A couple of years ago I rode in a clinic with Jan Byny, and of course learned a lot and had a great time. One of the things that stuck with me though, was her telling us about a book she had just read by a top golf professional, and she shared some of his secrets with us, specifically his mental preparation and toughness in the game. I was really impressed by Jan anyway, but especially as I admit I find golf incredibly dull, and the only thing more boring than playing or watching it for me, must surely be reading about it. Jan made me realise that as riders, golfers, basketball/football players, skiers, tennis players, runners and on and on – we’re all athletes, and the top riders at the top of their game treat eventing every bit as seriously as the higher profile, higher paid sportsmen and women who earn their living by riding competitively.
Perhaps I’m just nostalgic, but I think Eventing has changed considerably in the last fifteen years or so. Safety, money, the short format, lots of new rules and the fact that I’m now observing the sport I love primarily on a different continent to the one I grew up, learned to love it, breathe it and ride it on all make a difference, but I digress…What I really wanted to share with you was a discussion about competing at the very top of your game, and how that transcends all sports. I loved listening to Jan talk about the golfer, although I confess I’ve forgotten his name. It’s no secret that Pippa Funnell achieved great success after consulting a sports psychologist, and personally, not only do I find it fascinating, but it can also be extremely helpful and insightful to take tips from superstars in any sport.
At the risk of aging myself even more, one of my favourite radio shows that I never miss via podcast since moving to the US is Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, a Great British institution. Lots of people have tried to copy it without success, and it remains a beacon in the English culture. Radio 4 was always on in the kitchen at home, and in the car with Mum, whilst it was Radio 1 in the tack room and the lorry (and now on Tunein Radio, old habits die hard!)
This week Kirsty Young’s ‘castaway’ is Olympic sprinter Michael Johnson, and the very first thing he discusses is the mental approach to sports and racing, “As strong as my legs are, it is my mind that has made me a champion”.
Now retired, Michael looks back on his career, analyses his strengths and weaknesses, tells us who his hero is – his dad, who his nemesis was – Carl Lewis, and divulges the one song he listened to before every race – (Tupac, you’ll have to guess which one if you don’t listen to the podcast).
For ten years Michael didn’t miss a day of training, “I wanted to be the best I could be, and in order to be the best you have to take advantage of every opportunity. Every day of training is an opportunity, and every missed day is a missed opportunity.”
The way Michael talks about a race unfolding reminds me of trying to ride your best dressage or show-jumping round, and of course cross country, (“use the corners, be mindful of your markers, take your time, ride your lines,”) and especially the setting up between fences and related distances,
“You’re hyper-aware of all the things that matter when that race is going on. Let’s take the 400m for example; as an athlete you have four, maybe five depending on how you set up your race strategy, different phases of that race. In each phase you need to come through in a certain time and to feel a certain way. After you come past that phase you are thinking then, ‘Did I execute that correctly and am I on the pace I need to be?’ and if the answer is yes that means one set of circumstances, and if the answer is no, that means, ‘OK, do I adjust or do I stay with what I’m doing?'”
Although you can draw many parallels between Michael’s life and that of a high-ranking evernter, the stark difference I noticed while listening came near the beginning,
“You wake up every day and you’re singularly focused on being the best that you can be, and you wouldn’t want to do that if you weren’t winning gold medals and getting paid a lot of money to do that, but when you are – it’s a nice bonus!
Michael also admits that he’s probably not the easiest person to live with, “I expect people to be as good as they can be; it’s what I expect out of myself. I’m a hard person to be around when someone’s underperforming or underachieving.”
For all his success though, Michael says ultimately as proud as he is of everything he’s accomplished,
“At the end of the day, what’s important is that my son feels like he had a good dad, and hopefully he feels about me the same way I felt about my father, and that I’ve had the same type of influence and impact – that’s what’s really important.”
I highly recommend Desert Island Discs, this episode, and browse through the archives for anyone else that might take your fancy, or subscribe via itunes to get all future episodes. Martin Clunes, an actor and also President of the British Horse Society was also a recent castaway. Thanks for reading, enjoy your listening and go eventing!
