There are many things to miss about being a collegiate athlete but personally, the hardest thing to leave behind is the camaraderie and environment that brings. Being a member of a college team is, I think, unlike anything in the world. Members are brought together from all over, joined, in the beginning, by nothing more than their love for a sport that frequently doesn’t love them back.
Read MoreThe FIFA World Cup is by far one of the most significant global events other than the Olympics. The meeting of 32 teams of different ethnicities, backgrounds, and training reminds the world of their love for soccer: the competition, the upsets, and the sense of nationality that brings people together as nothing else can. The World Cup also acts as a distraction from the pressing world issues we face today. For example, the Saudi Arabian attack on Yemen. With so many countries competing in this tournament, one would think the conflicts between nations or situations impacting the athletes would be brought into the spotlight along with the teams. But with the 2018 World Cup entering its final weeks, have the athletes and fans taken advantage of this global platform the World Cup provides to promote the global issues that need to be addressed?
Read More“You can't understand what the World Cup means to our country,” said Brazilian superstar, Ronaldinho. “Not just the fans and players, but everybody in Brazil lets us know that they expect it. Our president, people in politics, all tell us to come back with the World Cup.”
Read MoreWorking regularly with professional athletes, I am constantly amazed at the diversity of interests, skills, and ambitions these athletes have outside of their sport. For me, these experiences put the proverbial nail in the coffin of the old stigma that athletes are dumb, uneducated, and one-dimensional.
More than ever athletes are diversifying both their personal and professional interests. That approach pays huge dividends to both their current careers and life beyond the game, which is a great thing.
Read MoreIt’s 6:00 AM. Wake up. Eat breakfast. Time to train. 12:00 PM - eat again. Talk to trainers and coaches. 3:00 PM - Go to class. 5:00 PM - Eat dinner. Do homework. Sleep. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Routine; it’s something every successful athlete needs. Constantly planning out every minute of every day helps keep someone on track to where you want to go. What happens if you never get off the endless cycle of routine?
Read MoreWhen I was a sophomore at the University of Illinois (UIUC) my Men’s Gymnastics team coach and mentor, Justin Spring, gathered the team and asked, “What’s a belief?” Following minutes of consideration and several incorrect answers he divulged “A belief, is nothing more than a recurring thought.” This quote stuck with me for my entire collegiate career and thus began my fascination with the simple concept which forever changed my perspective.
Read MoreThere's no secret to how the most successful athletes get to where they are. They work hard. Discipline is what turns talent into ability. Yes, talent, opportunity, perhaps luck, all help on their journey to success, but in the end, athletes who make it to the elite level have all done the hard work required.
Read MoreIf an athlete’s social media profile or CV is based solely on athletic accomplishments, they are missing a massive opportunity by only having what I call a ‘fan brand.’ Yes, similar to George Costanza claiming that he coined the phrase ‘pardon my french,’ I am claiming the phrase ‘Fan Brand.’
Read MoreProfessional sport as we know it does not exist without fans. If no one cared, there would be no market for tickets, t-shirts, news, blogs, and those awesome thundersticks.
Read MoreIt dawns on players (in most cases) that spending all their downtime watching movies, shopping at the mall, playing video games, going to the mall, playing cards, hanging out at the mall or just driving around isn't necessarily the most productive use of one's time. As one player once noted, 'There really are only so many times you can go to the mall or watch Sports Center."
Read MoreAthlete development seeks to address the development of the athlete as a holistic person. The objective with athlete development is to not only better prepare the individual athlete to compete but also assist the athlete in addressing the other areas of his life which can impact athletic performance and personal self-efficacy. We did a Q & A with our two resident athletes, Jay and Dan, to discuss athlete development topics both narrow and broad.
Read MoreFinding time within an athlete’s schedule may seem like a challenge but the results can be worth it. For athlete’s such as Humana-Paredes it can be just a minute or two a day. Other people may prefer a longer practice. There are many resources out there to guide you through the meditation process, you just have to look! Discover some mental practices compatible to you, a quiet place and a few spare minutes to get started.
Read MoreNot dissimilar to being an enterprising entrepreneur, we all need a strategy. Effective strategies all start with Foresight. For athletes, many times they can be lured into a false sense of security after reaching the elite levels. They reach the summit and then, through no fault of their own, forget about the principles that got them there. They stop looking ahead and dreaming, stop evolving their brand, stop connecting with people that can help them reach their dreams, stop looking for opportunities and narrow their views on ways to improve performance.
Read MoreIncrementally, as athletes become more comfortable in their respective athletic roles, they learn to deal with the familial challenges, media glare and how to prepare to perform at their peak on a consistent basis (the big caveat being they figure this out before they are released, cut, injured, etc., but in this instance, let’s assume best case scenario). In essence, this is the rookie athlete learning the ropes early in his career and evolving both as an athlete and a person.
Read MoreAthlete development is often perceived as just helping athletes with career transition. This viewpoint leaves out all of the successes that athletes are having during their athletic career. It’s Women’s History Month so let’s look at a few of the female athletes who have used sport to achieve excellence on and off the playing surface.
Read MoreThere is no doubt the underlying intention from all these people was meant to be positive, but to the athlete in me, all I heard was: “it was good while it lasted, but the best is behind you, it’s all downhill from here.” Despite a part of me that disagreed and was angered by the responses to my retirement news, I couldn’t help but 'overvalue' and internalize what others were implying about my future, and left me to consider, 'Am I worth anything to anyone anymore?'
Read MoreAnyone who works in or around elite and pro sport will understand how it is an all-consuming industry. Whenever I talk to young aspiring athletes I always tell them that being a professional athlete is not a job, it's a lifestyle, everything you do - 24 hours a day 365 days a year - impacts how you perform on game-day. Some athletes thrive in this whilst others struggle with it. I was in the struggle camp. When I was training or playing it was my aim to always give 110% effort to both what I was doing and to my team-mates, however, once I stepped out of the football club I needed to disconnect from 'footy' and focus on something completely different.
Read MoreAt the Youth levels, a holistic and balanced approach should unequivocally be the focus. The overwhelmingly vast majority of athletes will not become pros and the true purpose of youth sports is teaching life lessons for kids to apply in all aspects of their lives. Teaching values, character and integrity through their passions is by far, the sole purpose. However, from my observation and experience, it is sadly the opposite.
Read More“My thought process is to just educate athletes and people around you about what is really going on, especially basketball players,” Jaylen Brown said. “A lot of people wait until the end of their careers to really get things going. I thought it would be more beneficial to start early, put your foot in the door and start educating yourself, because technology investments are where the real money is at.”
Read MoreWe caught up with Dr. Judy Goss, the mental performance lead, at the Canadian Sport Institute in Ontario to get her thoughts on athlete development and more.
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