Sounds from the Spectators
A look at how the encouragement of fans can help a beginning Nordic ski racer.
As I carefully maneuver the sharp turn with my skis while coming down a hill, I can see and hear what lies ahead. I have almost completed the course, but just around the corner is the notorious High School Hill that I had heard a lot about from other teammates. The doubts cause me to questions whether I can conquer this hill. Although, the doubts begin to dissipate as I see all the fans lined up on the side of the course up to the hilltop. Their cheering and encouragement fills the winter air as an extra dose of energy to motivate me up the hill. Despite being exhausted, I begin to ski my way up high school hill, taking long strides and making sure to keep my balance with each motion. I ski by numerous fans who all donate their positive energy and support to me, as they see how tired I look. When the thought of stopping for a break enters my mind, I quickly realize that all these people are watching me, so I must finish this hill. As I continue skiing, the fans continue cheering, even if they are complete strangers to me. Before I can even believe it, I make it to the top of high school hill for my first time and I am completely astounded. When I thought my energy was almost gone, it seemed as if something gave me an extra push up the hill. When my brain wanted me to stop, I kept skiing anyways. Could this extra nudge be due to the encouragement of fans? Would I have not completed high school hill as a beginning skier if there were no fans cheering me on?
Beyond Skiing
Besides Nordic Skiing, there are some other sports races with a similar situation of fans cheering on the athletes along the course. With sports such as cycling, cross country running, and other road races, the spectators are also dispersed throughout the course cheering on almost any athlete that passes by. With a sport like cycling however, the athletes are zooming past the fans at high speeds, and often in clumped formations, which is evident on the Tour de France. With many professional bikers in this circumstance, it seems doubtful that all these happy fans could actually contribute to a biker’s success. The majority of cyclists seen in races are professionals who are in their own mindset that blocks out any distractions outside of the race.
The sport of cross country running is like Nordic skiing in that the races are seen in various age groups from middle school to professionals. The athletes are also more dispersed so the fans along the course can cheer-on specific runners or skiers. Their words of encouragement can be very helpful to an individual who is lagging behind and struggling to finish the race who is normally a beginner. That is why the encouragement of fans is primarily helpful to a beginner.
How to Utilize the Encouragement?
Many athletes in present-day will block-out the encouragement that fans can provide them along a race course. They will often try and stay ‘in the zone’ where they ignore their surroundings and only focus on finishing the race. This mentality can be helpful later on for a more experienced racer, but not always for a beginner. An individual new to ski racing usually needs to experience and be open to everything the environment has to offer. Specifically, racers need to learn how to use their skis, climb up a hill, maneuver a turn, ski down a hill, and handle skiing in snow, rain, or heat. A beginning racer also needs to experience the support of fans for the first few races. This includes hearing the support and pointers that fans can give a beginner when they are struggling on the ski course, instead of immediately blocking everyone out. So how can a beginning skier take and harness this encouragement from fans in a way that helps them conquer a hill?
The answer is what Ken Bain calls the ‘spock brain’ in his book What the Best College Students Do. Bain talks about college students and the skills they can acquire to become better students. The spock brain is a specific concept of his that refers to a part of the human brain that theoretically thinks separately from the other parts of the brain. Our spock brain is what “builds mental models…reasons and makes decisions, and so it is big and complex” (Bain 71). Bain believes that this spock brain does serious thinking for humans to help them take in their surroundings and pay attention to detail in a beneficial aspect.
The Spock Brain and Spectators
So how does this new idea of the spock brain relate to sports fans encouragement on athletes? Well our spock brain is what wants us to think mindfully in certain situations and pay attention. Bain notes that “if I am mindful of some idea, word, event, or object, I’m consciously aware of it, and I think about how I am reacting… and how I’m attending to the subject” (73). With the case of sports, a beginner athlete should think mindfully in order to absorb and internalize the energy and tips that fans can offer along a race course.
From my experience as being new to Nordic Skiing, being open and mindful of my surroundings, such as the fans helped me become accustomed to the environment of Nordic Skiing. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was thinking with my spock brain as a rookie Nordic skier. I was ‘consciously aware’ of the fans and the energy they offered me to conquer high school hill. Another example is where beginner skiers are unaware of course conditions and how to handle problems within a race because they do not think with their spock brain and have experience. The following video, Cross Country Ski Competition Fail, shows that rookie Nordic Ski racers fail to be mindful of their surroundings when they encounter a tricky portion of the course, resulting in a crash.
If starting athletes think with their spock brain, then they can be mindful of what they are doing and what others are doing, which can help them improve as an athlete. Bain knows that “if you realize what it means to be mindful, you can regulate your own thinking” (74). Utilizing the spock brain to think mindfully controls an athlete’s way of thinking and allows them to take in the sounds of spectators. If a mindful athlete is experienced enough with the sport and thinking with their spock brain, then they can eventually learn to zone out from their surroundings, like the professionals, and just concentrate on their motion. An athlete should only zone out their surroundings, such as fans, once they are experienced enough in the sport. Before that time, they should use their spock brain in a way that allows them to be open to encouragement and tips for improvement from the fans as individuals grow as athletes.
Final Thoughts
All in all I believe that as a new person to Nordic Skiing years ago, the encouragement of those fans gave me the strength to conquer high school hill and finish the race. The support from fans strengthened me because I was thinking with my spock brain in a mindful way that enabled me to take in the motivation and suggestions from spectators. This reasoning may apply only to running and skiing, but it is a valuable way to learn and develop as an athlete. This is why I believe the sounds of the spectators helped me to improve as a Nordic skier.
