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9/30/07 One of the toughest things in sports is to predict how an athlete will respond under pressure. The dictionary defines pressure as the ‘constraining or compelling force of influence.’ Pressure motivates some athletes, while it hurts others. So when U.S. Soccer Coach Greg Ryan decided to bench goalie Hope Solo in favor of veteran Brianna Scurry in their semi-final match vs. Brazil, his reasoning was that Scurry had great success against Brazil in 2004 during an Olympic victory. However, he neatly ignored the fact that Solo was coming off 5 straight shutouts and was part of a 51-game winning streak. He also ignored the fact that he would be imposing a ton of pressure on the relatively inactive Scurry and the aged veteran wore the look of worry on her face the entire match. After losing 4-0, even Hope Solo didn’t handle the pressure as well either. She basically lit up her coach, saying he made the wrong decision to start Scurry in goal and she would have made a difference. Meanwhile Coach Greg Ryan wilted under the pressure afterwards as well, saying he had no regrets and he thought Scurry had played a ‘great game.’ None of these people are children. They are in fact seasoned adults that have had a track record of success on the world stage. Solo is 26, Scurry is 36, and Ryan is 40. If these folks can blow up under pressure, anybody can. I sometimes worry about young high school athletes that feel pressure. It’s easy for them to hold mental pictures of what they don’t want to happen when they engage in the field of battle. In Novi, I have seen many clutch performances over the years by young kids not even old enough to vote. Somewhere along the line they were taught that all you can do is give it your best and never stop competing. Whether you put pressure on yourself or not, the reality of sports is that you can game plan everything but the outcome. Even if you’re already a defending World Champion. (c) 2007 Novi
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