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I vividly remember my first cross-country running meet. I was 10 years old, and proud of my bright
red running suit. I remember the smell of the eucalyptus trees and cut grass, and how the golf
course’s rolling hills looked long and steep. The other kids’ energy was mesmerizing and
distracting, and I remember standing on the start line wondering what I was doing there.
The race was a blur, but the one image that floated across my young brain, and one that I have had
the privilege to revisit throughout my athletic career, is my mother, excitable and verbal,
cheering from the sidelines. Each time I ran around the half-mile loop with my fresh,
undeveloped legs and heart, there was my mother, clapping as if it were the Olympics. Her
enthusiasm made me feel like I was the most important person in the world. Her support helped
create the confident, successful athlete I am today.
Building a foundation
Whether you’re a parent, a coach, or anyone involved with kids and sports, it’s important to know that such support is crucial. Few developing athletes ever become professional athletes, so young athletes should look for role models in parents, teachers, and local successful, personable
athletes. The traits that can be instilled from these people build the foundation for motivated,
confident young athletes. Here are some tips on how to help your budding athlete enjoy a healthy,
active life:
1) Children should view their athletic ability as being under their control. For example, I
realized as a young runner that the more I practiced, the stronger I became, and the more
satisfying my performances were. My ability was a result of my dedication to practice. That
was mine to own. This realization established confidence.
2) If a child has an unsatisfactory performance, allow him to debrief the situation from an
internal perspective—to look at what can do, given his body and drive, to enable a better race
next time. Take the focus away from how others influenced his race, and point out that his
behavior can improve the outcome.
3) Self-confidence is the most important goal of any youth program. Focus on pointing out
strengths in skills, while looking positively at how a young athlete can improve performances.
It’s key to stress that failure is due to something that can be changed.
4) Parents should emphasize that participation is winning. Self-improvement is winning. And
winning is choosing to enjoy the journey involved in preparing for an event.
5) Help a child establish positive goals. Discuss these goals and keep them focused on an internal
objective: “My goal for this game is to have fun with my friends,” or “My goal is to concentrate on my jump shot,” or “My goal is to be a team player and support my teammates who are feeling down about their performances.” With these types of goals, the outcome is bound to be positive.
6) Encourage a child in whatever sport she chooses. Tell her about all the benefits you’ve
enjoyed from having sport and fitness in your life. Live what you feel and the positive feeling
will rub off on her young heart.
Lasting memories
I finished second-to-last in my first cross-country meet. But the excitement of participating, and
my mother’s belief that I was by far the most incredible runner in the race in my red suit, helped me walk away smiling and with a feeling of personal triumph.
Twenty-six years later, during the 1997 Australia Eco-Challenge adventure race, I heard my
mother’s voice while our team took a 20-minute nap on the side of the road near the Great Barrier Reef, on day five of a seven-day race. I passed it off as one of my many hallucinations, but, no, there was my mother’s face. She had searched the course in her rental car and found my team. Just like a teenager again, I closed my eyes wondering, in shy embarrassment, if this person was real.
Since that first running race, my mother has traveled the globe to cheer for me in various
competitions, from my 10 years at the Hawaii Ironman triathlon to several Eco-Challenge adventure
races. I used to joke with my triathlon buddies that when I stopped doing Ironman, I’d rent her out for finish-line hugs and positive words.
My mother cheers for me, the successful woman athlete who reaps huge reward from the journey and
the expression of self in sport. The one who has had many failures and successes and has learned
from them all. The motivated, confident athlete. The one who in her first race was led to believe
that second-to-last was not the result, but rather an introduction to my first love,
running.
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