EVEN THE BEST IN THE WORLD HAVE OFF DAYS
Watching the Olympic coverage has inspired me to blog today about the pressures that athletes are under to always perform at their best. I cannot help notice the similarities in dance. The pressure that students (and parents) place on themselves, to always place on top and hold that top spot no matter what.
I believe there are many lessons to be learned when watching the best in the world perform in their events. In the last two days the USA World Champion in Gymnastics Jordan Wieber and USA Swimmer Michael Phelps have been expected to be the best, and have fallen short of expectations. I have watched the shock in the media that these athletes have not met the standards imposed by their country and the world. I thought to myself "how must those young athletes feel?". How much pressure are they feeling to not only be letting themselves down, but be letting their parents, coaches, country and WORLD down?" . That is a lot of responsibility for a 17 year old or 27 year old to bear. I know they have a team of professionals that train their minds to deal with these pressures but that made me think about all of the amateur athletes that do not have the sport psychologists to keep their minds strong.
I know every competitive dancer has the desire to be the best. I believe that everyone of them feel that the competition they are preparing for at that moment is the MOST important - but what we need to teach our young performers is that the result of that day does not define WHO they are. We need to remember that we are dealing with very young, impressionable minds and it is our job as teachers and parents to build these minds to be as strong as possible. Adding pressure to never fall from the pedestal can only have a negative effect.
As I go into the next dance season as a Dance Teacher and a Mom,I plan on taking the lessons learned by watching these world class athletes. Mine will be helping my students to set their goals and focus on their individual successes, and to learn to celebrate every success that they achieve (as small as it may seem). It is not how quickly you get to the top or how long you stay there - it is about believing whole heartedly that you deserve to be there. Embrace all of your Training, and the Experiences learned on your journey, and the Passion you have for DANCE will prepare you to be The Best In The World!
Success is not Final
Failure is not Fatal,
It is the Courage to
continue that counts.
Happy Olympics Everyone,
Kelly
