The Triple Impact Competitor Workshop for Pinnacle Athletes 

Pinnacle is proud to be a partner with the Positive Coaching Alliance.  Last season, we worked with the Positive Coaching Alliance to help train our staff.  This year, we were fortunate to have Jim Perry and Jennifer Hamilton lead our athletes and coaches in the Positive Coaching Alliance Triple Impact Competitor Workshop.  The workshop included many great examples, games, and activities to help our athletes become Triple-Impact Competitor®, an athlete who works to improve oneself, teammates, and the game as a whole.  

7 Tips for the Triple Impact Competitor

1.  Filling the Emotional Tank - The emotional tank fuels performance. When an athlete's tank is full her performance is it its best.  When her tank is empty it's hard to keep going.  Teammates play a large role in filling each other's emotional tanks.  There are many easy ways to fill tanks, here are few examples: greeting a teammate with a handshake, cheering them on, smiling, offering praise, and asking how their day is going.  

2. Honor the Game - The game is bigger than any one individual.  It is bigger than winning and losing.  Athletes can't win all the time.  They can always have a drive to win, but still be respectful in a loss.  

3.  ELM Tree of Mastery - Mastery is a great way for athletes to evaluate their performance.  It can be more beneficial than the results at end of the day.  Elm stands for:

• Effort - giving all you can each day.  A competition that a gymnast gives their best effort and doesn't make it on the podium is more meaningful than a competition where they win without performing at their best.  
• Learning - learn and improve everyday.  When an athlete continues to improve their personal best day after day that makes them successful.  
• Mistakes - they are part of the learning process.  Mistakes are part of the learning process.  It is important not to let them get you down.  

4.  Mistake Rituals - Mistakes are going to happen.  Athletes should learn to recover from mistakes and not be afraid to make a mistake.  Athletes at the workshop were challenged to come up with a mistake ritual for their team.  One ritual includes pretending to flush a toilet.  This reminds the athlete to "flush" the mistake away and move on quickly.  

5.  Preparing to Compete with Nerves - Nerves play a role in every athletes performance.  Learning to overcome them takes practice and mental tools.  Athletes are encouraged to try the 3 B’s method: Breathe, Bounce, & Break, as they wait for the judge.

• Breathe - Take several deep breaths
• Bounce - Bounce up and down or shake your legs out
• Break - Take a quick break, turn away from the judge and catch a quick smile from a teammate

6.  Tools for Making Yourself Better -  Self improvement is an important part of all sports.  Remembering the acronym WAG can help athletes improve each practice.

• Watch other gymnasts do the drill/skill correctly
• Ask questions when you don't understand 
• Get a coach to help you if you are struggling

7.  Team Culture - Defined as the way we do things here.  At Pinnacle, this includes practicing character education and being the best person you can be. 

We can't wait to see our athletes using these tips at practice and in competitions.  We love working with the Positive Coaching Alliance to create better athletes and better people.