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the athlete to see the instant replay right after each shot. After only the third shot, she commented on how good her hold appeared to be on the computer screen. After she completed the 10-shot series, they discussed what she had observed. Once again, she believed in her hold. Progress was being made. They used a mix of drills all designed to allow the athlete to rediscover just how capable she really was. The entire two-month train- ing program was designed around just that one idea: The athlete must rediscover how good she was and be- lieve in herself again. At the conclusion of their


last training session, the coach then asked the ath- lete to imagine making the Open Final in the Air Pistol event. Her body visibly re- acted in fear. They then dis- cussed the dynamics of a Fi- nal, and of starting near the back of the pack in a Final, along with how she could ap- proach the event in her mind and heart. Once she was comfortable with this idea and felt equipped to handle a Final, he then asked her to imagine not only making the Final, but starting it in first place. Again, her body vis- ibly reacted. They discussed the very different dynamic that would be at work in that situation, and again how she could approach it. The coach said that he wanted her to be prepared in case those things happened. After all, neither of them could pre- dict the future, and she was shooting quite well again. She didn’t believe that she could even make the Final,


and her coach helped her open her mind to the fact that it might just be possible and that she could perform well in a Final. At the national event, her


qualification performances were absolutely dominating. Imagine her surprise when she discovered that she had made the Final…and was starting in first place! In the Final, she started out quite strongly, then faltered. An 8 shook her up, then she fol- lowed with a 5. This stun- ning development sent a jolt of adrenaline through her like an electric shock. As the scores were read, she worked mightily to burn the extra adrenaline and calm herself before the next shot. Many in the crowd thought she was going to give up on the spot. Though soft spo- ken, they didn’t know how determined this athlete was. Although “eights are your


friend,” shooting a 5 when contending for the gold is quite a challenge to over- come. After calming herself as much as she could after that devastating shot, she was only able to deliver an 8 on her next shot. This was still a great accomplishment under the circumstances. Only with this shot did she relinquish first place! (Quali- fication scores were re- tained into the Final in those days.) She continued to be- lieve that she was capable of shooting well, calmed her- self even more, and finished strongly in her remaining shots to claim the Open gold medal.


Believe In Me The power of one’s be-


liefs about one’s ability to perform was made strik- ingly clear to a young athlete and her coach on a day that made a difference in both their lives. At the age of 15, and with only 1-1/2 years of shooting experience behind her, this athlete was about to com- pete in a huge Air Rifle Final. The hall was packed. Hav- ing posted a Qualification score that she later labeled as “low,” she found herself tied for 5th place and shoot- ing in the 6th position of the Final. She assumed that she would shoot her Final and finish somewhere in the middle of the pack. Realizing this, her coach sat with her for a chat a few minutes before the Final. Her eyes grew wide with fear as he started by remind- ing her that the World Cup champion mentioned ear- lier had won her gold medal starting in exactly the same situation. He said he didn’t tell her this because he ex- pected her to win or that he would be disappointed if she didn’t win; he merely wanted her to believe that it was possible. He then went on to invite her to open her mind to the possibilities of what might happen that day. He told her how the others in the Final might be approach- ing it and how that might open the door for her if she did her part. If she stayed within herself, dug deep in- side, and did what she knew so well how to do, anything was possible. Of course, the outcome also depended on how the other seven ath- letes performed. But if she


did her part, everything else would take care of itself. A year later, she would write about the experience in a school essay: “[My coach] was talking


to me before the Final start- ed and told me that I could and would win. All I had to do was trust myself and it would happen. I doubted that I would win. I told him ‘Yeah, right coach, you go on and think that.’” But he just told me to trust myself and to take my time and I would surprise myself.” Her first nine record shots


all scored 10. At that point she could stand the curiosity no longer and looked at the live update scoreboard. She was shocked to find that she was in first place! Collecting herself, she managed a sol- id 9 on her last shot for a 99 raw score and a final total over 101. When she realized that she had won, her emo- tions poured out. “[My coach] was the only


one who had faith in me to win. All I had to do was trust myself and I could accom- plish my goals. My school coach never believed that I could win. My teammates believed in me less. My own boyfriend never really con- gratulated me or believed that I could win either. My parents were happy for me, however, they were just as surprised as I was because of my low qualifying round score. Only one person be- lieved in me and it wasn’t even me. “The Final taught me to


believe in myself and that I can accomplish anything. This lesson in what I am ca- pable of greatly shapes how I now approach difficult or


September 2015 | USA Shooting News 53


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