September/October 2021 - 16

Cultivating Confidence
in Student-Athletes
By Sarah Burnell, Assistant Professor of Physical Education and Head Cross Country Coach at Grinnell College
The beauty of confidence is that it's a skill; we can
build it and get better at it over time, and I have a few
suggestions on where you can start.
There are a plethora of resources and tips on confidence
building between blogs and books, but one that I recently
stumbled upon is Kara Goucher's book, " Strong; A
Runner's Guide to Boosting Confidence and Becoming the
Best Version of You. " In her book, Goucher, a former multiNCAA
champion and two-time Olympian distance runner,
provides insight into her journey for confidence and
provides some different strategies for the reader to use.
Some of the strategies Goucher mentions have worked
well with my teams in the past, such as goal-setting
with a focus on the process goals, visualization, and
confidence journaling.
Goal-Setting
Goal-setting might feel like a chore for athletes who
haven't raced in a while. Some might even resist setting
any goals until after their first competition. But the best
part of goals is that they're always changing and never
static. They help give direction and purpose to the work
that athletes have been doing (or are starting to do) in
preparation for their first competition. The key to making
goals - and the process of setting goals- a bit more
comfortable is establishing both the outcome goal, or what
you want to accomplish at the end of a season/year, and
the process goals, the steps you're going to take along the
way. This type of goal setting helps athletes define where
they are now, where they want to be, and what elements
they can focus on and control in the process.
Visualization
Returning from a long break from the competitive
environment can also be overwhelming. Visualization
can be a critical tool for helping athletes adjust to the
competitive environment before even setting foot into the
arena. Even if our bodies haven't executed a training plan
in 12 months, our minds can do it every day. Visualizing
each step of the race and how the body and mind will
respond to different challenges helps us prepare for those
" what if " moments and lets us tackle each situation with
confidence because we anticipated the moment.
Confidence Journaling
Finally, Goucher's primary recommendation from her
book is to do confidence journaling. This can seem like
a silly confidence-building strategy, but it's incredibly
helpful for acknowledging the work athletes do. Even the
" down periods " some may have taken can benefit athletes
who have been grinding through year-round training
since they were in middle school. Just because training
hasn't looked the same as it has in the past, doesn't mean
your athletes haven't been doing hard things (physically
and mentally). Recognizing that those experiences and
skills will transfer to their sport is critical. It can be hard
to remember all the little steps that helped them get to
this point and prepared them for what comes next. Ask
your athletes what hard things they have accomplished
lately, what they have done in the training that has given
them confidence, what they are doing well. How have they
grown in this past year that will help them in the future?
But Confidence Isn't Everything
My running coach, Carrie McCoy, a former Division
I athlete and now professional triathlete and founder of
JustTri Triathlon Training reminds me: " Think beyond
just confidence; what are you grateful for? Adding
gratitude keeps everything in perspective. "
Remind yourself and your athletes that training and
competing are opportunities that not everyone gets
to experience - so build fitness while also building
confidence and gratitude with your teams. We all know
now, more than ever, that being able to compete alongside
teammates and opposite opponents is a gift we should
never take for granted again.
16 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

September/October 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September/October 2021