Written by 2021-2022 U.S. Figure Skating DREAM Program and Skyliners Senior Member, Leatrice Bulls

We, as human beings, are not meant to be perfect. We make mistakes, big and small, on a daily basis. We don't even register small ones as negative because making mistakes is just as much a part of life as eating and breathing. However, there is a shift that often happens in our brains as athletes when we make mistakes or have setbacks in our training or performance on the ice. We are oftentimes conditioned to believe that our success and advancement is predicated on our unwavering perfection in every on-ice practice, off-ice session and performance. We all know the hours of training and the multitude of days that go into our teams coming together to create the almost magical imagery that is a well performed synchro program.

Yet sometimes we can get fixated on those moments of imperfection. This can happen after one bad practice or one bad performance, and it is easy to get the feeling that that one bad day is an indicator of something greater. We sometimes focus on what appears to be a problem, which ultimately limits our ability to grow. So, how do we as athletes avoid that cycle?
 
In team sports, there are a million and one things that we cannot control about our training and our teams' performances and placements. We have a decent amount of control over our individual performance, but even with that, flukes happen. What 100% is in our control, however, is how we react, respond and rebound from setbacks that feel adverse to our athletic goals. Progress in anything is almost never linear, and though it may not feel good in the moment, I have learned to appreciate my failures and disappointments as much as, if not more than, my successes as an athlete.

The moments that have been most influential and catalytic to my growth were not the medals, the clean skates, or the perfect tryouts, but rather the freestyle sessions when I made the same mistake on my twizzles for 30 minutes before figuring out the exact foot placement I needed to be able to hold my position. Or the team practices when I kept getting corrections from my coaches. Those moments taught me persistence and self-correction. Once I learned to reframe setbacks from a negative occurrence to an opportunity for growth, I noticed a shift in both my progress and my deepened appreciation for the sport. That shift can be hard to achieve, so here are some tactical steps that I take when I feel frustrated or stuck.
 

1. Acknowledging and respecting the disappointment that I am feeling at that moment and taking a deep breath to control the feelings.
2. Taking a step back and not trying to over correct or solve everything in that exact moment of heightened emotion and frustration.
3. Identifying what was going well even amidst the setbacks and avoiding thinking in absolutes. For example, "I messed up one twizzle, so everything I did in that session was bad." No one training session is all good or all bad.
4. Critically thinking to identify the root cause, and brainstorming ways in which I can strengthen that specific skill.

 
No single element, day or event defines an athlete, and using that perspective in those difficult training moments promotes improvement. We all progress at different paces. By focusing inward on personal development rather than comparing our own success to our peers, we not only develop the important life skill of self-motivation, but also reducing the unnecessary pressure that comes with doing so.

At the end of the day, we are all so committed to this incredible sport because we love it. At some point along the line, a younger version of ourselves stepped on the ice and connected to teammates for the first time, and something clicked that made us keep coming back. When I am feeling frustrated, I remember the 6-year-old me that cried on the boards at my first synchro practice, the coaches who warmly encouraged me to just try it out, and the pure joy I felt once I finally agreed and started skating with my new friends. That little girl couldn't even imagine where I am now, and I continue to skate to emulate the joy that synchro has given me for all of these years. You are so strong and powerful as an athlete. When you skate with the mindset that no matter what your current state, there are no limits to your potential with hard work and passion, anything is possible.
 
~Leatrice