Young Professionals

After the reprimanding of two young tennis players, for what seemingly appeared to be "normal teenage behaviour" (according to my sources - my teenage years are well behind me!), I had to ask myself and others, "What does it really mean to be a professional sports person?". It also raised the question, "Who are funded athletes accountable to?"

In the case of the two tennis players it was certainly the LTA who imposed the sanctions and made it known to the public that this behaviour was not acceptable. I hate to be in two minds about any issue, but this particular one does have me in two minds. On the one hand you don't want to see talented athletes playing the fool and not appearing to be responsible, but on the other hand you don't want them to not have no social life and have no fun at all. It has been show that having a varied and full life, that is one which includes some activities and involvement with things outside of one's sport, enables an athlete to be one that can cope with different challenges more easily and also become an athlete who can make a smoother transition from being a "professional" sports person to a "former" athlete.

It is a delicate balance between the two I think. However, the message that the LTA is giving, although perhaps harsh, is one which certainly shows young athletes that they do have a responsibility to others, not just themselves to be professional at all times, but also that they should not be taking anything for granted, regardless of their talent.

The LTA have made a bold decision and are sticking by it and I hope that it does have an effect an all athletes, not just tennis players, to show that when they have a duty to be as professional as they can be regardless of age or talent, youthfulness is not always a defence!

What is real sportsmanship?

The Athletics World Championships which took place in Osaka last week are finally over. Such excitement ensued over what seemed to be a rather long Championships.

Team GB overachieved in the medal stakes by getting 5 medals instead of the projected 3. Well done! I was mightily impressed by the starlets of the GB Team, Nicola Sanders and Christine Ohuruoghu. They showed great guts and determination to pull off a hatrick of medals, and who would have thought that Christine would come home with the top prize, a gold medal?

Throughout the Championships all competitors showed the world how much effort must go in to getting to World Class level, and also how much it means to them when the hard work pays off; even how hard it can be to take when it does not pay off. Jo Pavey again ran her socks off in the 5,000 metres only to be worn down by the speedy Africans. However, even though she did not place in a medal winning spot, she did get a season's best time.

The one thing for me however, which put a bad taste in my mouth during the Championships, were the comments made by Kelly Sotherton regarding the silver medal heptathlete, Lyudmila Blonska from the Ukraine. Sotherton bemoaned the fact that Blonska had just come off a 2 year ban from athletics due to a doping violation and that she felt that she may well still be under the influence. Sotherton commented on how she thought the crowd were not supporting Blonska and neither were the other heptathletes. Now, personally I think that these comments were rather inappropriate as there is, as yet, no evidence to show that Blonska is taking anything to enhance her performance. Also, as to whether or not the crowd and other competitors are supporting her is for them to say and not Sotherton. In my view, Sotherton overstepped the mark and showed that she has yet to show real sportsmanship.

Even after winning the bronze medal she could not bring herself to talk about how perhaps she could have focused on making her performance better, particularly the javelin discipline, but concentrated on focusing on the performance of a competitor she had doubts about.

Perhaps there are things which have gone on behind the scenes which we are not privy to, but I still think that the best sportsmanship is to let your performance do the talking and not your mouth!

Another one to watch!

I am not a talent scout, and neither am I a sports analyst. What I am is a specialist in career transition and when an article was brought to my attention by my business partner, Peter, I took notice. That article was the one which appeared in the Times Tuesday 21 August, by Oliver Kay profiling Micah Richards the Man City prodigy who learnt his football skills the Brazilian way.

The article was of interest to me because of the mere mention that what Richards achieves physically is technically a mystery, as some scientists would have you think that he is too short and too heavy to do what he does on the football field. Well, Richards is proving one that he is defying what scientists would have you think, and secondly he is also proving that to become a rising star in the world of professional football you have to be your own person. There are always different strategies to achieve your targets and goals. Sometimes that little bit of 'X' factor added to discipline, passion and hard work can make all the difference.

We talk often of rising stars and it will be interesting to see how Micah Richards cultivates his early success into a long and prosperous career.

Smooth Transitions

Many of you might not realise it, but it is actually summer in the UK! It is usually a great time to watch some exhilarating sport, but if Wimbledon and the latest Cricket Test Match are anything to go by sports fans are going to have to suffer for their passion.

There was however some sun a few weekends ago, and I was able to enjoy watching the the London Triathlon earlier in the month. Now, what a sport triathlon is, 3 gruelling events one after the other with barely much time to pause between each one. For those who are not up to speed with triathlon, the swim is first, followed by the cycle then after all of that the competitors have to hop off their bikes and run to the finish line. Whilst people were busy watching the thousands of competitors swimming, cycling and running around East London, I was amazed at how different competitors made such quick transitions between each discipline. After the swim you could see all the bikes lined up with helmets and sometimes shoes attached placed in strategic positions so that the athletes could get shoes and helmets on with as little fuss as possible. Some of course are past masters and could seemingly gets shoes, helmet and bike on the move in what seemed like one swift motion - amazing! And of course in a triathlon the transition phases can save you valuable time and also extend or close down a gap between competitors.

Watching all of these athletes go through this process certainly made me think about how transition in our lives can be rough or smooth depending on how we handle them, but if we want them to go smoothly it certainly helps if we; 1) Plan, 2) Prepare, 3) Practice and apply 4) Positive Action.

How many of us look at changes in our lives, or careers like that and follow these phases?

We are all going to experience different types of transitions in our careers; apparently the latest statistics state that we will all have at least 3 different careers in our working lives, and some of those important career transitions are going to be life changing, so like the triathlete who makes sure that their transitions run smoothly in their competitive lives it is interesting to see that not all athletes pay so much attention to such transitions in their career. We have seen many a budding star falter just as their star is rising, likewise we have seem many a professional athlete fall from grace at the very top and then there are others who have floundered when their sporting careers have come to a gracious end.

Q. What makes an athlete, or in fact anyone, make a smooth transition from one phase of their career to another?

A. I think that it has something to do with those 4P's, don't you?

Severing your ties!

Seve Ballesteros has just announced his retirement from golf which, by his own admission, was the ' hardest decision of his career'.

He experienced the heart versus head conflict which so many sportspeople feel when entering the latter stages of their sporting careers. Notwithstanding his ailing health (well documented back and knee problems), the decision still seems to have been a torment for him. On this occasion, the head won.

Perhaps his decision was made (slightly) easier by the fact that his performances had fallen away significantly and he comes across as a man of great pride. He missed the cut on 22 over par at this year's Masters and finished joint last (with Lee Trevino) on his debut on the US Seniors Tour in May. In an individual sport, there is no hiding place and therefore less opportunity for self-delusion. You are literally 'on your own' in the theatre of performance.

However, now that he has made his decision, on his terms, he can channel his positive energies into ' his 3 children, his companies and his friends'. Letting go and coping with the process of adjustment are a major challenge but at least he has taken the most important decision in the process. He can now focus on being successful in the next phase of his life.

There is no 'I' in Team

The title of this may be a bit of a cliché, but none the less it is still true!

Justin Henin played beautifully whilst at Wimbledon and never has a player shown how important it is to have a team who fully supports them. During her match with Serena Williams she certainly played some beautiful and powerful tennis.

However, she was constantly looking up to her support team in the players area. Of course, some players do this more than others, but recently Henin has had a rather turbulent private life, with reconciliations and partings with both her father and her husband, so you can perhaps understand that she seeks that support more then ever.

What she has shown is that despite these goings on she has continued to have a passion for her tennis and has been able to come through the turbulent times with renewed vigour and, of course, with the support of her family and coaching team.

Andy Roddick 'The Come Back Kid' is Still Only 24 years old!

Andy Roddick was once the World Number One in Tennis. They are calling him the come back kid and he is still only 24 years old. Is it me, or is this not still relatively young?!

I may have given the game away about my age with the previous comment, but I do feel that 24 years old is still quite young. The good news for Roddick fans is that he is indeed back with a bang. Roddick won the 2007 Artois Championships, over the weekend, for the fourth time.

Roddick has certainly had a dip in his form as was evident by his slip down the top 10. This only goes to show you that it is tough to stay at the top, to stay motivated and to stay on form consistently. This is why it is amazing to look at some of the all time greats, to see what McEnroe, Lendl, Agassis, Sampras and Bjorg achieved during their tennis careers. However, they all had ebbs and flows and none moreso than Andre Agassi who, after a huge drop in form, came back even stronger, faster and tougher than ever, and only retired last year!

Andy Roddick may have lost his way a little, but don't we all at some time or the other? The good thing is that he has found a way to get back on track and looking stronger, faster and tougher than ever - what more could he ask for?

Getting Older is Par for the Course, but What About Getting Wiser?

Geoff Ogilvy is not yet really a household name, but he is last years' US Open Golf Winner.

After winning the US Open last year, Ogilvy has kept good form. As well as getting himself into golf's top ten players he has remained one of the world's top ten golfers. He seems to have coped with the pressure and yet, interestingly enough, he admits that, despite the success he has had over the last couple of years, he has not always been the most positive. According to journalist, Paul Mahoney, Ogilvy lacked self-belief and used to be 'an angry young man'. Ogilvy himself says that he used to walk down the fairway muttering about how bad a player he was and asking himself how he could possibly tour with a game like that.

Ogilvy admits that if his caddie spoke to him like that he would dispense with his services quite quickly. Now he has been around the block a few times he is wiser and less angry and says that "As you get older, though, you get wiser. You look at other guys stomping around and realise what an ass you look like when you do it".

Not all sportspeople seem to realise that even after having been in a sport for a long time there can still be a lot to learn. It is refreshing to see that Ogilvy sees that in himself and that self-awareness will surely help him well during his career.

So, Geoff Ogilvy, who is not yet 30, acknowledges that as he gets older he is certainly getting a little wiser!

Who is behind the sporting mask?

For many professional and elite sportspeople retiring from active participation in sport is one of the hardest decisons they will face. The current insatiable desire for celebrities often keeps many sortspeople in the public eye. This can be a double edged sword because for some they lose a sense of their real identity. When they retire from their sport they are unsure as to who they really are.

In a similar way, it is interesting that actors/actresses, get acclaimed not for being themselves but for being who they are not by taking on the personality of their character. How many would be acclaimed in this way if the true person behind the public mask was revealed?

Sportspeople are often surrounded by many people claiming to be their friends whilst they are famous and are at the top of their sport. Additionally, so much is done for them that they don't really have to think too much about day-to-day matters. When they finish their careers not only does this whole support mechanism disappear but also the framework of their life is dismantled. The rug is therefore been pulled from under them and they fall off the pedestal on which the public and the media have placed them. No wonder this is a time of great vulnerability for many.

It is often the case that the greater the talent and the greater the media acclaim the harder is the adjustment. Paul Gascoigne's well documented problems, incuding depression and alcohol, are a familiar manifestation of this. His recent operation for a perforated ulcer also suggests that his health is deteriorating too.

Whose responsibility is it to help sportspeople to deal with the many challenges that they face during their active sporting careers?
How can sportspeople retain a sense of who is the real them?
How can sportspeople give themselves the best chance of making a seamless transition into their new life and career?
Why is it that some sports are more supportive of the ongoing personal development of their 'athletes' than others?

These are some of the key questions that both individuals and their clubs and/or governing bodies need to address if we are to produce well rounded sportspeople who can become real role models for who they are in their own right.

The Young Talent of UK Athletics

It looked cold, wet and miserable during the Glasgow Athletics Grand Prix over the weekend, but there were definitely some sunny spells with great performances from two of Britain's up and coming athletes Nicola Sanders and Craig Pickering.

Both of them performed well in their respective races (300m & 100m), but what struck me was their confidence both on and off the track. Both of them show amazing poise at the beginning of their races and also when being interviewed they are both articulate, confident and focused on their ultimate goals.

Where do they get it from?

Is it their family? Is it their education? Is it their culture? Is it genetics? Is it their individual personality? Is it their coach? Is it their friends? Is it sheer talent? It is quite clearly a combination of all of those things and more. The sum of the whole is made up of very strong parts.

I certainly believe that an individuals formula for success can be quite unique and the different factors which make up that formula need to be top notch in order for the formula to be successful. Sir Clive Woodward has said that for a team to play well, everyone in that team has to play well, and I think that for an individual sport such as track and field that philosophy still holds true. It is just that in athletics, instead of team mates, competitors have different aspects of themselves which have to all perform well at the same time.

Sanders and Pickering are certainly two athletes that I enjoy watching and look forward to watching them compete as the athletic season progresses, their energy and love of their sport is almost tangible and quite infectious.

The press are hailing them as bright stars, so now the summer season is well on its way let's just see how they get on with the big girls and boys!

Don't Forget the Important Things!

Carolina Kluft is back in action. Kluft the worlds top heptathlete, is gracious, elegant, driven and, I would say, downright 'classy'. She is still only 24 but seems to have accomplished so much over the years as a competitor and as a person.

In a recent interview in response to questions about whether or not she could be beaten her response was; "Of course, no one can always win, and I will get beaten some day. But I know that, if I lose, my life will not disappear." Kluft has a firm grip on what makes her tick and this is probably what ensures that she competes at such a high level so consistently.

The effervescent Swede comes across as a realist, but also as someone who has a good perspective on how she wants to live her life and what is important to her. Perhaps this is why she appears to enjoy every moment when she is competing and seems to get on with all the other athletes so well.

When asked about lucky charms she mentioned that she carries a little donkey with her, but avoids attaching too much importance to it as other competitors might do to their lucky charms. She said that if she forgot him it would not bring her bad luck, however she did say that her little donkey is more of a reminder of what sport is about, and not to forget the most important things.

Carolina Kluft is a wonderful competitor to watch, but she also seems like a wonderful person for other up and coming athletes to use as an example of getting the right balance in your life and career to ensure that you remain true to yourself, and most of all so you remember the important things.

League Football Education (LFE) Leads the Way in Career Transition for Young Footballers

The Football Season is slowly but surely coming to an end and it is the time when contracts run out and unfortunately it is also the time when many players, some older and some younger, get released.

In a young footballer's life, particularly when all they have dreamt about is becoming a footballer, finding out that they are no longer wanted by their club and the chances of signing up with another are slim can be more than a bit tough. It can be a time of great anxiety, frustration, anger and emotional turmoil.

The LFE have recognised the need to put a structure in place to manage the 'fall out' of the current apprentice football system and power to them. They have recognised that the young apprentices (16-18 year olds) need additional guidance and support during and after they leave the game of football. Through their links with Jobscene they have recently been putting on career and education fairs all over the country so that clubs can send their players to explore their educational and career options further.

Career transition for young professional sports people is often an area which is overlooked. Why? I am not sure. Perhaps it is because they are seen as having plenty of years left to start a new career, or perhaps the view is that because they have not been in the sport for that long it is not so much a part of their DNA as more 'long in the tooth' competitors.

Whatever the reason I think that it is something that needs to be addressed, like the way the LFE are doing, so that young talent can be nurtured and channelled into other areas of sport, or other industries which might otherwise lose out.

A Winning Culture

Kevin Pietersen in a recent interview, which was aired on the BBC programme Inside Sport, stated that the England cricket team needed to develop a winning culture, which he thought the Australians undoubtedly have.

So what is a winning culture?

“Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing” is a well-known quote in sport, originating in the United States. The quote exemplifies a form of unfettered competitiveness that has permeated American sport and carried over into the general culture.

This type of attitude towards sport and winning somewhat contradicts the Olympic creed, expressed by its founder Pierre de Coubertin, “The most important thing… is not winning but taking part.”

Many including, Vince Lombardi the famous American Football coach has made reference to the “Winning isn’t everything; it is the only thing” quote and Lombardi later admitted that what he was attempting to say was “Winning is not everything - but making the effort to win is."

Whatever we think about both of these references to winning it is certainly a fundamental part of professional sport, but the question on some minds might be:

How do we go about creating a winning culture in a country which is very much grounded in the school of Pierre de Coubertin?

A seamless transition - trust your gut!

This is the time of year when many professional sportspeople announce their retirement from playing/competing. The end of the season is a natural cut off point for many whilst for others the catalyst may be a major championship.

This week's Paralympian World Cup sees one of the great paralympians, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, call time on her sporting career. Whilst she admits to being sick before every race she knew when seeking out a drain at the World Championships in Holland last year that it was time to move on. As she says, "The feeling had been creeping up all year.....but it took hold of me. I thought, no, this is not for me any more"

For many the body is a great indicator as past injuries become more difficult to shrug off whilst for others it is the fact that priorities change . It is the latter that seems to have been at the root of Tanni's decision. She realised that she no longer wanted to be away from her 5year old daughter and husband. In other words, her motivation to be with her family outweighed her motivation to continue racing, ie the scales had tipped.

Tanni however is using her passions to move into the next phase of her career and life. She is keen to play a continued role in sport, whether it be with UK Athletics or the 2012 Olympics. Additionally, she has joined a company which makes clothes for disabled people in order to greatly improve the style of designs for 'kids in chairs'. As she puts it, "The girls' range is really sparkly, so it's just another part of my new life".

All in all, a seamless transition!

Young Blood

Whilst watching the introduction of the new sport programme 'Inside Sport' with Gabby Yorath I was very interested to hear that they were going to do a piece on Andy Murray.

Even though it was way past my bed time I wanted to stay up and watch this. I was intrigued to see what would be revealed, if anything, about Andy's rise up the ATP rankings and his subsequent entry into the Top Ten this year.

The interview took place at the LTA's new headquarters in Roehampton and also contained short snippets of Andy's new training regime under Brad Gilbert. It wasn't an enormously in depth interview, but it was nice to see that he seemed more relaxed in front of the camera and seemed inwardly confident about his tennis and how he saw his future. What was certainly apparent was the concept of 'Team Murray' which included not only his trainer, Brad Gilbert but presumably his mother and brother, Jamie and many others.

What I thought was very refreshing was that when Gabby asked him when did he expect to win a Grand Slam Murray said that he did not want to predict that. He was happy for people to know what his goals were for raising his rankings, but he did not want to say that he would win a Grand Slam by 'x' date. Good for him I say, it is great to share certain goals and aspirations with people, but it is also good to keep some of them (often the best and most personal)to yourself! Intrinsic motivation is often the most powerful and effective.

Andy Murray is definitely one to watch as British Tennis moves into a new phase, bringing with it new blood and a new £40m headquarters. It will be very interesting to see how Murray's career and British Tennis develops over the next few years.

'till next time

Trisha

Going, going, gone!

Within the last couple of weeks there have been several announcements in the rugby world from players who are either retiring from the game, wholly or in part, or who have decided to play on.

Unfortunatley the game has been robbed of several players through health and wellbeing threatening injuries, namely World Cup winner Steve Thompson and David Quinlan both of Northampton Saints. However, Thompson is refusing to let his enforced retirement get him down "I can't play rugby but I've got my health, so I'm quite happy with that". Whilst he knows that he would like to move into coaching, thereby staying in an arena with which he is very well acquainted, he does face an additional challenge with which he is less familiar. By his own admission, having already put on several stones, he needs to ensure that his weight doesn't balloon to unhealthy proportions.

Others who have greater choice have taken slightly different paths. Sean Long has chosen to make a partial retirement from rugby league by announcing his ending of his GB career whilst continuing to play in the Super League with St Helens. This should ease his transition when he finally decides to hang up his boots. This compares with the ex England rugby union captain, Lawrence Dallaglio, who will be 35 in August. He has decided to play on despite no longer being an automatic first choice at Wasps and raising doubts a month or so back about his continued desire to play.

It goes to show that decisions about 'retirement', when players have a choice, are very individual and not everybody chooses the same path.

What are you doing today to contribute to your future success?

Still reflecting on Tanni Grey-Thompson's book "Aim High" I cannot agree more with Tanni's observation about young people wanting to achieve success in any area, not just sport, almost instantly and with almost with no experience(usually by way of somereality TV programme).

I truly believe that what we do in our lives from the get go is the major factor in effecting what we 'get' in our lives. I am not sure if it is the fast food culture which has led to the idea, or belief that we can achieve our dream jobs, careers or lives by just thinking that it is going to happen quite easily and quickly, but some, and I stress some, young people think that they can be pop stars, footballers, models and such like by just standing in a queue (a very long one, mind) and getting on a TV programme and letting the media do the rest.

Tanni and other Olympic Champions like Kelly Holmes demonstrate to me quite clearly that it takes hard work, dedication and total belief in yourself to become incredibly successful and reach the top in your field.

With the launch of the new Believe to Achieve programme led by Dame Kelly Holmes last week I really do hope that they are able to drill home the fact that it takes more than just standing in a queue to realise your dreams.

Preparation and support are the key to success

I have just finished reading Tanni Grey Thompson's book "Aim High". Although this particular book is short, it is a valuable quick read.

One of the key premises throughout the book is that Tanni attributes her success to using her motto of aiming high, preparation (hard work to the mere mortal) and the support of her family.

I certainly don't think that any aspiring athlete can go far wrong by taking this very simple approach. No matter what career you embark on it is important to set your sights high so that you challenge and motivate yourself.

No successful person has achieved their success without a great deal of preparation and support (If you do find one please e-mail me at trisha@awinninglife.co.uk). We call this stage 'laying the foundations'. This means doing the things that have to be done to ensure that you can take the next step confidently and therefore successfully.

It is also important to maximise the time that you spend working towards your goal as time is in limited supply. This means working hard as well as working smart.

Tanni Grey Thompson is a fantastic example of this and her achievements in sport are absolute proof that this works.

Andy Murray, Lewis Hamilton and Monty Panesar are showing that they are already collecting many an accolade and seemingly following a similar success strategy.

I guess only time will tell to see how effective it is. I don't know about you, but so far so good I am impressed!

New Kid on the Block

Lewis Hamilton is already in the record books as the first Formula 1 driver to make the podium in his first 3 grand prix races - Congratulations!

Just before his race in Bahrain he said the following:-

" so far I haven't made a mistake... but we all make mistakes. It is inevitable when you are pushing the car to the limit that you are going to make errors and it will happen at some point. I don't know when but I'll try to deal with it the best way i can when it does happen."

Wise words from one so young and so early in what seems to be a promising career.

One of the most important things in laying the foundations for a successful career in competitive sport is identifying the key factors in your goal achievement. Hamilton has certainly established one of his key factors as recognising that mistakes are inevitable and the best form of defence is by dealing with those mistakes head on. To ignore the fact that you are fallible can be a
dangerous game.

"Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralising."
Harriet Braiker

The Face of a Sporting Hero (or heroine!)

Matthew Syed in a recent article in the Times Newspaper stated that Andrew Flintoff is “an inspiration precisely because he messed up”. He comments that Flintoff is a true role model as apposed to someone like Tiger Woods who he refers to in the same article as a rather soulless character. This is of course his opinion and one that you may or may not agree on.

What, or who is a hero?

I shall suggest a definition. A hero is someone who inspires, sets a good example perhaps, and exhibits excellence in his, or her field. A hero is someone who people, young or old, look up to and may aspire to be like.

A sports hero can be a great motivator for someone starting out in sport. For example there are great aspects of Tiger Woods’ character which are to be admired such as his dedication to his sport, his commitment to excellence, his consistency, his genius on the golf course and his obvious love of the game. On the other side of the coin you have someone like Andrew Flintoff who is definitely more gregarious and openly passionate about his sport and that is to be admired, but in my view no less so than someone like Tiger Woods.

Heroes are important to us all and when chosen appropriately they can serve us well. They can inspire, motivate, guide and encourage you to excel in your chosen field. In choosing a hero we can choose to look up to the parts of their persona that we like and that inspire us rather than having to take on board the whole persona. Choosing a hero carefully is an excellent way to maximise the effectiveness of using any hero.

Heroes, or some would say role models can come in all shapes and sizes, we choose who we want to look up and who we see as inspirational.

Who are your heroes, and what have they done for you lately?

Retiring on your terms

The process of retiring is challenging for everyone but none moreso than for professional sportspeople who typically end their sporting careers at a much earlier biological and chronological age.

However this brings with it potentially huge advantages. If the decision is taken voluntarily and it is carefully planned there is a much greater opportunity for a seamless transition into the next phase of that sportsperson's life.

Contrast this situation with either somebody whose career is ended prematurely, through injury or non selection, or where people postpone their decision and compete well beyond their best because they seem unable to let go. At either end of the spectrum, negative feelings of anger, anxiety and fear are likely to be much more prevalent.

It is refreshing therefore to hear that Jason Robinson has chosen to end his playing days voluntarily, possibly assisted by delays in discussing a new contract. As he says "There is actually a life away from rugby. My family are the main things. I cannot see for one minute me looking back and wishing I'd played another year".

Jason Robinson is an example of somebody who views retirement from competitive sport as an opportunity rather than a threat and, as a result, should make the adjustment both more seamlessly and successfully.