Diving into 2016: Are You Committed?

Jul 13, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, USA; Pamela Ware of Canada prepares for a dive in the women's synchronised diving 3m springboard final the 2015 Pan Am Games at Pan Am Aquatics UTS Centre and Field House. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher/USA Today Sports Images

By Danielle Repper, Swimming World College Intern

2016 is just around the corner! This is the time of year when we often reflect on our accomplishments and what we’d like to achieve moving forward. The challenge is not in creating our goals, but rather the ability to commit to those goals beyond the first week of January.

Commitment is a familiar term to athletes. Mark Anderson, junior diver for the University of Texas defines commitment as, “doing all that you have in your power to achieve what you want to achieve. It’s about keeping your goals in mind and not letting things stand in your way. Commitment is very important for athletes. To reach your potential you need to be committed to what you are doing and believe in the process!”

The life of a student-athlete is grueling; no one ever said it was easy. It’s challenging to keep pace with the high demands of athletics AND academics, and therefore we risk a slip in commitment in one area or another.

“Commitment is what you sign up for when you are a student-athlete. Commitment as a student-athlete not only involves showing up to practice and weights everyday, but also maintaining a healthy body and mind, always representing your school and team proudly, making sacrifices in your social life, maybe getting a little less sleep and oh yeah…. being a full-time student!” expressed Kelly Markle, senior diver for Stanford University.

Diving is a highly technical and detail-oriented sport. The slightest deviation at any point, from the approach on the board through the execution of the dive can produce an undesirable result. There are endless skills a diver can continually strive to improve upon, all directly tied to minimizing deviations. Consistency is key in every sport and this is highlighted in diving. How each diver achieves the goal of consistency varies with the individual diver and method of training.

BARCELONA, SPAIN - JULY 28: Jeinkler Aguirre of Cuba competes during the Men's 10m Platform Diving final on day nine of the 15th FINA World Championships at Piscina Municipal de Montjuic on July 28, 2013 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Photo Courtesy: Al Bello Photography

In light of the fast-approaching new year, Markle shared, “The biggest element of diving is consistency. This season, I’m really focusing on being able to hit my dives multiple times in a row and in any condition. It doesn’t do divers a whole lot of good to be able to nail their dives at their home pools, on a sunny day, on their favorite board and in their favorite suit because that is not how competition works.”

You have to want it, and you have to want it when faced with adversity.

“The only way to improve your consistency is through commitment to the sport. There isn’t anything that says commitment more than having to bike early in the morning, in the cold pouring rain, to go dive outside, on a metal board, in barely any clothing and knowing that this is where consistency counts. You just gotta do it. If you can hit your dives then, nothing in competition can shake you”, Markle added.

Adversity and competitive greatness go hand in hand. You must be willing to challenge both your physical and mental abilities.

While the goal of meet success is great, goals should focus on personal improvement and not necessarily on where you finish.

“My goals for this year are to focus on myself rather than others. I want to get personal best scores in every event come Olympic Trials, and not worry about what place that puts me in. This way I can keep my focus and not let my mindset shift onto what others are doing. Other goals I have are increasing the weight training and dry land training I have through the next few months,” shared Anderson. “I plan on taking it one day at a time and working as hard as I can to get there. This also means keeping the goals I have in mind as a constant reminder,” he added.

With consistency as the ultimate target, create your large goal first then focus on being in the moment! Ask yourself, “What can I do now, to help me get there?” Focus on what you can control to help you reach your target. Simply setting goals, does not get the job done. You must commit to finding and improving the intermediate steps necessary for success, then commit to maintaining the physical, mental, and emotional demands required.

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Marisa

8 years ago

Great article, so true!!

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Danielle Repper

8 years ago

Reply to Marisa

Thank you!