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The Backpack Skaters Don't Know They're Carrying · The Nadia Chapman Show

• 0:06
  Hey there, everyone. Welcome back to the Nadia Chapman Show,
• 0:09
  the figure skaters edition. Because yes, the people I know the most,
• 0:14
  the best are figure skaters. And you guys get your own version of the Nadia Chapman Show.
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  So today, whether you're listening on your way to the rink, driving home from
• 0:25
  practice, or maybe taking a walk with your dog, I'm so glad you're here because
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  today I want you to imagine something.
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  Imagine every single time that you walk into the rink, you are wearing a backpack,
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  an invisible backpack. All right, play with me.
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  You probably don't even realize it, but every practice, every lesson or every
• 0:48
  competition you bring with you, you carry with you a backpack.
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  And here's the thing. Most skaters don't struggle because they are not talented
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  or they don't work hard enough or they don't take enough lessons.
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  They struggle because the backpack they carry is so damn heavy that they can't skate freely anymore.
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  So today I want to unpack what's inside a lot of skaters backpack,
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  maybe what's in your backpack.
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  And by the way, this podcast is based on an exercise that I do.
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  When I do mindset coaching with skaters, I created a backpack exercise.
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  So this is a little bit of what I do when I meet one-on-one with skaters.
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  So let me ask you, what's in your backpack?
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  Think about the last time that you walk into the ice rink, all right?
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  So before your blades even touched the ice, what were you carrying with you
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  to that lesson or to that practice?
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  And maybe it was the competition that you just had the weekend before.
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  Maybe it's a jump that you keep missing and keep popping. I don't know, but you know.
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  Maybe it's your coach correcting you 5 million times, or I don't know,
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  a comment or those comments that are replaying in your head.
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  Maybe it's your coach's corrections. Maybe it's a comment that you are replaying in your head.
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  Or maybe it's another skater, another skater that's, you know, been on your mind.
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  The fact that somebody else is landing something that you are working on,
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  or maybe you saw a video on Instagram, someone younger than you doing triples.
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  And then suddenly you're like, oh my God, I am so behind. I suck.
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  And you just start to question yourself. All right. I was talking with somebody
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  last week and that one skater was carrying something that has nothing to do with skating at all.
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  It was school stress, a little bit of friend drama.
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  You know, it can also be family pressure or just feeling tired from not sleeping
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  well. And at one point, it all comes with you. It comes with you in your training,
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  whether you realize it or not.
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  The problem is not that these things happen because life happens.
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  You know, it's not always easy.
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  They're part of life. But the problem is that we forget to put them down.
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  We show up to practice carrying yesterday's disappointment. We step onto competition,
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  still thinking about last competition, See where this is going?
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  We begin the lesson today already convinced that, you know, oh,
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  we're going to struggle and the coach is going to say this or that because that's
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  what happened yesterday.
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  And before we take our first step into the ice, we're already skating with that
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  extra weight on your shoulders.
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  So you can't skate freely while carrying everything with you.
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  Imagine trying a jump with a 50-pound backpack on, right?
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  You would say, of course I can jump. But mentally, many skaters do the exact same thing.
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  They are carrying fear. They're carrying comparison, pressure,
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  perfectionism, the need to impress the coach, the need to impress,
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  people around them, the parents, or maybe the fear of disappointing their parents
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  or the pressure of rankings and the pressure of social media.
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  That's another component that skaters these days have to deal with.
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  You know, maybe it's the fear that one bad skate means that you're falling behind
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  or, you know, I don't know. But that's a lot to carry. And no wonder skating starts feeling heavy.
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  So I want you to play with me and let's pretend that we open that backpack together.
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  All right. So here's an exercise I want you to try.
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  Close your eyes for a second and picture yourself opening that invisible backpack.
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  Now start pulling things one by one. Maybe the first thing that you see is comparison.
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  So take that out. Ask yourself, is comparison helping me become a better skater
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  today? And the answer is probably not. So set that down.
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  Maybe in your backpack comes the fear of making mistakes. That's a common one.
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  So set that down as well. Maybe mistakes are teachers, not enemies. Remember that?
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  Maybe in your backpack, you find other people's expectations.
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  Maybe it's your coach's approval.
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  Maybe it's worrying about what other skaters think when you fall.
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  So ask yourself, is this mine to carry?
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  And the answer is probably no. So take it out of your backpack.
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  Do you see where this is going?
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  Now, here's the interesting part. And I'm not asking you to empty the backpack
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  completely because some things belong in that backpack.
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  Like your work ethic, your determination, curiosity, your willingness to learn
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  and to try again, your resilience, your love for skating, your goals.
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  Those things make you stronger, not heavier. And there's a big difference.
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  So here's a question I want you to answer before you go to your next practice.
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  Ask yourself, what am I carrying today?
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  And then ask yourself, do I need to carry this onto the ice?
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  And that one little silly question could completely change how you practice and how you show up.
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  Because one thing that's very important to know is that your body can only perform
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  what your mind allows. And that's a very powerful thing.
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  And by that, I mean when your mind feels lighter, your skating often does too. All right?
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  So here's my final thought. One day, you will leave skating behind,
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  competition behind, your whole skating journey behind.
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  Believe it or not, it will happen. It happens to every single skater.
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  But life will never stop handing you invisible backpacks.
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  We carry work stress and relationships and bills and parenting and health and
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  self-doubt. And there's a whole lot of stuff that we carry with us as well.
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  But the lesson skating teaches us isn't how to land the jump necessarily or
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  how to make it to the podium.
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  It's how to recognize what we're carrying. But most importantly,
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  guys, how to choose what deserves to come with us.
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  So before you step onto the ice next time, please pause. Take a breath.
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  Imagine that heavy backpack that we're just talking about. Look inside that backpack of yours.
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  All right and leave behind what doesn't belong in there anymore and i want you
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  to go out there and skate with the things that make you stronger not heavier.
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  Thank you so much for spending these minutes with me. I really appreciate that you're here.
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  If this episode resonate with you or you know somebody who can benefit from
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  listening to this, I'd love if you can share it to another skater,
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  a parent, a coach, or just someone who needs a little reminder today.
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  Until next time, travel light, skate free, and remember, the strongest skaters
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  aren't the one carrying the most.
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  They're the one who know what to leave behind. Big difference.
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  I'll catch up in the next episode.