Getting ready for your own big race: Lessons learned from St. Moritz

Getting ready for your own big race: Lessons learned from St. MoritzThe 2003 Alpine World Championships have wrapped up, but chances are you still have a big race ahead, after working hard all winter and qualifying for an event you set as a goal in the fall. But getting there isn’t enough; you want to ski your best in the “big one!” Continuing to improve your technique and sticking with that winter physical conditioning maintenance program will help. But whether you succeed or fail to achieve your goals at these all-important races ultimately depends on what happens between your ears as these events near. Approaching these races with the right attitude is your key to skiing your best.

There are two schools of thought on how to prepare for a big race. One approach is to try to ignore the fact that it is a big race and simply say, “It’s no big deal, so there’s nothing to get worked up about.” The U.S. Ski Team seems to have taken this tack in its athletes’ preparations for the world championships in St. Moritz. Wanting to continue the successes its charges have already had so far this season, the coaching staff trained its athletes in isolation in Italy, keeping the media away so that they didn’t get distracted or buy into the expectations that the outside forces, such as the press, can often impose on athletes before big events. If athletes treated the world championships like just another race, ignoring the hype surrounding this event, then further success would seem to follow.

The risk of this approach is that big races like the world championships are hard to ignore even if the athletes are kept isolated. By ignoring the reality of the situation, you are not preparing yourself for the magnitude of the event that will inevitably hit you sooner or later. You will have to face the hyped expectations – usually from family, friends, and coaches – at some point, but you won’t be mentally prepared to handle the inescapable pressure that comes with the big race.

Despite these dangers, however, the USST approach obviously worked for Bode Miller, Erik Schlopy, Kirsten Clark and Jonna Mendes. This strategy may have been less effective for other members of the USST, in particular Daron Rahlves, Caroline Lalive and Sarah Schleper.

The other school of thought argues that big events can’t be avoided, ignored, or downplayed. Rather, athletes must face the reality of these races and do what they can to respond positively to the unavoidable expectations and pressures. With the popularity of ski racing in Austria, for example, there is nowhere for Austrian skiers to hide. This second approach has athletes say, “This race is a big deal, so let’s figure out how to deal with it positively.” With this approach, you must acknowledge that your upcoming race is a huge event and is not to be taken lightly. You must establish an attitude that will enable you to achieve your goals (“I am going to believe in myself, stay grounded, and focus on what I need to do to ski my best.”). This attitude helps you deflect the external and self-imposed pressures and enables you to maintain a positive and healthy perspective and focus as you approach the big races. You need to figure out what you need to do to be totally prepared to ski your best (e.g., on-hill training, physical conditioning, mental preparation, social activities). You also should recognize what and who might interfere with your preparations (e.g., too much time with family and friends). Finally, you must take deliberate steps to ensure that you maintain the attitude and do the things that you have learned will lead you to success.

The risk of this second approach is that, despite your best efforts, you won’t be able to deflect the expectations and pressure. Instead of inoculating yourself against the pressure, you actually succumb to it. At St. Moritz, this tactic worked for such Austrians as Stephan Eberharter, Hermann Maier and Michaela Dorfmeister, but may have hurt Benjamin Raich who was headed for the podium after the first runs in two events only to lose ground on his second runs. (I would like to note that the reasons why some of athletes falter can never be known with certainty and that my speculations are not intended to assign cause for their difficulties, but rather to illustrate the importance of preparing the right way for big races.)

What we can learn from the world championships is that there is no one ideal approach. You must look at how you have handled big races in the past. If you skied well using one approach, then stick with it (“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”). But if it didn’t work before, don’t expect it to work next time. In this case, you will want to do something different. Regardless of the approach you take, the goal is to enter a big race feeling motivated, confident, relaxed, and focused. If you feel that way, you will ski your best and, most likely, achieve the goals you have set for yourself.

Editor’s note: Jim Taylor, Ph.D., is the author of Prime Ski Racing: Triumph of the Racer’s Mind. To order or to learn more about Prime Ski Racing, check out Taylor’s web site at www.alpinetaylor.com.