Skating on Olympic ice: Working with winter Olympians

Abstract

Working as a sport psychologist with Olympic athletes requires a clear understanding of a broad range of multifaceted individual, group, situational, and environmental issues, all of which have the ability to impact upon performance. This article provides an overview of some of the common yet vital issues that have been observed to arise when working with Olympic Winter Games athletes and teams; what to expect, how to recognise them when they occur, and why they are important to prepare for in the context of supporting athletes to achieve the best performance they can at an Olympic Games. Aimed at the emerging sport psychology practitioner, discussion of issues such as performing under pressure, dealing with distractions, adjusting to external factors, team culture, and servicing models creates an informal set of “practical guidelines” based upon real-world experiences that can also be applied to other major sporting competitions.

Keywords:

• Winter Olympics
• sport psychology
• performance excellence

Acknowledgements

The author would like to acknowledge the athletes and support staff from the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia and the Australian Institute of Sport who all play significant roles in Olympic Winter programmes.

ORCID

Gene M. Moyle http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2133-4731

Notes

1. Steven Bradbury was Australia's first Gold Medalist at an Olympic Winter Games (Salt Lake City USA, 2002). Competing in the 1000 m Short Track Speed Skating final, he skated to victory after all other competitors crashed due to an accidental collision on the last corner ahead of him. “Doing a Bradbury” has entered the Australian colloquial vernacular as a phrase meaning an unexpected or unusual success (http://ozwords.org/?p=5912).