The Slight Edge
Sports Psychology
Professor Lenzner
6, February 2012
Paper #1: The Slight Edge There I was, on the field of the Navy Football Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland with a tightly wrapped ankle due to a sprained ankle. The adrenaline was pumping through my veins and an uncontrollable shaking of my legs took over. My marching band was about to step off and compete for the national championship of the best high school field corps in the USSBA division. The previous day I had badly twisted my ankle while playing basketball. The morning of my competition, I was incapable of walking due to the pain and massive swelling in my ankle. Afraid of further injuring my ankle, I decided to skip school to give my ankle time to heal in time for the competition that same night. Unfortunately, my injury ended up being much more severe than a simple rolled ankle. As nationals started to get closer, I became more nervous because I still could not walk without the help of crutches. Discouraged and doubtful that I would be able to perform in the biggest and last competition of the year, I decided to sit out the competition thinking that it would be best for the band if I did not perform with my injury. Thankfully from the encouragement and positive energy from my friends and other band members, I decided to make a last minute decision and suit up for my final competition. With the support of the rest of the band and my teachers, I began to feel more confident about myself to be able to perform without being a detriment to the band. While we waited in the tunnel that led to the football field, anxiety took over along with the pain in my ankle. Once the thought of my ankle entered my mind, it never left. Finally, it was my school’s turn to march on to the field. Limping my way on to the field, my negative energy returned and increased my doubts about my performance. As I stepped onto the turf field, the roar of the crowd and the stadium’s lights took over my senses. There was an
Professor Lenzner
6, February 2012
Paper #1: The Slight Edge There I was, on the field of the Navy Football Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland with a tightly wrapped ankle due to a sprained ankle. The adrenaline was pumping through my veins and an uncontrollable shaking of my legs took over. My marching band was about to step off and compete for the national championship of the best high school field corps in the USSBA division. The previous day I had badly twisted my ankle while playing basketball. The morning of my competition, I was incapable of walking due to the pain and massive swelling in my ankle. Afraid of further injuring my ankle, I decided to skip school to give my ankle time to heal in time for the competition that same night. Unfortunately, my injury ended up being much more severe than a simple rolled ankle. As nationals started to get closer, I became more nervous because I still could not walk without the help of crutches. Discouraged and doubtful that I would be able to perform in the biggest and last competition of the year, I decided to sit out the competition thinking that it would be best for the band if I did not perform with my injury. Thankfully from the encouragement and positive energy from my friends and other band members, I decided to make a last minute decision and suit up for my final competition. With the support of the rest of the band and my teachers, I began to feel more confident about myself to be able to perform without being a detriment to the band. While we waited in the tunnel that led to the football field, anxiety took over along with the pain in my ankle. Once the thought of my ankle entered my mind, it never left. Finally, it was my school’s turn to march on to the field. Limping my way on to the field, my negative energy returned and increased my doubts about my performance. As I stepped onto the turf field, the roar of the crowd and the stadium’s lights took over my senses. There was an