A Bad Day Skiing
"If we were playing golf today I'd be a 108"
This is what I heard one skier shout to his buddy on the final stretch down to the bottom of Aspen Mountain. Evidently this guy had a bad day skiing. So bad he was compelled to shout it out on his last run down. "Hey, I sucked today!" Maybe he has a coffee mug or t-shirt that says "A bad day golfing is better than a good day at the office." I don't know and no big deal if he does. That stuff can be fun.
But he wasn't laughing. Nor did he sound angry or disappointed. His tone was very matter-of-fact. I wonder what lead to this comment. Was it a series of stubborn choices? A refusal to acknowledge the reality of the condtions, energy level and physical conditioning? A lack of accoutability? Not paying attention? Usually all of the above conspire to turn a good day bad. Was he playing the "just a bad day" card for the first time or hundredth or more? Did he learn something of substance and how to play another next time things were shaping up poorly?
I don't really know about him and I'm making up a lot of stuff based on one throw-away comment. What I do know is that I used to be terribly inconsistent from one surf to the next so I speak from experience when I say that the Sports Diamond is a pathway out of that pattern.
Here are two practical tips to help you avoid getting into that "bad day mode."
1. Forget better and worse. Embrace different. No part of the mountain will be better or worse today, only different. Lose the baggage associated with better and worse and go forward from different with an open mind.
2. Don't put the cart before the horse. Generate confidence and activate your muscles with higher intensity/faster tempo turns on easier terrain first, then challenge yourself with more difficult terrain.
Posted On: February 16th, 2010 By: Dan Humphries
