Graphic by Ethan Foreman/The Choate News
At the beginning of the school year, Director of Athletics Mr. Roney Eford announced the option for Choate athletes to meet with sports psychologists to improve the mental aspect of their game. Mr. Max Groen ’15, a recent Choate alumnus and an Assistant Coach for the Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse team, helped create the program at Choate.
Currently, Boys’ Varsity Water Polo, Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse, Girls’ Varsity Soccer, and Varsity Field Hockey all have optional meetings once a week with sports psychologist Ms. Natalie Robb or graduate students in the field from Boston University. The university’s Wheelock program of Counseling Psychology with a specialization in Sport Psychology worked together with the School to develop the program.
“When it comes to mental skills, just like physical skills, it is best to start practicing well before competition,” Ms. Robb said. Especially during the Covid-19 pandemic when many athletes are dealing with uncertainty towards recruitment and their upcoming seasons, she emphasized how crucial this time period is for improving one’s mindset.
Ms. Robb also highlighted the importance of improving as a team and as an individual, working on skills such as performance profiling, growth mindset, goal-setting, leadership, and team cohesion with the athletes.
Girls’ Varsity Soccer Assistant Coach Ms. Susan Farell said she has already seen positive changes in mindset and leadership on the team. “We think the opportunity to be together for our sports psychology sessions and the content being discussed are contributing to the good things we see,” she said.
Girls’ Varsity Soccer center midfielder Alex Verna ’22 said that setting short and long-term goals with Ms. Robb allowed her to consider new ways to achieve success. Appreciating how Ms. Robb included fun games and team bonding activities into her psychology sessions, Verna noted that “the team is more connected and psychologically aware on the field” and is applying the skills they worked on with Ms. Robb to their mental game.
To learn how to improve herself as an athlete, Alex Hassett ’23, a defender on the Girls’ Varsity Soccer team, mentioned how effective breaking down her performance in each game is for her as a player. She said that participating in sports psychology as a whole team allowed them to establish a closer bond within the team and “break the ice,” which has been especially challenging during remote learning.
In the absence of interscholastic competition, Mr. Eford emphasized the need for athletes to properly utilize this time to improve both physically and mentally.
“It is very important for our student-athletes to gain an athletic edge while enhancing the mental aspect of the game,” said Eford.
The Athletics Department has seen great results from this program so far, and they hope to continue the program with other teams. Especially due to the immense impact of Covid-19 on athletes around the world, developing a strong mental approach is more important than ever.
