AMEMM
-~ - w- U U -
Imw mw
qw IW qww
lw IW " -..
The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, October 25, 2006
,Otbr2,206 - Th Mic inDiy B
It's all in their heads
University athletes look for a mental edge through the use
of a growing phenomenon.
By Nate Sandals Daily Sports Writer
PHOTOS BY BEN SIMON AND EMMA NOLAN-ABRAHAMIAN/ Daily
Numerous Michigan athletes have revived their careers through the use of
sports psychologists like associate athletic director Greg Harden.
PHOTOS BY SHUBRA OHR1, EMMA NOLAN-ABRAHAMIAN AND JEREMY CHO/ Daily
Whether in the pool, or on the tennis or basketball court, an ath-
lete's mindset can make the difference between the thrill of victory
and the agony of defeat.
unfold from the pool deck at Canham Natatorium, the
precise technique and blistering split-times are of sec-
ondary importance. In Harden's eyes the real game goes
beyond physical strength, stamina and streamline.
"Just imagine being in that pool, lap after lap, back and forth and back
and forth," Harden said. "A distance swimmer, probably, is one of the most
fascinating personalities you'll ever meet in terms of looking at peak per-
formance in the mental game."
Despite the flurry of activity around the pool - teammates cheering,
coaches giving commands through whistles and hand signals and fans
oohing and aahing as the lap times get faster and faster - the swimmer
is all alone. There is nothing but the solid black line and the unforgiving
walls to remind her that she's in the middle of a race.
It takes every ounce of her mental strength to stay focused on the task
ahead - just 49 more lengths.
There are 15 more minutes before she will reach her goal, but there is no
time to think about her upcoming midterm or the freestyle relay she will
swim later in the meet.
As she nears the halfway point, the mental race has just begun.
On the pool deck, Harden, the general of the mental war, smiles. He
already knows the outcome. She will win the mind game, because victory
was sealed months ago, far from the pool and the pressure of the season.
For Harden, the game is all mental.
Hardenian gems
As an associate athletic director in charge of sports counseling, Hard-
en's job is to help Michigan athletes master the mental aspects of their
game, and for him a distance swimmer is the ideal student.
It's clear from the clutter of Harden's first floor office in Weidenbach
Hall that he's truly invested in dissecting the mental aspects of athletics.
Plastered all over his walls are Hardenian gems - "it is not the critic who
counts, my friend"; "I do not accept second class behavior from myself or
others" - motivational quotes, some are his own, some are attributed to
historical figures like Teddy Roosevelt, others quote athletes Harden has
worked with.
Harden uses the gems to help get his message across to athletes. They
are much more than empty cliches, and athletes continue to consult them
even after they graduate.
"Every time I feel like I'm falling off track or things are getting out of
hand for me I look at the quotes that (Harden) gave me and they really help
put things in perspective," former Michigan diver Jason Coben said. "He
doesn't give everybody the same quotes. He tailors the quotes to you."
A dominant figure from across his office desk, Harden speaks about the
mental aspects of sport so passionately as to impose excitement upon his
audience. You would be hard pressed to sit in Harden's office for five min-
utes and not walk out with a smile on your face and a newfound apprecia-
tion for the mind as the most important tool in athletics.
Sports psychology is the study of the mental factors on athletic perfor-
mance. Harden's job is to assure Michigan athletes overcome mental road-
blocks and understand the mental pathways necessary to success.
In many ways, Harden's job could be considered athletic counseling.
When a student athlete comes into his office and takes a seat on his couch,
Harden works to help him or her understand how to use their mind as a
benefit rather than a detriment to performance.
Harden wants the athletes he works with to accept one crucial tenet on
the path to mastering the mental aspect of their sport: Control the control-
lables.
"It's the cornerstone of most of this work," Harden said. "I can't control
my coach, I can't control my opponents, I can't control who I'm dating; the
only chance of control that I have is self-control, self-discipline and self-
motivation."
With all of the distraction in the life of a student-athlete - or as Hard-
en prefers, "students involved in athletics" - it's easy to see why Harden
is considered an extremely valuable resource in the athletic department.
Competing at the height of collegiate athletics, Michigan athletes cannot
afford an off day, physically or mentally.
While the coaches handle the physical, Harden does his best to make
certain that Wolverines are mentally tougher than their opponents.
Those who stay will be champions?
Michigan is not your middle-of-the-road university. From academics to
research to athletics everything associated with Michigan is expected to
be world-class.
Harden attributes a great deal of the added pressures on student ath-
letes to that same creed.
"We expect everyone here to experience a championship before they
leave," Harden said. "So it's incumbent upon that freshman and that soph-
omore to come in and contribute so that senior can walk out of here, who's
never had a championship, can get one before they go.
"Young people come here because they want to be the best and identify
with being the best, which puts tremendous pressure on them as an indi-
vidual and on our coaching staff. It's great tobe a Michigan Wolverine, but
there's a price."
For athletes, the expense is often a loss of self-confidence and a decrease
in performance on the field.
The difficulty for athletes entering the pressure-packed environment of
Michigan athletics is that they are coming out of high school as a super-
star and all of a sudden they are going up against athletes who are their
physical equal or better, not only in intercollegiate competition, but on the
practice field as well.
"In Division I, everybody's good," Harden said. "So what's the differ-
ence between the champion, the top-three performers and everybody else?
Sometimes it's just God's gift and their DNA. But often times it's their abil-
ity to focus and concentrate, the ability to overcome fear and self-doubt."
Coupled with the expectations athletes face on the field, there are the
regular pressures of being a college student. The difficulties of being in
college are enough to bog down even the best and brightest at times, but
the challenge is even greater for athletes.
To highlight this fact, current Athletic Director Bill Martin recalls a
speech then-interim Provost Paul Courant gave to incoming student-ath-
letes in 2003 and 2004.
"You guys have the toughest job of all, because as far as I'm concerned,
you have two full time jobs," Courant said at the time.
Considering the high level of expectations in athletics as well as aca-
demics for a Michigan student-athlete; Courant thinks as much as support
as possible should be given.
"Any time we make demands at this level, of this quantity, on young