Namita Nayyar:
Injury in sport becomes unavoidable in some instances. How did you go about managing the physical challenges of the sport? What is your advice for upcoming competitors to cope with the stress of competition? 2 top stress-busters.
Christina Noelle Jones:
Nutrition and preventative exercise are both important for athletes in order to avoid injury. If you have a strong base, and if your body is getting the nutrients it needs, you are much less likely to get injured. If you do suffer from an injury, you will make a speedier recovery if you’re healthy to start with!
As a team, we reduced stress by using visualization as a tool. Before we would arrive at a competition, we would close our eyes and imagine being in a massive arena packed with a rowdy crowd. We would even imagine cameras in our faces and any other potential distraction we could think of. Then, we would imagine a perfect performance. When we got to the competition, we had already been there countless times in our minds.
Individually, it is important to continue participating in an activity that brings you joy. It could be reading a book, seeing your friends and family, going out and dancing the night away or staying in and watching a movie. Emotional balance creates whole athletes, and whole athletes become champions.
Namita Nayyar:
Charity and support groups you are presently working with?
Christina Noelle Jones:
I’m currently working with the USOC’s Athlete Career and Education Program (ACE). This group prepares and supports athletes to transition to life after competition.
I genuinely believe in this purpose. A misconception about Team USA Olympians is that they have financial stability. Sure, there are the few athletes who make a nice living through endorsements, but the truth is that the majority of athletes don’t. We are amateurs who have sacrificed everything to represent our country.
ACE aids athletes by providing them with tuition grants, job applications, help with their resumés and invaluable tools and courses to build their network and knowledge as they transition out of the world of athletics.
Namita Nayyar:
Pursuing goals and dreams calls upon a lot of sacrifice and missing out on small things. It’s true no goal comes without hard work. Share your experience on perfection.
Christina Noelle Jones:
At times, (particularly during my teenage years) it was difficult to make some sacrifices. I didn’t go to prom, and I remember being disappointed about that. However, while prom was happening, I was representing the United States abroad. In retrospect, I’m undoubtedly grateful for the unique experiences I was afforded through sacrificing smaller things that seemed important to me at the time. I was able to travel all over the world, and I always had my incredible team to experiences these trips with!
Striving for perfection is necessary in elite sports, but I have had to reprogram my mind in this area in life after athletics. I’ve learned that everything in life isn’t scored out of 10.0 and that sometimes things aren’t always black and white/ pass or fail. Finding balance in the grey area is something that I’m still working on, but I’m grateful for the new challenge!
Disclaimer
The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
