Psyched up, or Psyched Out?

In just a little over a week I’ll be competing at the USATF Masters Nationals in Charlotte, NC and I must admit that I’m pretty excited. This will be the biggest meet I’ve participated in to-date, and certainly the one with the strongest competition assembled in one place. 43 current World Champions! 10 Olympians! 1400 entries! It will be interesting to see how I respond.

I’ve wanted to go to this meet for quite a while, but my performances just haven’t been at a level that would justify it. Had I gone to Nationals last year I almost certainly wouldn’t have made the finals in my one and only event, Discus Throw. Last year the top 8 throwers going to the finals wound up throwing beyond my personal record. This year I’m a little better, but quite frankly I’m still on the bubble. A quick survey shows that if everyone posts marks equal to their qualifying throws I’ll wind up around 8th place (OK), or right below 8th (not OK). We have 7 guys who can be fairly certain of being in the finals (44+ meters), I will be one of 4 guys fighting in the 40-41 meter range, and then we have the dreaded “unknown” thrower from Maine, for whom there is no data available.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to “go big” while some of the other throwers choke a little. I’m fairly optimistic because I’ve been very consistent lately, and not only does that provide confidence, but consistency is what one typically sees right before stepping up to the next level.

I’ll be competing in both the Discus and the Hammer at this meet. I have no worries with Discus. I’ve put in so much practice that I know exactly what to expect, and nerves shouldn’t be a problem. Hammer is a different story however. Lately, I have had no idea what to expect when I step into the Hammer ring, and it’s just a little late to gain a lot of experience before this meet. The trick here is to stay relaxed and to not let all of this uncertainty mess with my head.

Good luck with that!