Ignite your potential
Just as much as children/ students have to prepare for school, so do the parents. Especially with younger children, parents can feel anxious about sending their children to school. Here are some strategies that are believed to be effective:
Visit the school/ Look around the classroom.
Usually schools have open house or times where you can visit. Whether it be preschool or college, it is good to get a feel for the atmosphere. Also communicate with the staff and build a good rapport.
Make a list and buy school supplies
calculators
3-ring binder
Backpack
Colored pencils
Colored pens
Eraser
Glue stick
Graph paper
Hand sanitizer
Highlighters
Internet access
Markers
Organizer/planner
Paper clips
Pens/pencils
books
index cards
notebooks
rulers
scissors
Don’t let challenges interfere with you reaching your goals
Yao Ming was the basketball all-star for China in 2008 Olympics, but was put into doubt when he broke his foot in February. Yao’s response “If I cannot play in the Olympics for my country this time, it will be the biggest loss in my career to right now.” Yao Ming then worked diligently to rehabilitate, to heal, and to prepare. He was a great asset to the Chinese Olympic team.
Team work
Individual talent doesn’t count in team sports if there is no cohesiveness. The 2004 Olympics was a disaster for Team USA basketball team, despite having many talented NBA players on the court. This year’s team USA is quite different as Coach Mike Krzyzewski chose a group that showed their strength in the 101-70 opening game with China. A successful team has players that complement each other rather than selflessly exhibiting their own talents. If there is no team dynamic that team will not be on the podium.
Many athletes have various techniques to help build their confidence and deal with performance anxiety.
Become mentally tough
Athletes learn to accept the tension or slight anxiety, knowing that it is normal and you need it to be ready for your performance. It means acknowledging fear, fighting past and trusting that you have prepared as much as you could.
WHAT IS PRECOMPETITIVE ANXIETY?
Imagine that it is the night before a sports competition and you begin to worry about whether you will be that dependent star player or win the trophy. You may have symptoms such as dry mouth, sweaty palms and rapid heart rate right before the “big game”. This is an example of precompetitive anxiety (PCA), one at the most debilitating variables in sport performance. It is a state of arousal that is unpleasant or negative and occurs during the 24 hour span prior to competition. Every athlete and performer has varying degrees of this to which it influences the outcome of the performance.
Clear communication among different members
In baseball, have you seen the ball fly in between the left fielder and the center fielder and it looks it’s going to fall between them? Then at the last minute, one player backs away and the other gets it. Good teamwork and successful plays rely heavily on clear communication. In baseball, there are so many elements that require effective teamwork like the pick-off, double play, sacrifice bunt and more. Baseball players also use specialized hand signals to communicate strategies to their own team members. You often see coaches touching their head, nose, etc conveying which move the players should do next. Catchers and pitchers use hand signals as well. In this way, teams can communicate without the opponent knowing their strategies.
Brady Ellison is the youngest athlete, at age 20, to compete in this year’s US Olympic archery team.
Richard “Butch” Johnson has accumulated 46 national championships, two IPAA World Championships and won the gold medal in 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. He said he is proud of his own determination and control under pressure.
Khatuna Lorig will make her fourth Olympic appearance. She has won numerous medals including the Bronze medal in 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.
Jennifer Nichols This is her second Olympic appearance. In 2004, she was the youngest Olympic member of Olympic team in any sport.
Olympics is a huge feat, not only for the athletes, but also for the country hosting the events. These were some of the preparations that were needed to host the Olympics in Beijing:
Figuring out distribution of venues
Olympics would not exist without a location to host. With over 302 events, many specialized facilities are needed. These are some of the buildings that were developed/renovated specifically for the Olympics.
The construction of the National Stadium, also known as the “Bird’s Nest” began in December of 2008. It is located in the Olympic Green and occupies 21.4 hectares. The National Stadium will serve as the main venue of of the Olympics 2008, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the Athletics and Football events.
