Sailplane Racing Psychology
"Stop worrying about those things which you can’t control. Doing so is a complete waste of your energy which could be better spent on a more positive task." Chad Nowak still remembers this important lesson from George. Chad contributes him to becoming a World Champion in the Freestyle category in FPV Drones with the lessons from the camp.
Along with Sports Psychology from last week, you have to stay focused on the task at hand. Having a well thought out plan on how you will handle different situations vs making an irrational and quick decision.
What is my plan if something unexpected happens? Of course, we cannot plan and prepare for every possible thing to happen. However, we can plan on things happen to us that we have seen happen to others. A flat tire at the grid? Do you have a crew that you can head back to the air-conditioning and the glider will be done in 30min? I had a flat tire while staging at a contest in Parowan UT and still made grid-time.
How will I cope with a day win? By landing out the next day. This is surprisingly common, you don't really think about it because you may just feel ecstatic. However, there is a trend of Hero to Zero tendency. I have done it.... twice. My brother did it at the JWGC, many of you reading this have done it also.
How will you cope with a bad day? I have seen people go home, explode on their crew, spend all night at the bar. On Day 2 of the 2005 US Open Nationals, I took-off in 1st place and finished the day at a different airport. I shrugged it off and kept racing to win and eventually worked my way back up to a 3rd place overall finish.
What about going into the last day with only a slender lead, or small trailing behind 1st? Twice at the US Club Class Nationals, I headed into the last day with a lead over Sean Franke. The first time he closed the gap to what was an uncomfortably close second. But a win is still a win. The next year I made sure Sean would not be able to make-up any points when I found him pre-start.
Focusing on what you can control reduces wasted energy and allows you to concentrate on what matters.
Garret Willat holds a flight instructor rating with over 8000 hours in sailplanes. His parents have owned Sky Sailing Inc. since 1979. He started instructing the day after his 18th birthday. Since then, Garret has represented the US Junior team in 2003 and 2005. He graduated from Embry-Riddle with a bachelor's degree in Professional Aeronautics. Garret represented the US Open Class team in 2008 and 2010 and the Club Class team in 2014. Garret has won 3 US National Championships.
