The Thirst For Challenge

The Thirst for Challenge

By Tony Macri, Freestyle Co-Chair

Most of us are members of PSIA-AASI due to our passion for snow sports.  So, when the snow melts and the weather becomes warmer, we find ourselves looking for different recreational outlets in the summer months.  Some of our search is simply based on fun or social interaction, but I believe a lot of us have a thirst to continue to challenge ourselves.  Challenge is a natural human desire that we all have deep within us that keeps us going.  It’s that sense of achievement that really drives that satisfaction in us.

This challenge could come in the form of a physical challenge like bike races, marathons, conquering a new mountain peak, or a new river. Or more of a mental/emotional challenge like writing an article or book, getting a new degree, mending a relationship, or overcoming a fear.  Personally, I have had a great summer thus far enjoying challenging both myself and children as they came to Woodward summer camp to learn new tricks and overcome that mental fear of going upside down.

In the freestyle world we find ourselves often having to spend quite a bit of time building relationships with athletes so that we have a better understanding of what drives each athlete to be able to challenge themselves with what they are wanting to achieve.  I have had a great opportunity to work with this exact situation this summer whilst working at Woodward summer camps.  Many athletes come here to learn their first backflip or cork and beyond.  As these are quite dangerous tricks, it takes a lot more than just the physical skills to achieve this, but rather an intense emotional and mental game to overcome the fear.  I find it to be a great practice to see what I need to do or say to help them to get to that point at which they can perform at their peak.  There are many aspects that come into play when doing this, from assessing the physical environment, checking the mental readiness of the athlete, and many more.  So, as I do this daily throughout the summer, I wanted to simply remind all of us to continue to challenge ourselves as this allows us to have empathy and awareness to what our students and athletes go through every day in the winter.  I challenge you all to try to push yourself through whatever it is that you choose to challenge yourself with this summer with the hope that this will continue to develop your physical and mental readiness for this coming winter.