The first game of the season

            It is now upon us. Many college and high school athletes will soon be lying in bed the night before their first game of the season or sitting in class hours before they take to the court under the gameday lights. They probably already feel those pre-game jitters, see visions of themselves dominating the opponent, and hear the sounds of the pump-up music playing during warmups.  

Likely, these athletes have been in the gym and weight room for more hours in the past two weeks than they have been sleeping in their own beds. And likely, their sport will consume them for the next 3-5 months physically, mentally and emotionally. Some reading this may think that sounds utterly ridiculous and pretty miserable. But, if you’re a committed athlete and love your sport, you know why you sacrifice so much for your 'one shining moment' on the court – and subsequently, hope for many more than just one throughout the season.

"you know why you sacrifice so much for your 'one shining moment'"

Let’s go back to the first game of the season though and look at what might be going through an athlete's mind before and during the big ‘first game’.

Imagine that you are this athlete. You start thinking of all the great things you and your team will do this season. How you will win your first home game and everyone will rave about how they can’t wait to come to watch every game the remainder of the year, and so many more victorious moments throughout the season. But then, you start to think - what if none of this happens? What if in fact, you lose your first game. What if you're not as good as your opponent. What if you didn't train hard enough, and all the work you put in wasn't good enough to win?

This way of thinking is how the downward spiral begins…

The game is scheduled for seven o’clock in the evening. So, what do you do with the long hours between when you get out of bed to when you step onto the court? Some athletes might wake up with adrenaline rushing through them, and a restless nights sleep underneath them. This may be and likely is, because of their nerves and jitters for the game ahead. “Are you nervous for the big game tonight?”, one might ask them. You’ll probably receive good luck texts and calls from family and friends. And it will probably make you feel really good and even more excited for the game. An important thing to remember though is that regardless of what others are saying to you, what truly matters is what you are saying to yourself.

"regardless of what others are saying to you, what truly matters is what you are saying to yourself."

So, what do you say to yourself?

Are you going through all of the scenarios that could go wrong? Or are you pumping yourself up to what you know will be the best game of your life? It’s important for you to be able to give yourself encouragement, because without the belief in yourself, nothing anyone else says will ever matter or make a difference.

A great way to start gameday off on the right foot is by writing affirmations to yourself. If today is your game-day grab a pen and a notebook. Write down what you want to BE throughout the day, during competition and throughout your upcoming season. Not what you want to do, but how you want to see yourself, and how you want others to see you. (Note, an affirmation is not a goal – no number can measure it). An affirmation is set to remind yourself, and especially your subconscious, what/who you are and what/who you want to become.

Start with writing 1-3 affirmations for every gameday.

Some examples of an affirmation are: 1) I am a force to be reckoned with on the court and I have prepared myself through my training for every obstacle that may try to get in my way of success. 2) I am a great teammate and leader on and off the court. 3) I am a strong player who __________________ (fill in the blank with a skill that you have been working to perfect).

After you have written these down, make sure to remind yourself of them throughout the day. Your subconscious will eventually begin to believe every word that you affirm to yourself. Why shouldn’t your affirmations be true? You’ve worked your butt off for this and you deserve it.

Affirmations are an important part of a gameday ritual. Everyone has their own rituals - probably without even realizing it. Maybe you eat the same breakfast, lunch, and snacks every game day. Maybe you wake up and spend some time to yourself visualizing, journaling, or meditating on what your performance that evening will look like. Or, maybe you are someone who studies the other team's film and knows them like the back of your hand by game time. Possibly though, you just go about your everyday routine and try to make it as normal as possible. If you are a current competitive athlete, I encourage you to start adding affirmations to your routine. Write your affirmations, believe your affirmations, and strive to become them.

Too many athletes put a tremendous amount of time and energy into their training just to watch their goals crumble because they lose the belief in themselves when one thing goes wrong. The confident, affirmative athlete that set those goals early on doesn’t believe in them when an inconvenience to the path of success gets in the way. Affirmations can help keep you on track to achieving those goals. So make it a point this season to get out of your own head and own your right to success. It all comes from within.

Happy gameday!