The Mentality We Don’t See

By: S. Kupfer

​One of the things most people associate with athletes is their remarkable mentality. In fact, many athletes, during interviews, tend to give us various motivational quotes! Anna Shcherbakova, the Olympic Champion of Figure Skating, once famously said, “ Enjoy the whole process, not just the end result” . Michael Jordan, our beloved basketball star, once stated: “ I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed”.
From an external perspective, one would assume these athletes all possess a healthy mindset. But, upon closer inspection, it becomes evident that the world of athletics is not what we assume it to be.
During the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles, famous gymnast, withdrew from the competition during finals. Most athletes emphasize moving forward even in tough times, and yet, Simone appeared to do the contrary, claiming her mind felt out of sync with her body and thus attempting twisties in the air would be stressful.
So here comes the question: is there a limit to an athlete’s mentality? Do athletes hide their true mindset under the surface? If so, should you do the same?
Perhaps the issue isn’t athletes hiding their mentalities under the surface. Perhaps it is simply the complexity of sports which causes athletes’ mindsets to be so different.