To our 2013-14 Squad!

Laurie W. Emma S. Kate V. Jordan E. Liz A. Ruby H.

Grace K. Makenna R. Jordyn M. Emily S. Samea A. Olivia V.

Brittany D. Kendall A. Erinn H. Samantha M. Abby P.

 We Stand United to Accomplish Our Goals!

2012 Crossfire Challenge Cup Champions

Teamwork clearly makes the dream work!

Pregame Mental Preparation Checklist:

Mental preparation is all about confidence and focus. When you are confident and focused on the objective, you will be mentally ready to compete. While visualization can be overrated in sports, it can be used effectively to help you prepare.

Here’s a checklist for your pregame mental preparation:

1.     Enter the Role of the Athlete – Commit to “parking” life issues or hassles for the time being so you can focus on the game at hand.

2.     Set a Game Plan or Strategy – Analyze and use your strengths and any known opponent weaknesses to help you perform well.

3.     Be Proactive with Confidence – Don’t leave confidence to chance. Do everything in your power to use your past experiences to feel confident before your competition.

4.     Set Small Goals to Focus on the Process – Set one or two small performance goals to help you focus on execution instead of results.

5.     Rehearse Your Performance – Mentally see and/or feel yourself performing your role with confidence.

6.     Prepare to Trust in Your Skills – Don’t worry about the quality of your performance in the warm up. Put practice behind you and become the performer.

7.     Embrace the Butterflies – Feel pumped and ready for competition. Don’t be scared when your heart beat increases and your palms begin to sweat.

Today, the world’s top athletes use pregame rituals or routines to help create the proper mindset for competition and practice. Your mental preparation should start a long time before the competition and involves more than just visualizing a successful performance. Pregame routines instill confidence, focus, and a success-oriented mindset at the start of competition.

Abby Wombach, the 3rd highest all-time goal scorer of the US Women’s National Soccer Team, understands the importance of mental preparation during her pregame routine to help her play at peak levels. How does she mentally prepare for big games?

“Coming into every game, I’m just trying to mentally prepare myself to leave it all on the field. Four hours before the game I eat a good meal — nothing too heavy. I hydrate all day long and I do a lot of mental imagery, I picture myself playing the game, I see myself doing all those things that my team is counting on me to do,” said Wombach.