The power of the 3 Ps – preparation, positive thinking and perseverance. You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction. – George Horace Lorimer
In?sport, athletes will spend more time practising their specific sport than they do competing. This is certainly the key to becoming a better athlete.
Michael Jordan did not wake up being the greatest of all time, nor was it just talent that got him there. He had lots to prove and much work to do. So the old adage is true, practise can make perfect.
This article is dedicated to those students who have been afforded athletic scholarships, desire a scholarship and/or committed to being the best athletes they can be. You need to be prepared. Summer is not the time to slack off, but to get serious.
A scholarship is a huge cost, an investment in you. Coaches demand the best from you. They want to make sure you are fit, strong, healthy and ready to play. The true tests are those pre-season workouts. They know who have been working hard and who haven’t.
When I learnt that I won a basketball scholarship to Pace University, New York, back in 1998, it was one of the greatest feelings in the world. I owe much of my success to Gay Griffith, former president of the Barbados Amateur Basketball Association, who worked diligently for a number of us to gain scholarships. It was an exciting time for women’s basketball in Barbados.
Transitioning from Barbados to New York had many challenges. My first year of studying was very tough. Besides leaving my family and friends behind, I experienced major culture shock (personal insecurities, change of pace, dealing with personalities who made fun of our accent, and so on). Although there were other Barbadian players with me who provided some comfort, it was still an individual journey.
At times, I got homesick but still had to maintain good academic progress while travelling to play games and undergo a tough practice schedule which was really different to what I was accustomed to at home.
At the time in Barbados, there was not much game structure in basketball and it was tough learning offensive plays for key teammates or defensive plays to be executed. I couldn’t focus when plays were called, I didn’t know or remember where to go or what to do. Because I wasn’t mentally prepared, my playing time decreased and I became a bench warmer which was a horrible feeling.
That was a very tough time, however, I was determined to prove my ability and I accepted to put in extra training to learn and execute those plays. I had to be disappointed to realize how important preparation is to success in sports and in life.
At the end of my first year, before my return to Barbados my coach gave me a play book and a basketball and suggested that I learn the plays and train hard during my summer holiday. With much to prove, I returned in the fall and the showcasing started during the pre-season. To cut a long story short, I started most of the games, and was awarded the Most Improved Player and NE-10 Second Team-All Star, at the end of the season.
Here is a summer preparation guide:
1. Create and execute your personal and team SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timebound) goals and expectations.
Goal: At the end of my second year, I want to be the MVP of my team. Why is this important to you? How are you going to accomplish that goal? What action steps will you take? What are your strengths and areas of improvements? Who and where can you turn to for help?
2. Have a designed summer conditioning plan. Dedicate three or four days a week to exercise and weight training. For example, 30 minutes of weightlifting (upper) and (lower) body, 100 and 200 metres sprints, run two or three miles, abdominal work, jump rope, hill/stair climbing, yoga, dancing, etc. Keep track of your progress by documenting each activity.
Workouts should become more complicated and intense each week.
• Create a daily nutritional meal plan for optimal body performance.
• Nurse any injuries you may have – ice, rub down, massage etc.
• Play on an organized team to keep your skills sharp and maintain the team ethic.
3. Get a summer job to put money in your pockets and save some for a rainy day.
4. Feed your mind with educational and inspiring books, videos, publications, magazines etc.
5. Find and confide in a support system (family member, friend, coach/mentor, former player etc.). Nourish and maintain those relationships.
6. Explore and enjoy your summer. Spend time with family and friends.
When you stop working hard, you start failing hard. If you want to be a good competitor and the best athlete, you have to continue working hard.
• Celia Collymore is a former national women’s basketballer and founder/project manager of Bajan Fusion-Healthy Lifestyle Event Management Service.
