Hello CRYSC athletes, coaches, families, and fans, and <\/span>welcome <\/b>to our Fall 2022 season! CRYSC Sport Psych is looking forward to another season fueled by a love of the game and rife with learning, growth, healthy competition, and – above all – FUN. With that in mind, we\u2019re kicking things off this season by sharing a number of hand-picked resources that will prove especially useful to our athletes at this time of the year. Whether an athlete is feeling a bit of new-season nerves, is looking to set a new round of goals, or wants some additional support managing the stressors of school and sports, you\u2019ll find that – and more – below!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n The start of a new season is always an exciting time. The chance to be back on the field, working hard, competing, and having fun playing a sport we all love is a highlight for athletes, coaches, and fans alike. As much as the promise of a new season brings anticipation and excitement, for many, it can also create a bit of angst. A new season is just that – it\u2019s <\/span>new<\/span><\/i>; and new – whether it be a new team, a new coach, a new competitive level, a new position, a new opportunity to show what you can do, or returning to the pitch a new version of ourselves – can be a bit stressful. So what determines if we see each of these \u201cnews\u201d as stressful or exciting? Largely, it comes down to our own perception of the demands of the situation we\u2019re in, and how equipped we feel in being able to manage those demands. This is a primary reason why Person A may report feeling incredibly stressed by a certain situation that Person B is unbothered by; Person B believes they have the mental, emotional, and physical resources, tools, and overall support to manage the situation at hand, while Person A does not.<\/span><\/p>\n The great news for our athletes is that CRYSC already has a number of resources to help you <\/span>feel more equipped to manage the potential stressors you may face this Fall. If you (or your athlete) are feeling a bit overwhelmed going into the new season, look through some of the resources below for strategies for managing common start-of-season challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n Helpful Hint: <\/span><\/i>Many athletes cite within-team competition as a primary source of stress for the start of a new season. But let\u2019s take a moment to look at the origin of competition. The word <\/span>itself is from the Latin <\/span>competere (com- <\/span><\/i>with or together,<\/span> petere – <\/span><\/i>to strive\/seek\/agree to go<\/span>). <\/span><\/i>In its truest form, the word literally means to strive or seek together. What’s more, early instances of modern “competition” were born from the realization that individuals perform better when performing alongside someone than when they do so alone. It had very little (if anything) to do with one person beating or being better than the other, but rather that <\/span>both<\/span><\/i> individuals would perform better if they trained and performed amongst others. Keeping this perspective in mind – that playing alongside someone else helps you improve at a faster rate than if you did so alone – can be <\/span>incredibly <\/span><\/i>helpful for mitigating within-team competitive stress.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n While managing stressors is necessary for an optimal start to a new season, it is not <\/span>sufficient<\/span><\/i>; in order to truly set ourselves up for a season of maximal growth, enjoyment, and quality performance, there are a number of other aspects to bear in mind. If you (or your athlete) are looking to do all that you can do to set the stage for a successful season, check out the resources below for guidance on actions to take and mindsets to cultivate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Helpful Hint: <\/span><\/i>Some of the most important contributors to a quality soccer season are also some of the most overlooked. As athletes return to both school and sport, and schedules inherently get more and more full, it is imperative that athletes prioritize the pillars of their physical (and mental) health. <\/span>Eat <\/b>three quality meals a day, and be sure to have snacks on-hand as needed. <\/span>Drink <\/b>plenty of water. <\/span>Sleep <\/b>8-10 hours each night, and build healthy routines for nighttime and waking. While these actions seem simple (and obvious!), consistency in these areas is often one of the first things to go when schedules get busy. Maintaining these healthy habits throughout the season is essential for optimal learning, development, and performance.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n No matter how you (or your athlete) are feeling kicking off this Fall season, we hope this blog provided some practical and useful information that will benefit you on and off the field. CRYSC Sport Psych is excited to continue to create and share quality mental performance and general wellness resources with our members throughout the season, in order to build our athlete\u2019s <\/span>mental <\/span><\/i>strength and stamina alongside that of their bodies. This focus is achieved not only through learning and applying concrete mental skills (such as goal-setting, visualization, self-talk, and emotional management among others), but also through reflection and discourse pertaining to our personal identity within the game, how we relate to soccer, and what stories we believe to be true about ourselves as athletes and people. With that in mind, keep an eye on this space for monthly resources pertaining to mental skills that optimize growth and performance <\/span>and <\/span><\/i>discussions with staff and coaches on their experiences with and their relationship to the sport we all love.<\/span><\/p>\n To see the full slate of CRYSC Sport Psych resources, visit the Sport Psych <\/span>blog page<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>webpage<\/span><\/a>. Thanks for reading, and here\u2019s to a great Fall 2022 season! We look forward to seeing you on the field.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n CRYSC Sport Psych wants to hear from <\/span><\/i>you<\/i><\/b>! If you have a blog topic you\u2019d like to see addressed, or have any questions about mental performance or general wellness, email CRYSC\u2019s Director of Mental Performance at katie.pagel@rapidsyouthsoccer.org<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n Hello CRYSC athletes, coaches, families, and fans, and welcome to our Fall 2022 season! CRYSC Sport Psych is looking forward to another season fueled by a love of the game…<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":1437,"featured_media":23697,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"acf":[],"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"link","format":"url"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rapidsyouthsoccer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23619"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rapidsyouthsoccer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rapidsyouthsoccer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rapidsyouthsoccer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1437"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rapidsyouthsoccer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23619"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/rapidsyouthsoccer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35180,"href":"https:\/\/rapidsyouthsoccer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23619\/revisions\/35180"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rapidsyouthsoccer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rapidsyouthsoccer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rapidsyouthsoccer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rapidsyouthsoccer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Managing New Season Stressors<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t
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Setting the Stage for a Successful Season<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t
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Looking Ahead<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t