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February Newsletter
As the competition season unfolds, the pressure to perform well is probably weighing heavily on most athletes. The anticipation of hitting every routine, variation, or solo perfectly (combined with the intensity of major events) can create an overwhelming sense of nervousness. However, with the right tools and mindset, athletes can learn to embrace these moments, turning pressure into confidence and bringing the FUN back into the performance.
Here are some practical strategies to help athletes rise to the occasion and thrive under pressure!
First up, one of my faves — THE BREATHE & SQUEEZE
When pressure mounts, the body often reacts with shallow breathing, racing thoughts, and a pounding heart. One of the most effective ways to counter these physical responses is through controlled breathing techniques. A favorite among a lot of the athletes I work with, is what I call the “Breathe and Squeeze”.
Here’s how it works:
- When you inhale, you increase muscle tension. And when you exhale, you decrease muscle tension.
- Mental tension (aka stress, nervousness, anxiety, frustration, etc.) is directly connected to physical tension…meaning the more stressed we get, the more tense we get.
- For the “BREATHE” - you’ll want to make your exhale twice as long as your inhale. I like to do 3 counts in, and 6 counts out. This forces us to spend more time in the relaxation phase of your breath.
- For the “SQUEEZE” - you’ll want to choose one muscle group/body part to squeeze (I like to do my hands). You’re going to squeeze on the inhale (aka when your body naturally increases muscle tension) and then relax on the exhale (when your body naturally relaxes).
- EXAMPLE - Breathe in for 3 counts while squeezing your hands as tight as possible, then exhale for 6 counts and relax your hands. Continue repeating this cycle.
This breathing exercise not only slows the heart rate but also signals the brain to shift from “fight or flight” mode into a state of calm focus. Encourage athletes to practice this technique before competitions, during warm-ups, or even in the midst of a high-pressure moment. With practice, breathing becomes a powerful ally in managing nerves.
A solid pre-performance routine can also provide a sense of control and consistency, helping them step out with focus and confidence. These routines can include a series of familiar actions: a physical warm-up, listening to a favorite playlist, and going through a set mental “warm-up”. The key is to develop rituals that feel grounding and reliable, creating a mental and physical “zone” that supports their best performance.
For Parents -- How to Be the Best Support System
Remember, parents play a critical role in helping athletes manage pressure. During competition season, your support can make all the difference.
- Be their cheerleader, not their coach. Avoid offering corrections or advice—leave that to their coaches. Instead, focus on offering encouragement and celebrating their effort.
- Control your own stress. You can’t expect your child to stay calm and focused, if you aren’t calm and focused! Incorporate stress-management exercises to your own personal routine. When you help yourself, you help your athlete.
- Shift the focus from results to growth. Talk about the hard work they’ve put in and the perseverance they’ve shown. Scores and placements are fleeting. Always keep the focus on the things that are IN their control.
- Remind them of your unconditional support. Let them know you’re proud of them no matter the outcome. This reassurance helps athletes feel safe and supported, even in high-pressure moments.
Pressure is a natural part of competition, but it doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. With the right mental tools, athletes can face the season with confidence and poise. Success isn’t about eliminating nerves—it’s about learning to manage them in order to achieve powerful performances that reflect their hard work and dedication.
BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO...
GYMNASTICS:
Elite/Hopes:
- Gianna A: Hopes Compulsory Qualifier - 1st AA & qualified
- Brianna H: Hopes Compulsory Qualifier - 1st AA & qualified // Hopes Optional Qualifier - 3rd AA
- Grace W: Junior Elite Compulsory Qualifier - 1st AA & qualified // Junior Elite Optional Qualifier - 4th AA
Level 10:
- Morgan A: Meet 1 - 7th floor, 8th bars // Meet 2 - 7th floor, 9th bars, 10th AA
- Daelin D: Meet 1 - 1st bars, 3rd floor, 5th vault, 7th beam, 4th AA // Meet 2 - 1st bars, 1st beam, 7th floor, 6th vault, 4th AA
- Sam D: Meet 1 - 9th beam // Meet 2 - 8th beam
- Lily F: Meet 1 - 6th bars, 7th beam, 7th floor, 8th vault, 8th AA
- Leah G: Meet 1 - 4th vault, 4th bars, 5th beam, 7th floor, 5th AA
- Julia G: Meet 1 - 2nd beam, 4th bars, 9th vault & floor, 7th AA // Meet 2 - 6th vault, 9th floor, 11th bars, 11th AA
- Aiden H: Meet 1 - 5th pommel & vault, 7th P bars, 8th floor, rings & high bars, 6th AA // Meet 2 - 14th floor, 16th pommel // Meet 3 - 19th floor
- Caroline H: Meet 1 - 4th bars, 6th beam, 9th vault, 10th floor, 6th AA // Meet 2 - 3rd beam, 6th bars, 7th floor & vault, 6th AA // Meet 3 - 2nd bars, 3rd beam // Meet 4 - 6th vault & beam, 8th floor, 10th vault, 6th AA
- Brianna H: Meet 1 - 1st vault, 2nd bars, 4th beam, 5th floor, 1st AA
- Sophia M: Meet 1 - 5th bars, 10th vault, 11th beam & floor, 10th AA
- Mila M: Meet 1 - 6th vault, 7th bars, 9th beam, 10th floor, 7th AA // Meet 2 - 5th beam & floor, 6th vault, 8th AA
- Cadyn N: Meet 1 - 4th floor, 5th vault, 6th beam, 8th bars, 5th AA // Meet 2 - 7th floor, 8th vault
- Karina P: Meet 1 - 6th beam // Meet 2 - 9th vault, 10th beam
- Zora Q: Meet 1 - 2nd vault & beam, 4th floor, 12th bars, 5th AA // Meet 2 - 4th vault, 5th floor, 10th beam
- Lacie S: Meet 1 - 1st bars, 2nd floor, 4th beam, 9th vault, 4th AA // Meet 2 - 1st bars & floor, 8th vault, 9th beam, 4th AA
- Kaity S: Meet 1 - 1st bars, 2nd beam, 3rd vault, 7th floor, 2nd AA // Meet 2 - 7th beam
- Andrew S: Meet 1 - 1st pommel, 4th floor, 5th vault & P bars, 6th high bar, 7th rings, 4th AA // Meet 2 - 1st floor, 4th pommel, 5th rings, 10th vault & high bars, 13th P bars, 6th AA // Meet 3 - 1st pommel
- Ellie S: Meet 1 - 2nd bars, 7th floor, 11th vault, 12th beam, 6th AA // Meet 2 - 2nd bars, 7th vault, beam & floor, 4th AA
- Sage S. - Meet 1 - 1st vault, beam, & floor, 10th bars, 3rd AA // Meet 2 - 2nd floor, 3rd vault, 4th beam, 5th bars, 2nd AA
- Finley W: Meet 1 - 10th beam // Meet 2 - 11th beam
- Grace W: Meet 1 - 1st beam, 3rd bars & vault, 5th floor, 3rd AA
Level 9:
- Gianna A: Meet 1 - 3rd vault, 4th floor, 7th bars, 13th beam, 6th AA
- Grace B: Meet 1 - 2nd floor, 6th bars // Meet 2 - 1st floor
- Ryleigh H: Meet 1 - 11th beam
- Jadyn K: Meet 1 - 4th floor & vault
- Kennedy P: Meet 1 - 7th beam, 8th bars, 9th vault, 12th floor, 10th AA
- Lilly V: Meet 1 - 6th floor, 7th vault, 8th bars & beam, 6th AA
Level 8:
- Ziva A: Meet 1 - 1st floor & bars, 2nd vault, 8th beam, 7th AA // Meet 2 - 1st vault & bars, 2nd floor, 6th beam, 1st AA
- Emily H: Meet 1 - 4th vault & floor, 11th bars, 13th beam, 4th AA // Meet 2 - 4th beam, 5th bars, 8th vault, 13th floor, 6th AA
- Jessi M: Meet 1 - 2nd beam & floor, 5th vault, 13th bars, 5th AA // Meet 2 - 4th beam, 5th bars, 9th vault, 14th floor, 9th AA
- Emma P: Meet 1 - 5th floor, 9th bars, beam & vault, 7th AA // Meet 2 - 1st floor, 4th bars, 6th vault, 7th beam, 4th AA
- Addie S: Meet 1 - 2nd beam, 12th vault, 19th bars & floor, 17th AA // Meet 2 - 1st beam, 4th floor, 5th vault, 7th bars, 3rd AA
- Ally W: Meet 1 - 2nd vault, 6th bars, 8th beam, 10th floor, 3rd AA // Meet 2 - 2nd vault, 3rd bars, 10th beam & floor, 5th AA
- Lola W: Meet 1 - 6th bars
Level 7:
- Sutton C: Meet 1 - 1st bars, 4th beam, 5th floor, 8th vault, 2nd AA // Meet 2 - 1st bars, 7th beam, 9th floor, 11th vault, 7th AA // Meet 3 - 1st bars, 5th floor, 9th vault, 4th AA
- Camryn D: Meet 1 - 4th floor, 7th beam, 12th vault, 13th bars, 13th AA // Meet 2 - 2nd floor, 6th beam, 11th vault, 14th bars, 13th AA
- Saniyah S: Meet 1 - 1st bars, 4th floor, 9th vault, 11th beam, 6th AA // Meet 2 - 1st beam & floor, 5th bars, 6th vault, 3rd AA
Level 6:
- Will B: Meet 1 - 1st floor, rings, P bars, & high bar, 7th vault, 12th pommel, 1st AA
- Ryan P: Meet 1 - 4th vault, 7th floor, 11th bars, 9th AA // Meet 2 - 6th beam, 8th bars & floor, 9th vault, 6th AA
BALLET:
- Stella A. - ADC IBC Rayleigh - 10th place Senior Classical
- Rachael D. - ADC IBC Houston - 9th place Senior Classical, 15th place Senior Contemporary
- Francesca B. - Competed at YAGP Tampa // Accepted into John Cranko & ABT summer intensives
- Morgan B. - NYCDA Savannah - Teen Outstanding Dancer & 28th place Teen Soloist // Accepted into SAB & John Cranko summer intensives // ADC IBC Dallas - Top 25 Junior Contemporary
- Sydney B. - Nuvo Dallas - 6th place Teen Soloist
- Aviva B. - ADC IBC Dallas - 16th place Junior Classical & 11th place Junior Contemporary
- Amalia D. - ADC IBC Pittsburg - 8th place Senior Classical, 9th place Senior Contemporary, 1st place duet, 4th place ensemble
- Adeline D. - Attended Young Arts Week in Miami
- Greysen F. - Competed at ADC IBC Dallas
- Audrey H. - ADC IBC Dallas - 8th place Senior Contemporary
- Stirling J. - ADC IBC Rayleigh - 11th place Senior Classical, 12 place Senior Contemporary
- Lawson J. - ADC IBC Dallas - 25th Junior Contemporary
- Esme K. - YAGP Tampa - top 24 Senior Classical
- Ally L. - ADC IBC Dallas - 8th place Senior Classical, 18th place Senior Contemporary
- Elsa L. - ADC IBC Pittsburg - 3rd place duet
- Maren L. - ADC IBC Pittsburg - 24th place Senior Contemporary
- Quinlin M. - Winter intensive at the European School of Ballet // YAGP Boston - 2nd place Junior Classical, top 12 Junior Contemporary // ADC IBC Dallas - 2nd place Junior Classical, 1st place Junior Contemporary
- Macie M. - YAGP Tampa - 2nd place Senior Classical, 2nd place Senior Contemporary // Left for Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland
- Raegan N. - Winter intensive at the European School of Ballet
- Jacqueline N. - YAGP Chicago - 3rd place Senior Contemporary, top 12 Senior Classical
- Zoey R. - YAGP Seattle - 2nd place Junior Classical, top 12 Junior Contemporary // ADC IBC Dallas - 3rd place Junior Classical, 4th place Junior Contemporary, 4th place pas de deux
- Audrey R. - ADC IBC Dallas - 17th place Junior Classical, 21st place Junior Contemporary
- Zia S. - YAGP Tampa - 1st place ensemble
- Avery S. - ADC IBC Dallas - 1st place Senior Classical, 8th place Senior Contemporary
- Angelina T. - Left for Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland
- Annalisa V. - Winter intensive at the European School of Ballet // ADC IBC Dallas - 9th place Senior Classical, 13th place Senior Contemporary
- Gracelyn W. - ADC IBC Dallas - 15th place Senior Contemporary, 1st place duet, 5th place trio
We love celebrating everyone’s accomplishments whether you’re a current or former CMC athlete! Please know that we only include those we have a signed media release for, so make sure you sign this form if you’d like to be included. If we’ve left anyone or anything off of the list, please feel free to email us and we will be sure to give them a shoutout in the upcoming newsletter!
CALLING ALL DANCERS — FREE MASTERCLASS!
How many of you would agree that it’s important to think positively??
And how many of you have felt disappointed (and maybe a little irritated) because telling yourself “I can do it!” didn’t actually make a difference?
Been there, done that!
That’s why I created my FREE Masterclass - 3 reasons why being positive is NOT helping your performance, and how to have the best run of your variation on stage...
JUST IN TIME FOR COMPETITION SEASON
In this masterclass, I share my take on perfectionism, 3 reasons why being positive is NOT helping your performance, and 3 ways to effectively improve your performance!
Quick Reminders
Scheduling:
Please remember that you are responsible for scheduling your child's coaching sessions. Sessions can be scheduled via the online portal. In the effort of making this coaching as beneficial as possible, please note that the sessions should be one-on-one between the athlete & Emily. We love parents! However, athletes speak more freely with an outside/3rd party which leads to more beneficial coaching.
Lastly, please try as best as you can not to schedule sessions when in the car. As convenient as it might sound to schedule the session on the way to rehearsal or practice, more often than not this causes video calls to cut in and out (or freezing) which results in a lot of wasted time. Again, we want this coaching to be as beneficial as possible, and malfunctioning video calls take time away from the session.
Online Portal:
The online portal is where you will be able to schedule sessions and download/share documents as needed. Please bookmark this link (you can also find in on the CMC website): https://championmindsetconsulting.clientsecure.me/
You can also download the free app (for iPhones AND for Androids) for even easier access to scheduling.
Cancellation Policy:
I don't experience late cancellations often (and for that I am very grateful to you all!), but every once in a while it does happen. Because this takes away a spot from other athletes who would've liked to get in, we will be enforcing the cancellation policy which states that any session cancelled less than 24 hours ahead of time is subject to a $25 fee. I completely understand that sometimes things happen that are beyond your control, so in these situations please reach out.
Waiting/Cancellation List:
If you are trying to schedule your athlete and the day/time you want is taken, please reach out to me and I will put you on a cancellation list for that particular day/time. If a cancellation occurs, I will contact you first to see if you'd still like that spot!
For dancers & gymnasts who are committed to achieving their goals, mastering mental skills such as cognitive reframing, relaxation exercises, emotion control, visualization, and empowering self-talk is not just beneficial - it’s CRITICAL.
Our online training programs teach the same mental skills that are taught during one-on-one sessions in a step-by-step format. They walk the athlete through the learning and practicing of the skills, how to implement the skills in practice, class, rehearsal, competition, etc., how to piece together a pre-performance routine for peak performance, and so much more!
These online training programs are available on their own for those who wish to work independently, as well as in bundles for those who prefer to add one-on-one coaching sessions! Athletes receive lifetime access to the program and can review skills whenever they need. These all-inclusive bundles are our most cost-effective & convenient options for gymnasts and dancers who wish to begin mental performance coaching. For more info, you can click on either of the logos above or the button below.
Champion Mindset Consulting is a proud sponsor of YAGP
If you need anything, please reach out to: Info@ChampionMindsetConsulting.com
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