Amy Purdy experienced what some people would call a disadvantage, but she does not use that word to describe her situation. A better word in her vocabulary would simply be a change. A change that forced her to use creativity to continue participating in the sport that she loved. This change not only impacted her life, but also inspired her to ease experiences of other athletes going through a similar transition.

Amy loved to snowboard, but when she lost both of her legs below the knee at the age of 19 to a rare form of bacterial meningitis, she had difficulty even walking. She was lucky to survive, but her determination to adjust to the drastic change of riding on two prosthetic legs, and ability to flourish after her recovery is what makes her story incredible. She could have given up snowboarding after experiencing the pain and difficulty of riding for the first time with her new legs, but she decided to get back on the mountain and find a way to compete all the way up to the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games. Although she would be the only competitor with two prosthetic legs, she knew that she would need to focus on her own snowboarding trials and not be intimidated by the other riders with at least one of their original good legs. Instead of dwelling over the fact that she did not have the advantage of at least one of her own ankles to assist her stance and performance, she looked to technology for a prosthetic solution that could compensate for the restraints of feet that are designed for walking and not the complex movements of snowboarding.

Amy Purdy continually went through changes during the search to find the most suitable prosthetic feet to strap into her boot. However, she did not view the different confinements of her artificial ankle as boundaries that could hold her back. Unlike sports that involve running that have provoked opinions about prosthetics potentially providing their athletes with an advantage, there is no pair of feet yet designed to accommodate the range of ankle movements needed to carve through challenging snowcross courses such as in Sochi. Amy still refused to be restricted between the walls of limited eversion and inversion, but decided to push off of these walls and propel into influencing other adaptive riders through organized camps and developing a plan to include snowboarding in the Paralympic program.

As Amy was adjusting to a new way of snowboarding, she did not have many resources to assist her in still pursuing her passion after the drastic change at the age of 19. She wanted to ensure that she could make and impact on others who shared the same passion of snowboarding by encouraging them to not let their impairments define their performances. Amy demonstrates the ways that we can allow changes to enable us, despite how difficult the transition may seem. She used her imagination to come up with her own outcomes to changes instead of letting a major change inhibit her as an athlete. Inspiring athletes who have gone through changes and came out on top remind us that if something does not seem possible or within reach, we can use the “boundaries” in the same way as Amy Purdy, and not be confined by them, but use them to drive us into places that we never imagined.

Check out her TED talk here.

 

References: 

http://xgames.espn.go.com/article/10590582/women-action-amy-purdy-debut-paralympic-snowboard-cross

Is performance anxiety getting the best of you? Are you overwhelmed with panic at the thought of competing in front of others? Do your limbs become a bundle of nerves and your stomach a knot of butterflies come game time? We know the feeling. And we’re here to help! In this three-part series, we’re sharing our best tips to help you navigate those meddlesome feelings of self-doubt and fear, and reduce your anxiety when you’re under pressure.

Follow us here on the blog or on Facebook/Twitter for three tips on managing anxiety during the month of April. In case you missed Tip #1, click here to learn how to focus on what you can control instead of what you can’t. Now for Tip #2!

Tip #2: Embrace Anxiety

As uncomfortable as it can feel, anxiety plays a critical role when it comes to performance—on the field, in the pool, on the track, or on the stage—and different levels of anxiety can both help or hinder that quality performance. Let’s say, for example, you’re minutes away from the starting buzzer of the biggest game of the year. Would you want to feel pumped up for the competition with adrenaline racing, ready to get out there and tackle your opponent? Or feel a more subdued, concentrated sense of calm readiness? Every athlete is different in what they prefer and different sports require different degrees of anxiety or what’s sometimes called “activation.” All types of performances, both sport and non-sport, require varying levels of activation in order to achieve optimal performance. This theory, called the Yerkes-Dodson Law, dictates that performance increases with physiological or mental activation (arousal), but only up to a point. When levels of arousal become too high, performance decreases.¹ Different tasks require different levels of arousal for optimal performance. Difficult or intellectually demanding tasks may require a lower level of arousal (to facilitate concentration), whereas tasks demanding stamina or persistence may be performed better with higher levels of arousal (to increase motivation). When activation levels rise too high, feelings of panic and stress can emerge, leading to too much anxiety, poor problem-solving skills and “tunnel vision,” which is not conducive to peak sport performance! On the other hand, in the absence of any anxiety at all, a mellow, low-pressure response does not elicit optimal performance either…an athlete can be too flat. Therefore, some nervousness is helpful and it’s important to embrace those nerves and use them to your advantage. Finding the right amount of anxiety/arousal/activation for you and your sport can be difficult and takes practice. Try deep slow breaths or listening to relaxing music (to decrease activation) or upbeat music (to increase it). Most importantly, embrace anxiety as a natural part of performance and that it can be useful in many situations at the appropriate level!

 

 

Is performance anxiety getting the best of you? Are you overwhelmed with panic at the thought of competing in front of others? Do your limbs become a bundle of nerves and your stomach a knot of butterflies come game time? We know the feeling. And we’re here to help! In this new three-part series, we’re sharing our best tips to help you navigate those meddlesome feelings of self-doubt and fear, and reduce your anxiety when you’re under pressure.

Follow us here on the blog or on Facebook/Twitter for 3 tips on managing anxiety during the month of April.

Here’s our 1st tip…

Tip #1: Focus On What You Can Control

Imagine you’re standing at the free-throw line, palms sweaty under a blinking scoreboard of 65-65. All eyes on you as the game-winning point rests on your next shot. Feeling anxious? In these situations, more often than not, our brains immediately seize on the “what if’s” of the scenario and zero-in on variables outside our control. This leads to nerves, panic, agitation, stress and tension—ultimately interfering with the quality of your performance.

Next time you find yourself at the free-throw line, or preparing for any high-pressure performance, try this exercise:

Create a list of all the elements about your performance that are within your control. List things like the amount of effort you’ve put into preparing/training, your attitude, mindset and perspective, your skills, etc.

Create a list of all the elements that are out of your control. These might include skill level of the opponent, the weather, quality of the field/facility, decisions of your coaching staff, etc.

CONTROLLABLES:

1. Your effort
2. Preparation
3. Mindset
4. Attitude
5. How you manage the uncontrollables!
6. Time-management
7. What you focus on

 

UNCONTROLLABLES:

1. Equipment
2. Facilities
3. Skill level of the opponent
4. Coaching decisions
5. Order of the line-up

 

Take a moment to focus on what you can control, instead of what you can’t. Doing this will help reduce performance anxiety so that you can kick, pitch, bat, swing, bike, shoot, dive, sing, act, drum, and perform at your best. Next time you feel nervous before a competition, practice shifting your focus to the CONTROLLABLES and letting go of the uncontrollables!