Being your best when your best is required and/or requested is hard. To be mentally and physically prepared to learn and grow in sports requires vulnerability and openness—an ability to explore new mental spaces and push your body to do things most others will not. However, progress on this journey can quickly be undone if athletes do not have the support they need at home to achieve their goals. Families, therefore, must understand and embrace their role in optimizing their athlete’s ability to learn efficiently and effectively.
Culturally, my upbringing included frequent comparisons between me and my cousins. My parents were raised in a culture where success was often gauged through comparisons with other family units, and as a child, I equated this with happiness. Looking back, I see how this shaped my youthful choices and mindset. Success, joy, and happiness became tied to outward appearances of not failing. When failure can’t be shared or used as a tool for growth, it’s internalized. This often leads to a cycle of self-criticism, a rabbit hole that can be dark and difficult to escape.
Optimal Performance Environments
Safe Environments to learn and grow
Basic needs accounted for
Partnership with Coaches and Staff
Safe EnvironmentsFor families to help their athletes thrive, it’s important to provide a safe and supportive space. Consider these key questions:
Can this child be vulnerable within the environment provided?
Does this child trust the space and the people in it?
Basic Needs Accounted ForDuring my time working and volunteering at Walden West Outdoor School throughout my teens and twenties, I learned a critical lesson: learning cannot occur if basic needs are unmet. Psychologist Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs outlines this concept in one way.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs organizes human needs into a pyramid, with each level representing a different type of need:
Physiological Needs: The most basic needs, such as food, water, shelter, and sleep.
Safety Needs: The need for security, stability, and freedom from fear.
Love and Belonging Needs: The need for friendship, intimacy, acceptance, and connection.
Esteem Needs: The need for respect, recognition, self-esteem, and a sense of strength and freedom.
Self-Actualization Needs: The need to achieve one's full potential and be creative.
Maslow's theory suggests that individuals must satisfy each level of needs before moving on to the next. For example, someone might endure temporary hunger to wait for dinner, but a starving person will eat anything available. While the model isn’t perfect, it serves as a reminder that our athletes cannot learn and grow if their basic needs—like nourishment—are unmet.
We are not here to tell you how to parent your children, but our athletes require a certain bottom line. Ensuring their basic needs are met creates an environment where they can thrive both physically and mentally, enabling them to focus on achieving their full potential.
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