What Will Satisfy You?

Following the concept of "Goals of Experience" comes a critical question for your athlete to answer.  In general, it is not helpful for your athlete to be thinking that they can win every race.  What happens if they dont win?  There are probably kids out there who simply dont get overly discouraged and having the desire to win every time is perfectly fine, but my guess is there are more kids who may get discouraged.  I have taken to asking my Daughter "What will satisfy you when the race is over?".  Often, I suggest options for her to consider such as a certain technique focus, strong use of her legs, going harder that she thought she could, or being aggressive on a downhill.  I make sure to remember to ask her specifically when she has finished and I make that the reason to celebrate. 

Nordic skiing is a life long sport.  It takes years to get really good - it's a long process and we need to celebrate these baby steps along the way.  Winning may never come, but what we really want is a happy healthy life long child skier.