The Performance Statement Simple and Concrete

Early in the year 2000, Sean Townsend had established himself as one of the United States’ best male gymnasts, and he was poised to show the world that he was a major force to be reckoned with. In 2001, he collected his first gold medal at the World Championships and placed in the top ten twice in World Cup competitions, identifying himself as a serious medal contender for the 2004 Olympic Games. Just as Sean was beginning to prepare for his Olympic run, a knee injury derailed his training. He was disheartened at having worked so hard for so long only to have his dreams dashed so quickly. Inadequate training brought on by nagging injuries dropped Sean out of the international spotlight. It appeared as though Sean Townsend’s gymnastics career might be over. Then in June of 2006, with the support of his coach, Kevin Mazieka (also the Olympic team coach), he decided to recommit to his training and make another run at his Olympic dream. In November 2006, I traveled to Houston to help Sean and Kevin implement the 10-Minute Toughness training program as a complement to the intense physical preparation Sean was undertaking. Watching Sean and Kevin train is unforgettable. They both approach their work with unheralded passion. Although neither is shy about getting to the point, they seem to have an unspoken language through which they can express deep concern and pride. As I watched them work together in practice, I noticed true commitment and perseverance. Coach Mazieka was able to strike a balance between pushing and supporting. At one point, he jumped all over Sean for not paying enough attention to detail while working on what seemed like impossible moves on the pommel horse. The coach pleaded with the twenty-eight-year-old to keep his elbow straighter at the critical moment of the skill. Kevin’s attention prompted Sean to push harder on the next turn. Just minutes later, Kevin was there to praise Sean’s effort even though the gymnast had just fallen on his dismount. It was clear to me that the coach and athlete respect each other wholeheartedly. Coach Mazieka talks about Sean with the pride a father has for a son: “Sean is a very special talent. He works very hard, and he is a terrific young man.” On February 8, 2007, Sean Townsend and his trusted coach walked into the Las Vegas Sports Complex for the first of two national competitions to select the Senior National Team, which represents the Untied States in all world and Olympic competitions. This time around, things were different: Townsend was not the odds-on favorite. In fact, few insiders believed he had the ability to climb back to the top of the podium. Townsend surprised  the field on the first day of competition by fighting his way to a third-place finish. With Sean almost two points out of first place, he and Kevin discussed strategy for the final day’s competition. Many people thought Townsend would play it safe in the finals and feel satisfied with finishing anywhere in the top six. (Similar to a golfer laying up instead of going for the green on an approach shot, gymnasts sometimes eliminate particularly difficult skills from a routine if they have built a lead that they do not want to risk relinquishing.) Townsend and Mazieka had a different plan. With Sean’s revitalized training and confidence, they both knew he was good enough to win the competition, and that is exactly what they set out to accomplish. On the second day of competition, after making up ground on the first four events, Sean was in striking distance with two events remaining. All he needed to do was stay with what had brought him to this point. He had the momentum, and the other athletes were now watching in amazement as he competed with supreme confidence. Sean had discovered that part of his problem over the last three years was that he had been focusing more and more on results rather than on staying in the moment and executing one skill at a time, one routine at a time. As part of his 10-MT mental workout, Sean created a performance statement to help him stay in the moment. A performance statement is a specifically designed form of self-talk. Self-talk is the conversation that goes on in a person’s head throughout the day. It is said that the average person has up to sixty thousand thoughts per day—that’s a lot of self-talk. The unfortunate thing about those thoughts is that the majority tend to embody self-doubt or negativity. If we do not choose our thoughts carefully, they can (and many times do) have a negative impact on performance. Going into the final two events, Sean realized that he was starting to get ahead of himself in thinking about results. He forced himself to concentrate on his performance statement: “One skill at a time, one routine at a time.” High bar was Sean’s next event. It was both his strongest and most difficult event. For the previous three months, Sean had been using his mental workout to train his mind to stay focused on “one skill at a time,” and the effect was obvious as he moved through his high-bar routine almost flawlessly. With one event to go, Townsend was virtually tied for first place with one of the country’s most talented and determined young gymnasts. It was the classic showdown of the old veteran taking on the young phenom. Townsend maintained his thought process, and after completing an inspiring floor exercise, he eventually went on to win the competition and claim the top spot on the Senior National Team.