Sunday, July 22, 2012

Observing the mental game

Today is basically the last day of my stay-at-home recovery from this past week's flare-up.  I am reminded of my initial bout with colitis in 2010 and my recovery at home.  At that time my hospital stay was fourteen days and my at home recovery was virtually all summer.  This time I only spent three nights in the hospital and am now in my third day at home, thankfully.

Each time I returned home from the hospital I have been able to relax and watch major sporting events on television as a doze off and come to the realization that I don't always have to be doing something.  Two years ago, my mother-in-law Jean Murray took care of me for a week while we watched the French Open Tennis Tournament all week.  Jean is a huge tennis fan and player.  I was struck by the television broadcasters and how much they talked about the mental game during that week.  I was also able to share some mental tips with Jean's husband Mike, who was also visiting and playing rounds of golf during his week here in Adrian.

Today, during the last round of the 2012 British Open, again I can observe not only the performances of these fabulous professional athletes, but at the same time I can listen to the broadcasters and their opinions of the nerves, the mental preparation, the sleep patterns interrupted, and the emotions of the golfers.

The more I am involved in athletics and have the privilege of working with kids of many ages, I can clearly observe while watching some of the world's top athletes, that the mental game and the ability to control emotions is so vitally important to success in competitive athletics.

In saying that, I want to give a shout out to 23 year old Rick Porcello of the Detroit Tigers, who dominated the Chicago White Sox yesterday, and to the Adrian Post 275 American Legion Baseball Team, who swept through the District Tournament the last two days by allowing only three runs in three games.

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