06/02/2025
Coaching at our first in-person semifinal this past weekend in Knoxville was an experience for the books, and absolutely a highlight of my coaching career so far.
Below are some of my biggest takeaways from the weekend from the lens of a coach in the sport of fitness:
1️⃣ No matter the outcome, competing at a high caliber event like an in-person semifinal is an invaluable and unique experience for someone looking to reach the highest level of the sport of fitness. For someone new to this level of competition, fighting alongside other high caliber athletes shows you where you truly stand among the best of the best. Having experience competing at this level is an advantage alone because you know what to expect with judging, logistics, and more.
2️⃣ Once you break through to the semifinal level, you’re among a new group of fierce competitors that want the same thing you do. You’re all fighting for the same outcome. Once you reach this point, I feel that there’s a sense of “starting over” from the “bottom,” solely from an experience standpoint. I feel that the more you can make yourself stand out from the rest of the field, the less you have to climb out of this theoretical “bottom” at this new level.
3️⃣ Game day coaching is less about dialing in a strategy and more about mentally and emotionally supporting the athlete. All the hard work, refining and strategizing should be done at this point. Making sure the athlete is appropriately warmed up and any necessary bodywork is done is also paramount. I wrote Lily’s warm-ups prior to this weekend and I’m glad I did, allowing me to focus on what she needed in the moment. The less the athlete has to think about these “small” details, the more they can focus on the task at hand.
4️⃣ Seeing how big name coaches and athletes operate in the warm-up area and behind the scenes humanizes them. The seasoned/veteran athletes go through the same emotions and have the same feelings that newer athletes have. The experienced coaches all have their own style of ensuring their athletes are prepared and ready to perform to the best of their ability once they take the floor.
Ready for more of this. ❤️🔥
