JWOC: Team meeting on the eve of the first race

Goals for competition week

Erin:  These are my goals for you.  Clean, solid runs.  A couple races where you put in the effort where you get across the line at the end and you say you've never given that much before.

Zac:  Do my best, give it my all.

McKenzie: start improving times from last week.  I was getting more and more comfortable and not making my usual big error.  I had two good clean races last week; I want to keep that up.  I don't want to be blaming the map.

Erin: that's huge - you can psych yourself out of still having a race because you let those things get in your head.

Nate O: I want to go all out, and have nothing left at the finish line.  I want to be in control.  I have been doing the training.  Top 125 in any discipline is my goal.

Meg:  My goals have shifted a bit, obviously.  I want to aim for the middle qual.  I don't know what condition I"ll be in physically.  Mentally I don't want to make any mistakes.  Physically I'll see what follows.

Erin:  Remember that YOU CAN ORIENTEER.  As a coach I've been having you rest.  I know when you get out there you can orienteer.  Just because you've been resting doesn't mean you can't orienteer.

Isabel: I want to get a sense for what JWOC competition is going to be like.  Not worrying about the competition and being top.  I want to try as hard as I can.

Erin:  Don't be afraid to compete.  You learn the most from competition.  It's fine to make mistakes.  Take a risk here and there to learn and to compete, to put yourself in there a little.

Nate L:  I want to remember to read ahead so I can go hard the last 3 or 4 controls so I can be dead at the end.  I don't want to let myself make any excuses.

Ethan:  I want to finish the middle and be able to say that was the best I could have done.

Andrew:  I want to have a race where I'm satisfied with no regrets.  I'd like to be top 100 in all the races.

John:  My goal is to fluidly enter and leave all the controls by planning ahead, and punch at speed.

Nate O: I want to see a good relay.  Relays are cool.

Erin:

Why not?  Take a shot.  We want US orienteering to take a step up and we're starting that right here.

Take a moment to let those goals set.  Take a minute to reflect back.  [Quiet for a couple minutes.]

Last thing: don't put an expectation on the race.  You all have the skills to run a great race.  No matter what happens in any given race, run it to the end.  You make a 30-second mistake or a 2-minute mistake, it's not over.  When you're out there, regardless of what happens, whether it's perfect or you're having an off day, stick it out.  As a team we can help carry each other into the goals we've set for ourselves.

We'll go over the procedures for the sprint tomorrow morning before we go to the model.

Get some sleep.

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Erin's videos today:
Comment on long training
More comment on long training
Team America at the opening ceremonies
Sprint training