he’s there to help me up every step of the way and vice versa.” Sometimes you even have to have
a talk with yourself. Jason Brown re- members his struggle to consistently land a triple Axel in competitions. Now he’s doing quads. “I had built my worth around a jump,” he said. It wasn’t un- til he thought, “I can change this,” that he was able to overcome that men- tal block. “Every improvement means something, and this one jump doesn’t define me,” Jason said. Freed from that anxiety, Jason knows he can tackle any obstacle.
— it’s important to listen to constructive criticism: “Off the ice, in real-life situ- ations, when someone criticizes me, I take it the same way that I would as an athlete. I take it constructively, and I take it because I want to be the best version of myself.” If the criticism is not constructive, however, Adam suggests you “release it from your mind right away.”
Gracie Gold: Stay in the moment Comments from coaches, family and
friends can be hard to hear, but skaters also can be their own worst critics. That inner voice that whispers, “You always get that wrong,” or “Maybe you’re not strong enough,” can be overwhelming. An antidote to this self-doubt is to real- ly take notice when you’re making prog- ress. Celebrate the little victories. Take a moment to think back to where you were a year ago, even two years ago. It’s likely you’ve reached new goals and quickly bitten off the next challenge. Slow down. Enjoy those little victories. You earned them.
“Sometimes it’s just about refinding your center and just breathing. Think ‘What can I do right now, here in this moment?’ Sometimes you just have to get up and you just have to
start.” Gracie Gold
U.S. ladies champion Gracie Gold
emphasizes staying in the moment. “It doesn’t matter if you were late to the rink or your brake lights are out or you for- got this or that,” Gracie said. “Sometimes it’s just about refinding your center and just breathing. Think ‘What can I do right now, here in this moment?’ Sometimes you just have to get up and you just have to start.”
Ashley Wagner:
Tune out the negative The ability to tune out the negative
and tap into constructive criticism helps your confidence. No one knows that better than World silver medalist Ash- ley Wagner, who has seen her share of positive and negative tweets over the years. “At the end of the day I don’t care what Suzy Q on Twitter thinks about my triple Lutz because Suzy Q isn’t doing a triple Lutz in front of thousands of people. I am,” Ashley said. “So I have to worry about myself, and I think that’s one thing that being on social media has kind of taught me. You have to be mentally tough. I know what I’m about. I know what I care about and the rest is just in one ear and out the other.” Adam Rippon says that as a com- petitive athlete — and as a human being
24 DECEMBER 2016
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