by Tim Nash
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“It’s a chicken and egg thing.” That’s the way confidence was explained to me once.
Which comes first? Is a particular athlete confident because they played well, or did they play well because they were confident? The answer differs from athlete to athlete, of course. And with young athletes, the level – or the existence – of confidence can differ from day to day. [Read more…]
by Tim Nash
Last week, I met a remarkable 14-year-old athlete. Her determination, commitment and attitude toward her sport is remarkable. But it was her focus that really interested me.
Elizabeth Kapitonova is a rhythmic gymnast from Staten Island. She’s without question the best in the U.S. in her age group and will be competing in the youth Olympics this year.
I knew nothing about gymnastics before I was hired to cover the USA Championships. After four days, I know next to nothing, but it’s not hard to spot special athletes, even if you don’t know anything about what they are doing.
by Tim Nash
Earlier this week, the 14U girls soccer team I coach had a very unique experience. Lauren Gregg, who served as the assistant coach with the U.S. women’s national team for 12 years, trained them.
Naturally, any time your team can have access to a high-level coach, your players are going to get a lot out of it. But the experience for the girls – and for me — was even better than I thought it would be.