(ATR) Sydney 2000 Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist Natalie Cook serves up an intriguing opening set to the HealthAccord program on the second day of the SportAccord Conference on the Gold Coast.
The five-time Olympian who won a gold and bronze with partner Kerri Pottharst spoke of the mental anxiety she went through after winning bronze in her Olympic debut in Atlanta in 1996.
"The mental game in beach volleyball is the number one difference between gold, silver and bronze," says Cook.
She highlighted the mental issues that are becoming more and more out in the open as athletes battle to overcome the stresses of high expectations in the pressurized world of sport.
And what is now available for athletes to identify and assist them in their mental health struggles.
"I was just 21 and we were down 2-1 down in 1996 in Atlanta and I thought it’s all over and my brain went, that’s it," recalled Cook.
"The mental pressure was just so strong that I literally took the next four years to understand the mental and emotional capitulation (we went through) after what happened in 1996.
"The only reason that we could be successful in 2000 was because of the reflection and the deep dive and understanding the mental stress and the emotional condition.
"Back in my day it was all about mental toughness so there wasn’t any mental well being. It was toughen up, don’t ever give up, and one of my coaches said to me: ‘When you squeeze an orange you get juice but when I squeeze you what do I get?
"When you are squeezed and you are under pressure (on the court) some players get angry, some get internal, some performances rise, some performances drop.
"These are the stress markers when an athlete is put under pressure.
"So we spent four years studying what happens when I get squeezed and when you add the Olympic environment, believe me, when you get squeezed what happens.
"When Kerri my partner gets squeezed I need to know, to identify when she is under pressure and what I have to do to help her without losing my game too.
"Asking what words, what thoughts, the behaviors, the emotions and what thoughts we would have to use when we were under pressure.
"So when your opposition is coming at you and you are really struggling to perform, what do you do?
"In our sport there are no substitutions. We had each other and understanding our triggers, what we say to each other and ourselves.
"In beach volleyball it’s the high five; the trigger to elevate stress and that the next point is the most important.
"We are out there on or own, not like an individual sport, when it’s up to you and that’s all you’ve got."
But Cook, who is now President of the Queensland Olympic Council and sits on the board of the World Olympians Association, said that the Australian Institute of Sport is implementing a mental health support network; her local government in Queensland also has a program and the Australian Olympic Committee with fellow Olympian and four-time medallist Daniel Kowalski at the helm have an Athlete Services and Well Being Program
"But talking about mental health it's like talking about climate change it’s such a huge topic," said Cook.
Written by Ian Hanson at SportAccord in Gold Coast, Australia
For general comments or questions,click here.
25 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.
Últimas Noticias
Sinner-Alcaraz, the duel that came to succeed the three phenomenons
Table tennis: Brazil’s Bruna Costa Alexandre will be Olympic and Paralympic in Paris 2024
Rugby 7s: the best player of 2023 would only play the medal match in Paris
Rhonex Kipruto, owner of the world record for the 10000 meters on the road, was suspended for six years
Katie Ledecky spoke about doping Chinese swimmers: “It’s difficult to go to Paris knowing that we’re going to compete with some of these athletes”
