Preparing for a Contest
Preparing for a Contest
To prepare your athletes for their first (or fifteenth) competition!
“Keep the structure, adapt the content!”
Regardless of their previous experience, developmental athletes should go through a very similar routine when preparing for a contest. What changes is the content.
Here are three phases to help you structure your contest prep…
This should be focused on building comfort and making a plan. Consider the following:
- Ride the resort the day before (or as close to) the contest to build comfort in the environment. Unfamiliar places can contribute to anxiety levels.
- Pay attention to the snow condition and consider how it may change for contest day.
- Help plan your athlete’s run. Whether it’s a slopestyle course or a SBX race, work with your athletes to create a plan for contest day that includes the tricks they want to land or the best line they can take. Having a plan B can also be valuable.
- Use skill repetition in different terrain with a focus on making smoother movements (e.g. repeat the same tricks on different features but holding the grab for longer or popping more gently).
This should be focused on simple body and mind preparation. Consider the following:
- Ensure that suitable nutrition and hydration has been prepared for.
- Pay attention to any out-of-character signs within your athletes. They may become quieter or they may get over-excited. Both are signs of nerves.
- Remind your athletes that it’s okay to be nervous and that nerves can help us to perform better when under pressure.
- Go through the same warmups that you usually do and try to get a few cruisey laps in together with your whole crew before competing.
This should be focused on performing to the best of their ability, regardless of what everyone else does. Consider the following:
- Do your athletes know what their best possible performance looks like? This may not be about the results of the contest but about putting down their run or finishing the course without a fall.
- Check the venue and make sure the planned run/line will still work. Create a plan B or C if anything has changed.
- Remind them that snowboarding is still about fun, first and foremost, and that doing the best they can do is what’s important.
- Be calm yourself as the coach and show that you’re having fun too.
- Celebrate ANY successes they have and look for learning opportunities in the experience.
Learning Opportunities
Photo: Snow Sports NZ / Stash Media Worx
A Positive Experience
Learning to compete is a skill in itself. For our athletes to harness this we need to create as many positive contest experiences and learning opportunities as possible.