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off season

4/6/2025

Post #4
Own the Off Season
We have reached that time of year where many of our teams have wrapped up their seasons of competition or are nearing the end of their seasons. While the off season may not be as exciting, and for many is just a short window of time, it still offers opportunities to take advantage of while continuing to grow your game.
Address Lingering Injuries
It can be difficult during competition season to give an injury the attention that it needs. As an athlete, the last thing we want is an injury taking us out of training or competition, so we often find ways to “play through”. The off season is the perfect time to give those lingering injuries the attention that they need. Whether that be seeing a doctor, engaging in rehabilitation, or just finally letting your body rest, this is the time of year to do it!
Rest and Refocus
While it can be hard as athletes to take time off, the off season for many athletes is just a short window of time. Because the off season may only last a couple of weeks, it is that much more important to use this time to rest our bodies and refocus our minds. Having time off is an extremely important part of developing as an athlete and avoiding burnout. Take time off, get back on a healthy sleep schedule, finish the school year strong, and set goals for yourself for your next season of competition, whether it be school season or next club season. Use this time to reset your mind and body so that you are ready when season starts back up!
Train Different Skill Sets
Is there something from this season you’d like to improve on? A different position you’d like to try your hand at? A skill that your coach encouraged you to improve? The off season is a great time to put more “tools in your tool belt” and build different skill sets to be good at everything, great at a couple!
Stay Connected with Teammates
As season wraps up, many of us go our separate ways to our school programs and wait to reunite when club begins again. During this time away from club, stay connected with your teammates! Check in with them on their summer breaks, school trainings & season, or just life in general. This will keep the teamness and chemistry going throughout off season, and make it that much more exciting during school season when you see a club teammate across the net on game day!

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Balance

3/3/2025

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Post #3
FINDING THE BALANCE
   Balancing all of the things that life throws at you as an athlete can be a difficult task. When trying to prioritize school, family, friends, sports, and other activities, you can begin to feel like you’re being stretched too thin. Here are some helpful tips to make balancing all of our priorities more manageable:
Build a Solid Support System
   Having people in your corner who support you makes all of life’s tasks feel less daunting. Whether this be friends, family, teammates, coaches, or teachers, a support system is vital for athletes who are balancing their sport with other responsibilities. Find these supporters and don’t be afraid to lean on them when things get difficult. Asking for help is not a weakness, it is a SKILL that creates a learning experience and enhances your connection with your support system.
Prioritize Tasks
   As student athletes, it is not uncommon to be juggling multiple tasks at a time. When this happens, take a moment to look at the tasks you are facing. Are some more important than others? Are some needing to be completed before others? Assess the tasks in front of you and decide an order of priority, then complete the highest priority items first while leaving room for the other activities. Creating this order will make the tasks feel more manageable and gives you a direction to start.
Communicate Effectively
   When things become overwhelming and balancing it all feels impossible, it can be difficult for those around you to know if you are feeling this way. Communicating openly with teammates, coaches, teachers, peers, and family helps ensure understanding and gives your support system the opportunity to support you. Being honest about stressors with the key people in your life allows them to step in and assist, and allows you to share the load so that it is more manageable.
Take Breaks and Rest
   While the training and study sessions are extremely important, taking breaks and getting the appropriate rest is just as important! As athletes, we often want to push through the fatigue in whatever we are doing. But, taking time to rest our bodies and our minds allows time for these essential pieces to recover and come back stronger and better prepared the second time. Take pride in the work you are doing, but also take pride in the rest you are giving yourself to recover.

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Goal Setting

2/7/2025

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Post #2
GOAL SETTING - BUY IN TO YOUR TEAM & YOURSELF
   Goals motivate you!
       Goal setting increases motivation by providing clear direction forward and a sense of challenge. As athletes, we all love a little bit of a challenge! The challenge may be something for the team, like not missing more than two serves in a set. Or, it could be something individual, like increasing your vertical by the end of the season. Regardless of the goal, the act of setting an intention to achieve it immediately increases motivation through the desire to accomplish. If you feel like you’re in a slump, set a goal to work towards and watch your motivation increase!
   Goals boost your confidence!
       Think back to a time when you set a goal and finally accomplished it. What did that feel like? Odds are you stood a little taller and felt a little more confident! Setting goals as an athlete can provide an added purpose to our training and encourage us to celebrate the small wins. Accomplishments do not happen overnight, and sometimes the road to success can feel long. Setting a goal for yourself will boost your confidence by emphasizing progress towards the goal, showing up for yourself and your team, and that sense of pride when all of your hard work pays off and your goal is accomplished.
   Goals increase your commitment!
       Becoming burnt out as an athlete is a normal, sometimes inevitable experience. We balance a lot as athletes, and when we do experience burn out, it can be hard to stay committed to your team. If you feel burnt out or just need to reset, turn to your teammates to collaborate on a goal. Creating a goal alongside your teammates will emphasize “teamness” and your responsibility as a team member to show up for those around you. This collaborative goal setting will reignite your commitment to the team, to your coach, to yourself, and to the craft!

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Think Differently

1/1/2025

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Introduction Post
   Hello Static family! My name is Gabby Birmingham and I am the coach for the 13-1 team and the Sports Performance and Wellness Coordinator. I am extremely passionate about athlete wellness and mental health, and am so excited to be able to provide support and resources to our Static families and athletes.
   When I was in college, my Dad showed me a TedTalk given by Victoria Garrick that really resonated with me. In this TedTalk, Victoria discusses all of the stressors that college athletes face and that, while there is an opponent across the net, there is also a hidden opponent… an athlete’s wellbeing. After watching Victoria’s TedTalk, I was inspired to do more to confront the stigma surrounding discussions of mental health in general, but specifically mental health in athletes. I found out that Victoria had started a nonprofit focused on breaking that stigma, called The Hidden Opponent, and that they offered a program that allowed college athletes to get involved on their campus. I joined the Campus Captain program and served as a mental health advocate at Drury, speaking with the athletic department, sports teams, and other Campus Captains from across the country about athlete wellness. This experience, along with my degree in Clinical and Behavioral Neuroscience and soon-to-be degree in Social Work have only further ignited my passion to support athletes and provide resources for topics that aren’t always easy to talk about.
   While competing at the collegiate level looks different than club or school programs, the potential stressors and struggles remain the same. Moments of feeling down, overwhelmed or unsure are natural emotions to be expected when balancing all of life’s priorities. My goal in this position is to be a sounding board, support system, and resource library for our athletes.

Post #1
ATHLETIC MINDSET - MAKE THE CHOICE!
   Choose action over anxiety
       Feelings of worry, unease, and anxiety often come from lack of action. As athletes, it is completely natural to experience pre-game nerves. But, in those moments, choose action over anxiety. Actions are things we can control; our effort, our attitude, our training. Choosing action over anxiety puts the control back into your hands as the athlete. When we choose to focus on action, we begin to see the anxiety fall away and be replaced by confidence!

   Choose inspiration over comparison
       I’m sure everyone has heard the saying “comparison is the thief of joy”, and this applies to athletics as well as life. There will be teammates and opponents who succeed in areas you would like to improve; in these moments, choose inspiration over comparison. Be inspired to reach the success you see in others through hard work in yourself. Be inspired to improve your skills and reach your full potential. Be inspired to become the best teammate and athlete that you can be, success doesn't happen overnight!

  Choose purpose over pleasure
       As an athlete, there are always going to be drills we dread doing, practices we didn’t love, or games we wish went differently. Shifting focus from “Man, I don’t like this!” to “Man, what can I learn from this?” is the way to choose purpose over pleasure. Every drill, practice, and match has a purpose - to improve you as an athlete. Choose to focus on the purpose, and eventually you will find pleasure not only from your favorite drill or a big win, but also from the opportunity to improve.

Resource Links
The Hidden Opponent Website
https://www.thehiddenopponent.org/

The Hidden Opponent Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/thehiddenopponent

Victoria Garrick Ted Talk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sdk7pLpbIls

Athlete Mindset
https://www.ceelycounseling.com/athlete-mindset-4-choices-to-improve-your-sport-performance

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off season

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