I'm sure you've been soaking up the Olympic coverage over the past 2 weeks, just like me. And now that it's over, the Post Olympic Depression ("POD") is starting to kick in… One of my favorite moments from each Games is when the Canadian team parades around the stadium in the Opening Ceremonies. It sends chills down my spine. Even some of the commercials (the first 2-3 times I see them) shake me to the core. Growing up watching the Games on TV, and live in person in Vancouver, London and …
Athletics
How to scientifically engineer a better pump-up playlist
Anxiously sitting in the bleachers before the City Championships 1500m race in grade 5, I first learned about the performance-enhancing effects of music. One of my competitors told me that he usually sang "Old McDonald had a farm" in his head while racing to give him something else to focus on. But since this was a big race, he was going to sing along to something special: "Who let the Dogs Out." While it may have technically been an upgrade, the Baha Men's one-hit wonder was specifically …
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Post-season pitfalls and how to avoid them
It's November now, which means that fall sports like cross country, rowing, volleyball, football, field hockey, and soccer are now into playoff and championship season. Due to the high stakes nature of the upcoming competitions, many athletes begin to wonder what they can do differently to boost their performance. However, many changes at this point in the season are more likely to hurt, rather than help, performance. Athletes should rely on the routines and rituals that took them to the …
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The student-athlete’s shopping guide to gaining an edge this fall
As soon as I was old enough to venture off on my own, I started going to Staples in mid-July while my mom went grocery shopping next door. I'd walk up and down the aisles, dreaming about the different school supplies I'd hope to get. I'd begin to strategize how I could justify asking my parents for different things, and thinking about how much of my own money I'd be willing to part with as well. While I sadly I have no reason to go back-to-school shopping anymore, I can salvage some …
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Sum of my failures
Failure 1 Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t hold back the tears. It was one of the very few times I cried in front of my mother growing up. When I was a little kid my grouchy next door neighbour (whose name was literally “Oscar”) saw me crying and told me that “real men don’t cry.” And ever since then, I did everything in my power to keep from crying. But I had zero control in this moment; the water works began before we left the parking lot. I had just "failed" to make the rep …