All right, everybody. Welcome back to the Raising Elite Competitors podcast. Today we have our May Athlete of the Month, Kinley Sander. Kinley, I'm super excited to have you on today, and for other athletes who are tuning in to hear more about your story and what you've been working towards. So, why don't you give yourself a quick introduction? My name's Kinley Sander. I play basketball, and I'm going to be a freshman. Awesome. And tell me, Kinley, how long have you been playing basketball for? Since, like, second grade. Okay, so a really long time. Yeah. What, what do you love about basketball, and what kind of keeps that spark alive for you? I just love basketball as a game in general and the people that I play with. Yeah, that's awesome. And I, I Just from our messages that we have shared together in Level Up Club, I can tell that you are, like, a true competitor. When I think of a competitive athlete, I think of you. And some of the messages that we've shared, you are always striving to be, to be better, and I know that you're in a new position right now, and you have taken that on and been super intentional about learning and asking the right questions and continuing to kind of unleash your power on the court. So I want to let you know that I appreciate you, and that's part of what stuck out to me for you being our May Athlete of the Month is just how intentional you are about the learning and growth process, um, and just being, like, dedicated, and your work ethic is unmatched. So I want to let you know that that does not go unnoticed by us. Thanks. You're welcome. All right, well, we're gonna get into what you submitted to our champions board, and we're gonna hear a little bit more about that. So I'm actually gonna read off what you submitted. This was a few weeks ago, I know, so I'll have to refresh your memory a little bit. Um, Kinley, you told us, "I'm a champion because I am not hesitating with my shot and using the bounce back routine and not beating myself up over every single missed shot." I would love to hear a little bit about w- what your mindset was like kind of before you started the Elite Mental Game, our mental training program for girl athletes, and what difference you've noticed now that you've been a few months into EMG. Before I started EMG, going into games, I'd just think, like, I can't mess up and I can't do anything wrong, and I just need to play, like, my absolute best or it's just gonna be horrible. And but after EMG, I've learned that, like, mistakes are gonna happen, and, like, I will have, like, moments where I'm not doing my best, so I just, like, need to recognize that. Yeah, totally. And that seems like you had probably a lot of pressure on you before starting EMG, right? Like, that's a ton of pressure to feel like you always have to be on and kind of playing perfectly, in a way. What helped you, or maybe what was I know you mentioned the, the snap back routine, which is kind of the bounce back method to reset from mistakes. Were there any other tools or strategies that have helped you kind of release that pressure and recognize that mistakes are actually a good thing to make? Well, sometimes I would, like, focus on uncontrollables, like my teammates, like, not passing or turning over. And so I've, like, learned the five things, like, around me. Yeah, totally. Like the, like something I hear, something I see. Yeah. And to just get me to, like, lock back in. Yeah. Ooh, I love that. That's such a good strategy. I use that often as well, and I'll explain what that is in a second. Um, but yeah, it sounds like you were focusing on what's out of your control, which so many athletes get caught up in that, right? Of teammates, coaches, playing time, referees, court conditions, schedule, opponent. Like, there's so many things as an athlete that are out of your control. So refocusing your attention on things that actually matter. Um, and Kinley, I am guessing, you can correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing the strategy that you were using, I call it, like, the five sense countdown. There's maybe a different name for it. Um, but basically it is redirecting your attention. So you would find five things you can see, four things that you can touch, three things you can hear, two things that you can smell, one thing that you can taste. Is that what you were using? Yeah. Okay. Awesome. That's such a good one of just getting back to the present moment and grounding yourself to let go of whatever else was going on around you. Um, so let's hear a little bit more about a game that you told us about as well. You said to us, "I've been transitioning from more of a power forward position to being a shooting guard. So I've been hesitant the past few weeks while shooting in games, and this weekend I took a lot more shots, used my bounce, bounce back routine, and made a few shots in high pressure situations. I'm going to continue to work on shooting right when I'm open and work on just making the right decision, because I'm learning that I really am a good shot." One, this makes me so happy to read, 'cause again, we were sharing some messages, and I know you were frustrated of, like, "I'm hesitating. I am playing well in practice, and it's not showing up on the court in games." Um, so take me back. I know this was a few weeks ago now, but take me back to this specific game, if you can remember, and what your preparation wa- was like, what maybe felt different about this game, 'cause it sounds like you had a ton of confidence. I think when I... Before I wrote it, I had the game, and I think I was just, like, pretty happy because the game before I hadn't done very well. Mm-hmm. And I just was going at it like I just wanna have fun and just, I'm just gonna give it my all and not think about it, like, that much. Yeah. But this weekend I had my, like, best game I've probably had against, um, a team, and I had 19 points- And it was... And I had four threes, so that was probably my best game. Yay. Awesome. Oh my gosh, I love that you are continuing to just, like, build and build and build, and that's what it's all about, right? You kind of get a glimpse of what's possible, and I love what you said of, like, you're learning to trust yourself. Like, "I am a good shot." And that is gonna give you so much confidence out on the court to be aggressive, to take risks, to get outside of your comfort zone, and kind of bet on yourself in those moments. Um, okay, this weekend then. Let... Catch me up on this weekend. What's been, what's been going on the past few weeks? How... What's been helping you crush it out there? Um, I've been just going at it with the same mindset I had for the other game, that I'm just gonna have fun and put, put it all out there. Yeah, totally. Does that, when you are in that mindset of like, "I get to have fun," is that releasing a lot of the pressure that maybe you previously felt? Yeah. Yeah. I love that. Um, I think so many athletes lose sight of the love of the sport and the joy, and going back to kind of what we talked about in the beginning of you're playing basketball because you enjoy it, right? Like, you want to compete and have fun and get better. So getting back to the very basics of your why and leaning into like the gratitude of it all as well. Awesome. Um, well, what kind of I know you said you're going into your freshman year, which is super exciting because you're already getting so much better and it's just going to continue to trend upward for you. What are some of your goals for maybe over the summer or going into your freshman basketball season? I'm just, I'm working towards like becoming like really good at my position, and I really want to make the high school team. I think it's definitely possible, just our program is really good. Awesome. What are gonna be some of your focuses then to continue strengthening the new position that you're playing and making that transition smooth? Well, I'm gonna still focus on like my bounce back routines because- Mm-hmm I have shooting lessons like once a week and stuff still. And I'm just gonna continue practicing and like trying to have fun at our practices and getting the best I can. Yeah. I love that. It really does sound like having fun and getting back to that love of the game is what helps you play and perform your very best, um, so keeping that in mind. And I know we've mentioned the snapback routine a few times now. Um, I would love to hear what yours is. So for those of you listening who maybe don't know what our snapback routine is, snapback routine is taking a deep breath, and then each athlete comes up with a word for themselves and then a quick signal that they can do, um, kind of while they're playing their sport. So what is your word and signal if you don't mind me asking? Um, my word is just strong, and then I don't have really a signal for my like hands and stuff, 'cause normally I don't have like enough time to think about it. Yeah. Yeah, that totally makes sense. Um, but taking a deep breath and then staying strong, uh, and being able to bounce back from that. Awesome. It sounds like you have a lot of reps, um, under your belt of using your snapback routine. That's great. All right, Kinley. Well, do you have any advice for maybe an athlete who was similar to you a few months ago of putting a lot of pressure on themselves, feeling like they need to be perfect or they can't make mistakes? What, what would you tell that athlete who's maybe listening? Just, like, give it your all, and, like, everybody makes mistakes, and everyone's struggling with their confidence. And if people seem confident, they're most likely just like you and they're trying to fake their confidence. Hmm. Yeah, totally. Like, at, like, middle school age, everybody's not, like Nobody's actually confident. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think it's really hard, right? There's so many transitions going on in middle school, and the dynamics are always changing to lots of different transitions in life. Um, what is helping you step into your confidence and feel like you don't have to fake it now? Like, just knowing my skills and what I can do instead of doubting every time. Mm-hmm. And knowing that it's more of a mental block and not just, like, a lack of me not trying or not giving it my all. Yeah, totally. Like, you have all the physical skills. I said that in the beginning. You're, you are a workhorse, right? You're putting in the reps all the time, and understanding, "All right, this is a mindset thing now of I need to be able to look at all my skills and use them and focus on what I can do versus what I can't do." I think that holds back a ton of people, right? Of just picking out their weaknesses all the time. Um, that's great advice. Thank you so much for sharing that. All right, Kinley. Well, again, congrats are b- on being our May athlete of the month. We are super, super proud of you and really excited for you to take on your freshman year of high school as well. Thanks for hopping on the podcast with me. Thanks for having me.