Olympian ordeals and athletic anxieties

by Morven McCulloch

With just over a year to go, Olympic athletes are training hard. But it’s not just bodies they’re preparing — well-prepared minds are vital too.

According to high-performance sports psychologist Misha Bodding, mental preparation for competition is equally as important as physical fitness.

“Athletes spend a lot of time focusing on their technical and tactical skills,” said Bodding, who has worked with training Olympic athletes for five years.

“That’s a huge amount of time dedicated to physical fitness.”

Confidence and anxiety

Bodding explained that before a competition, an athlete experiences low levels of self-confidence and high levels of anxiety, a combination that can hinder physical preparation if the right psychological training is not in place. Bodding said: “Athletes need mental regimes to compete at their optimum level.”

Sports psychologist Rhonda Cohen, who works individually with Olympic athletes, says that the most common psychological issues experienced are stress management, focus, confidence and recovering from injury.

For Michelle Moore, a US synchronised swimmer, the most stressful part of preparing for London Games is the knowledge that it will be her first, and last, Olympic experience.

The 21-year-old, who trains eight hours a day, has made immense sacrifices to pursue her dreams. Aged 16, she moved 2,000 miles from her native New York to dedicate more time to the training needed to achieve her Olympic goals.

“The London Games is an opportunity that doesn’t come around often,” she said. “But it takes a lot of determination and pushing through hard times to get there.”

Competitors' support

On average, Olympic synchronised swimmers are aged between 17 to 24, with 16 years the youngest age allowed. As Bodding says, there is no correlation between an Olympic athlete’s age and stress levels. Bodding added: “Sometimes, I deliver a short intervention that quickly addresses specific issues and enables athletes to move on as soon as possible.

However, Olympic athletes are usually provided with a substantial support system until the Games.” Moore’s teammate Mary Killman, 19, feels the pressure of meeting public expectations. “As an athlete, I have to represent my country at all times, which gets a bit insane,” Killman said. “But you remind yourself that this is what you have worked for.”

Continuous pressure

Cohen said: “It’s the pressure of someone watching and evaluating everything we do. This is something athletes experience continuously.” Moore has postponed her graduation for London 2012, and described herself as having “a body that always seems fatigued and an almost nonexistent social life”.

She said: “You feel like your whole day is spent in the pool. But on the positive side, I have learned to be in tune with my body, to be in the best physical shape that I can."