe and ski.
2
. The first pair of roller skis were used by Norseman in the 1600’s. Yep, dry land training. They would attach wheels to the underside [of the skis] and thus move forward three times faster than they would ave done without them.”
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. Skiing has been bringing couples together since the 1700’s, when a girl from Merager Norway, skied to Bestaden Norway to sleep with a man. It was a round trip distance of 160 kilometers. Now, that’s true love. It kinda makes me wonder why they couldn’t meet half way or something.
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..But, in the late 1800’s in Norway, skiing became “unwomanly” and skating became it’s “ladylike” replacement. That didn’t stop those rebellious Norwegian girls who would practice skiing in secret and eventually establish the first all-woman ski club.
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. European immigrants brought skiing to North America. The first recorded ski race occurred in California in 1863. It resembled more of a downhill ski race, only all of the racers started at the top of the hill at the same time on skis that were too long to turn effectively. Information found at Justtrails.com THE STUDENT ATHLETE
THE GLORY OF BEING MEDIOCRE
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t seems today’s world is obsessed with success and the glory that comes with it. We’re taught to aim high, achieve our best and not settle for average. But what do we sacrifice during this process? What if I simply don’t want to reach my potential? Shame on me for even thinking a thing!
less worthwhile, less significant, a waste of time. Average is not something to be ashamed of, neither is success ofcourse, if that is what you want. What I’m saying is that people should be free to live the life they decide and not feel judged for not being good enough or pressured into living a life centered around accomplishments. Maybe it’s ok to live a humble life where you actually have time to look after yourself and your relationships. Since when did careers become more important than people and community?
It’s drilled into us from childhood that we must be better than average, we must aim for the moon and constantly strive to be the best possible version of ourselves. If not you’re plain lazy. We live in a society where people are shamed into success. Starting in kindergarten we are made to plan for the future, we must be something, we must do something worthwhile and god forbid we just want to be happy. Happiness doesn’t achieve glory. Glory is gained through hard work, by giving 110% and following other clichéd, motivational mantras. So what I want to know is; what happens if the whole over-achieving trend just isn’t for you? Is being average really all that bad?
With today’s mentality everything is focused on the individual, we must prove to ourselves and others how great we are, group glory is glory shared and nobody wants that! When I posed the question of what’s wrong with average to my dad, he replied by saying, “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with people being average, it makes me look good.” Our self-centered goals, desires and pursuits make us competitive and determined but does personal achievement really leave one satisfied?
Personally I relish in my averageness. After all, you’re beating 50% of the population, a pretty solid effort I think! For most people being average just isn’t good enough. Our worth as individuals, our self-esteem, how fulfilling our lives are, is measured by how much we achieve. Nobody is happy with an average body, an average mark or an average job. This creates a community of self-obsessed, over-achieving but often unhappy people. When success is valued so highly people are willing to sacrifice their health, their relationships and sometimes their sanity in order to not be a disappointment. We glorify those that achieve, that strive for perfection, that reach the peak and turn our nose down at those simply going about their everyday lives. Do people become corporate hot-shots, big time athletes and over-worked professionals because their passions have driven them, or is it because unless passion results in success then it is not valued? Nobody cares about the work of a writer who is not a best-seller or the persistence of a football player who has not made it to the national league. Unless you are at the top of your field what you do is made to seem 15,
Whilst I think it is important to have a strong sense of self and have personal goals it seems lately that caring about and self sacrificing for others is seen as weak. You are made out as a pushover or someone that has no personal orientation or aspirations. This has been seen through the lack of glorification for stay at home parents. We are supposed to compromise ourselves for careers but no longer for people. I don’t think it’s ok to be so consumed by your own goals and your own road to glory that you think you live in a vacuum where the role of other people is to be there at the end to cheer, clap and acknowledge you. We can’t deny that we live in a shared world, and our relationships with people are what make our world what it is, not what job we have, what car we drive, what size dress we fit into or what mark we get in an exam. If being average means I have time to enjoy life and appreciate the people I care about then screw you glory, my mediocre self and I don’t want you anyway! *Emma Elliott*
The Student Athlete