USA Hockey Magazine

14 // JULY 2023 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM PHOTOS COURTESY OF Jim Pierce/Northeastern Athletics; Boston College; Rena Laverty S U M M E R T I M E S E SS I O N S : Preparing for Adversity g By Julia Allain July is filled with long, hot summer days, cookouts, fireworks, vacations, and pool days for the average person. However, summertime might mean something entire- ly different for a hockey player. Camps, tournaments, and off-season training fill up players' calendars and the upcoming season often occupies their minds. It is important players train not just their bodies, but also their minds as they prepare for the upcoming season and the new chal- lenges that await them. Most players will be required to fail before they can grow when they play at a higher level of competition or as a member of a new team this fall. "Progressing through hockey and into the next level of the game can be really hard mentally," said Charlie Pardue, who just finished his first year with USA Hockey 's National Team Development Program. "The most challenging piece is accepting the failures that will come along the way and being able to recover, learn from them, and ultimately turn them into successes." For the athletes I work with, summer is an opportunity for them to re-engage in the goal-setting process. Players reflect on the past year, celebrate their growth, and identify areas they want to continue to improve in. However, the one thing I emphasize the most is what a goal actually is. A goal, by definition, is something that we strive for. Therefore, it is not something we accomplish right away or with relative ease. A good goal requires failure. For all you athletes preparing to tran- sition into a new level of hockey, whether that be college hockey, prep school hockey, a higher level, or even just an older age group, the failure and challenges you are going to face are all good signs that you are pushing yourself and striving to be better. Learning how to maintain your focus, con- fidence, and motivation during those diffi- cult times are the keys to long-term success. Mia Langlois just finished up her freshman year at Northeastern University, where she won a Hockey East championship, and she acknowledges there was a challenge transitioning to college hockey. "The biggest mental challenge during my first year was making sure I kept my confidence, had a positive atti- tude, and kept pushing when times were tough," said Langlois. "During the season, I would make sure to take time for myself to debrief, take a breather, and work with my mental skills coach to help me climb that mountain." Lukas Gustafsson, who recently complet- ed his freshman year at Boston College, had to concentrate on maintaining his focus mid-game and recovering after mistakes. "Having to reset after a bad play that I made during a shift and not letting it affect me for the rest of the game was difficult," said Gustafsson. "But I prepared for those moments in practice by not getting frustrat- ed by small things, working on the mistakes that I made, and learning from them - which eventually translated into games." While Pardue, Langlois, and Gustafsson are all accomplished players competing at an elite level, as they all continue to work on their game as they move up the ranks. More importantly, they all continue to face adver- sity that is helping them grow. "Something I wish I knew last year was that being able to accept adversity and move on will take your game up another level," said Pardue. "No matter how successful you were the year before, taking that jump is always hard no matter who you are." The greatest enemy to our growth as ath- letes may be our own desire for perfection. "Don't try to be perfect because no one plays a perfect game," Gustafsson advised. "Everyone makes mistakes and whoever can learn from those mistakes will end up becoming a stronger player." Pardue added, "Playing at the next level, you experience a lot of ups and downs throughout one game or even one shift. For me knowing that the game wasn't going to go perfectly helped a lot." As you prepare for the next challenge ahead, it isn't a journey you have to embark on alone. "My advice to someone entering the next level or a new team is to lean on people who will support you through it all," Langlois concluded. "Keep an open mind and be willing to try new things that are out of your comfort zone, and, most importantly, no matter how bumpy the road you're traveling gets don't give up, just keep pushing." P Julia Allain is the f ounder of Allain Mental P e r f o r m a n c e L L C , w h e r e s h e h a s w o r k e d with numerous collegiate, prof essional, and internationally competitive athletes, including USA Hockey's National Team Development Program. M I N D O V E R M AT T E R Lukas Gustafsson Boston College Mia Langlois Northeastern University Charlie Pardue USA Hockey's National Team Development Program

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