The Power of Nerves in the Olympics

Nerves can be powerful, especially at the Olympic Games.

Sean McCann, the U.S. Olympic Committee's senior sports psychologist, is witnessing how athletes handle the mounting Olympic pressure in Vancouver.

It's the wee hours of the morning in Whistler, British Columbia, and McCann sees Nordic skiers jogging around the Olympic Village in the moonlight.

The athletes, who hail from Russia and China, work out to try to ease their nerves. They can't sleep, so they reflexively go into a training mode.

"I see them, and I feel so badly for them, because they are trying to find a way to cope, and that coping mechanism may not be the best thing for them ultimately," said McCann, who is working his ninth Olympic Games as part of Team USA's performance services division staff. "They're on the razor's edge. Their natural response is to train more, which could be ultimately counterproductive for them for reaching their best at the Olympics.

"You have to find a way to work through your nerves, plan ahead. That ground work starts a long time before the Olympics."

McCann is working with the U.S. women's alpine skiing squad, as well as the skeleton and bobsled teams during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. He has developed close relationships with the athletes and coaches, honed through years of being with them during practice sessions and big competitions.

Sports psychology is an important part of Team USA's Olympic preparation, helping the athletes hopefully be their best when stress levels are the highest.

"Over the years, I've really tried to let them know that being in the Olympics is hard, you cannot expect things to go smoothly," McCann said. "Athletes come in with fantasy ideas, they picture themselves on the podium, winning a medal, and everything is perfect. It's hard not to look ahead to the fame, money, having your place in history as an Olympic medalist.

"I hopefully can get them to think through things before they get to the Olympics. I work with them to consider that they are going to be challenged by strong emotions, and may try to do too much for that special performance. There is nothing normal about the Olympics. I'm a firm believer in, 'Let's talk it out.' "

Another noted sports psychologist, Caroline Silby, has worked with many Olympic athletes, including Olympic skating champions. Silby, based out of Washington D.C., advocates against being with a client at major competitions.

 

But like McCann, Silby believes the best way to prepare for the Olympic Games is to have coping mechanisms in place for the pressure.

"I like the athlete to know what their game plan is and to feel really empowered that they can execute without having somebody (like a sports psychologist) there," Silby, who is not at the Vancouver Games. "They need to know what actions they need to put their game plan into place.

"At the Olympic Games, there can be a lot of noise, and that noise can be loud. But I don't want the athlete to believe that they need you there. They need to feel empowered to handle things on their own."

McCann and the other USOC staff sports psychologists serve in another way, helping teams through the unexpected tragedies that usually come with the Games. The death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili during a practice run on the opening day of these Olympic Winter Games affected many American athletes.

"It seems every Olympics we are dealing with a death, but it's usually from a family member of a coach or athlete," McCann said. "What happened with the Georgian luger was a tragedy, in a high-risk, high-intensity sport. What we've done is checked in with all the coaches, as they're really aware of how the athletes are doing. It was really tough for the sliders, of course. Some of them were a bit shaken.

"We've talked to athletes in different sports who were really upset by the accident being shown on TV over and over. We're here for anybody in the U.S. delegation, here to help them in any way."

McCann said the role of sports psychology in training Olympians has changed dramatically since his first trip to the Games at Lillehammer in 1994. At that time, sports psychology was in its beginnings of becoming a vital component of success.

"In Lillehammer, it was more like the USOC felt, 'It's good to have somebody here just in case something bad happens,' " McCann said, adding a laugh. "Now, we're with them through the entire training process, integrated fully. It also helps that we have a pretty stable staff, with most of us here for more than a decade. That makes us one of the most experienced Olympic staffs.

"I see more and more countries beefing up their staffs, too. I see Norway, Australia, Germany, Austria, Canada with staff sports psychologists here in Whistler. It's part of the team now, which is great."

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc. Joanne C. Gerstner is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of any National Governing Bodies.

Amy Rosewater contributed to this article. 

Tags: Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games