Adversity

Imagine training 30 or 40 hours a week, every week for 10 years for a single chance to win. It's a one shot deal. Next, imagine that the elusive victory rides on absolute perfection. Alyssa Adrian doesn't have to use her imagination. She already knows how it feels. The Green Hope High School senior doesn't plan to try to make the Olympics; she has her prize in hand: a full scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh where she'll compete in gymnastics, the sport she loves. "My earliest memory of gymnastics was doing handstands and walking on my hands at the beach," she said, and estimates she was about three years old at the time. Now 17, Adrian, who is practically a veteran of the sport, competes with Superior Gymnastics in Morrisville. "My goal is perfection," she said. Competing in a sport where winning or losing is decided upon by a subjective panel of judges, and can come down to one tenth of a point, is nerve-wracking to say the least, but after years of training and practice, Adrian has learned how to put fear behind her. "I have memories of being scared plenty of times. Gymnastics is a scary sport," she said. "Eighty percent of this sport is mental, and training my mind is just as important as training my body." Geoff Christman is a personal trainer at Impact Athletics in Cary. He works with Adrian and helps train her body to be strong so she feels confident when she performs her skills. "We focus on strength, conditioning and repetition, which allows athletes to not have to get as mentally involved, allowing their athleticism to come naturally," Christman said. "This helps them boost their confidence, and helps them become comfortable with their abilities." Christman relates well to teen athletes. He knows what goes on in their heads. He has lived in their world. A graduate of Apex High School, he won a soccer scholarship to Appalachian State University. He knows full well the pressures that high school athletes compete under these days. Outside influences put pressure on teen athletes these days, Christman said. "There's a ton of pressure from scouts, pressure from coaches, and pressure from parents coming down on a 16-year old's head. I work with them to take the pressure off." Grant Shambley, 17, plays center field at Green Hope High and thrives on the chills and thrills his position offers. "Yes, in the outfield there is more pressure to catch the high fly balls and get players out; but it's fun," he said. "The key is to stay focused and remember you've done it a million times before, and don't try to over think it. Over thinking it makes it harder." Gregory Moss, a local independent trainer, coaches his young client athletes to stay positive. "Your worst enemy is not your opponent," he said. "Your worst enemy is yourself." Adrian agrees. "Being positive is the key," she said. Before each competition, Adrian can be found apart from the crowds, listening to music, going through a mental routine, and getting in her "zone." Adrian uses key words, or mantras, to keep her in the moment, to keep out negative thoughts, and to make sure she has nothing else in her head except her routine. Moss agrees with using mantras and self-talk. "The only way you can motivate yourself is with positive self-talk," he said. And don't be too hard on yourself, Christman said. "Even pro athletes go through streaks when they lack self-confidence," he said. "External factors, such as pressure to get a scholarship, a losing season, and injuries can hurt even the confidence of a top athlete." For Adrian, whose ultimate goal is absolute perfection, her biggest fear is not doing her best. "The scariest part is letting myself down," she said. "My goal is to be perfect; I put too much into this to mess up." Moss doesn't mind a bit of failure sprinkled in with success. Dealing with failure is the most important aspect of sports and life, he said. "I'd rather work with kids who have failed, because they know how to deal with adversity," he said. "As long as you learn from your failures, you are a winner." There is a big difference between athletes who play individual sports and those who play team sports, according to Christman. "Individual athletes have just themselves to rely on, but that causes more pressure sometimes because you don't have the support of a team to fall back on," he said. "If you play a team sport, you are not only relying on yourself but you are also relying on others for success, and you not only have to live up to your own expectations of yourself but also the expectations of others." Adrian's sport is largely individual. When she misses a step or falls, the person she lets down the most is herself. Shambley understands the pressure of making a play that can mean the difference between his entire team winning or losing a baseball game. "I have been in the situation where I have missed the big catch, and I was scared to walk back to the dugout and face my teammates because I think they'll blame me," he admitted. "But if you have a good team and good coaches, they won't blame you." Shambley considers missing a key play as an opportunity for redemption. "If you do miss, you are scared at first during the next game, but one good catch wipes that fear away," he said. For Shambley, the pressure-packed moments are t hose moments he enjoys most. Like when the bases are loaded; you're down by one run; it's full count, with two outs at the bottom of the seventh inning - do or die time. "It feels really good when that happens," he said. "That's the ideal scenario. A close game is when you can get the most out of people. Also it's a good scenario when you are down by two or three runs. People will often step up and good things can happen." Moss agrees. "Don't dwell on missing the last point. The next point is the most important point to score," he said. Shambley, who also plays American Legion baseball, can hit. Last season, he set three records on his Cary Bulls team with 114 hits; .471 batting average and .534 on-base percentage. His advice for batters: When in doubt , just swing the bat. "Sometimes there's pressure to get a hit, but don't be afraid to swing," he said. "You can't help your team if you don't try to hit the ball." Another way athletes can focus is to play moment-by-moment. "If you make a bad play and you're not happy, let it go and stay in the moment," Moss said. Staying in the moment is also important during victories. Athletes who keep their emotions in check, even when they make a good play have less tendency to burn out. "It's important for athletes to keep an emotional balance. If you get too excited, it drains your energy," Moss said. Adrian admitted that she has let roller coaster emotions get the best of her in the past, from getting over-excited in the middle of a great routine, to upset over a poor performance, sometimes in a single competition. "If you fall off the balance beam, just know you have made a mistake. Calm down and finish the routine," she said. "Lots of times, people just fall apart. It's not over 'til it's over, so block out all of the other stuff, move on and stay positive." Christman has noticed that top athletes share one characteristic: the ability to let emotion-producing plays roll off their backs. "Elite athletes make mistakes and rebound," he said. "They just continue on without missing a beat." Athletes with good focusing skills also don't let distractions or large crowds of spectators disturb them. Instead, they thrive in that kind of environment. "Being in front of audiences doesn't bother me. I enjoy performing," Adrian said. Shambley likes to play in front of fans too. "Having more people in the stands makes the game seem more meaningful," he said. "It's more fun when more people are there." In fact, Shambley often uses the word "fun" when he's talking about playing baseball. He puts his philosophy of playing sports in simple terms. "It's just a game. You're doing it for fun."