Keys to success with 2008 Olympian Scott Spann

Keys to success with 2008 Olympian Scott Spann

Motivation. This has been my personal key to success the past two years. I have found a variety of ways to motivate myself, and I have made sure to accentuate these. I have favorite songs, movies, posters, quotes, clothes, articles and records that all get my heart pumping fast and make me want to compete at a higher level. Most importantly, I have very specific goals, worded in a very specific way so that when I recite them, I get so excited inside that I cannot help but want to keep going or work harder. Motivation is the key to working hard because it is just as important to be in the game mentally as it is physically.

Determination. Determination and motivation go hand in hand with how they operate, but determination is the action of the two. Motivation makes an athlete mentally strive for improvement, but determination is the physical part that makes the athlete actually do it. I believe that determination is a part of human nature that is almost like a muscle. Determination is not something gained overnight. It has to be worked on. Exercising determination is very hard because it tests you both mentally and physically. The best way to work on improving this “muscle” is to make yourself go that extra stroke, extra lap or extra mile when everyone – including you – does not believe it is possible. When an athlete can master this key to success, there is absolutely nothing that can stop him from succeeding.

Focus. This is a key that ties in with maturity. At a young age, competition was more about friends, food and games between events. All of that is important growing up, but as maturity settles in, focus becomes the X-factor for an athlete. Focus determines how prepared an athlete is when he enters a race. When I am in my most focused states at competitions, I am in my own world, my "zone" as some would call it. When I am in this zone, everything I do is to better my performance in the race. I take the shortest route to the blocks, I keep my body at a very stable temperature, I make sure I am taking in the right amount of nutrients before I compete. This is a key to success that many athletes have trouble handling, and they lose focus when it counts most. Losing focus makes it hard for athletes to believe in themselves and can also lead to changing race strategy and returning to previous bad habits.

Discipline. Discipline is the backbone of any successful athlete. It puts all of the keys together. The advantage of having good discipline is the mental toughness that helps give an athlete a competitive edge. Discipline is also our way of taking control of a stressful situation instead of letting our feelings of pain or resentment take over. Building this skill helps in every aspect in – and especially out – of the pool. This is when we are taught quitting is not the answer.

Confidence. Even when I was much younger, I was not afraid to show people that I had a lot of self-confidence when it came to athletics. I was always the first to accept or create a challenge and never, ever settled for second place. I would always call out a double-or-nothing scenario. Confidence does not mean that you belittle opponents in any way. In fact, the athletes who have the most self-confidence are the ones who can show it with class. Win or lose, I will always congratulate my opponents, but I always keep my chin up and prepare for the next opportunity. It is so important to control emotions because confidence can be a tricky success key to master. It often leads to being overconfident and underestimating the competition.