Speaker 0:00

I think the biggest problem was actually me and not getting that confidence I needed to, because I'd always dwell on a mistake or dwell on a bad grade at school or something that happened, and it would just be like I couldn't let it go. And so with EMG, it has been a total game changer. Obviously, my mental game has been totally reworked to think I'm a confident person. I don't have to dwell on mistakes. They're in the past. I'm onto the future.

Speaker 2 0:28

All right. Welcome back to the Elite Competitor. My name is Coach Saylor, and I'm a mental performance coach for girl athletes in our community. And today, we have a very special episode for you. So athletes, make sure that you are sticking around for this one. Parents and coaches, make sure that your athletes are hearing this, because today we have our July athlete of the month on our podcast. Welcome to the podcast. How are you doing today?

Speaker 0:53

Good. Hi, Coach Saylor. It's amazing to be here. How are you?

Speaker 2 0:57

I'm doing great. Super excited to have you. So let's kinda get started, and I would love for you to just give a quick introduction of who you are, what sport you play, and the age that you are as well.

Speaker 1:10

Okay, perfect. I'm Marin Ruznar. I am 14 years old, and I play tennis.

Speaker 2 1:16

Awesome. And how long have you been playing tennis for?

Speaker 1:19

I've been playing tennis for nine years, and it's been an amazing experience.

Speaker 2 1:23

That's a really long time to be playing tennis.

Speaker 1:25

My spark for tennis always stays strong because when I was a kid, I have all, all these goals and dreams and I told myself I would love to go back in time and always say to her, "Thank you so much for telling me to do this." And telling me that it is always possible to do what I always dreamed I would.

Speaker 2 1:42

Oh, that is amazing. What are some of those goals that you have right now?

Speaker 1:47

Some goals I have are to at least be in the top 100 or every year at least improve my ranking by one point. Another big goal is just to be doing well with high school season, and I would love to go to Notre Dame College.

Speaker 2 2:01

I'm actually gonna share what you had submitted to our champions board. Okay. And you had told us, "I'm a champion because I won my last three of four tennis tournaments," which I also know you've had a few more since then. Yes. But you said that you had just won another 14U tennis tournament, and now you're in the top 350 nationally. During your match, you had to stay very calm, box breathing really helped you out, and then the goals that you're setting are to be more patient and to trust that you are enough. And you're also trying to not tie yourself to the outcome of the tournament and just trying to be the best version of you. So- Yes take me back, really over the last month of all these tournaments that you've had, you've been dominating it, what has been some of those keys for your mental prep? How have you had to prepare to go on the court and shine and, come out with the dub?

Speaker 2:57

Okay, so first off is practice. Obviously practice makes perfect, but no one's ever perfect, so you just also have to go with the flow. Like, obviously you're gonna have some bad days, and you have to accept that. And for me, like one week before a tournament, I was not ready, and I literally said to my coach, "I don't wanna go to this tournament right now." But, uh, it turns out I won that tournament, so that was amazing. And he literally texted me back and goes, "And you didn't wanna go to the tournament." So that was really fun. But I also, during my matches, I use my snapback routine and the box breathing, obviously. I have my own little way before matches of keeping nerves out, which is I just write down all my worries on a sheet of paper, like every single thing, about two minutes long, and then I give them to my parents, like my mom or my dad, and they have them so I don't have them anymore, so I can't take them out with me on the court. Mm-hmm. And then I have my positives, and they have to all be in third person, like Marin can, Marin will, Marin is, and they're all positive things. And then I keep those, like in my pocket, and it's, it's, just really helps me so much.

Speaker 2 4:02

Oh, wow, these are great strategies. And I know you mentioned your snapback routine and box breathing, which I'm guessing you learned in the Elite Mental Game, so we'll talk more-

Speaker 4:10

Yes, I did

Speaker 2 4:10

about in, in a second. But what you said in the very beginning is a great reminder of you're gonna have the off days. You're gonna have weeks where y- you're in a slump and you don't necessarily want to show up. So if you were thinking back to that week, what actually helped you, like, show up in that tournament?

Speaker 4:28

Um, just knowing that it's a tournament. If, no one's gonna look back on, like if you fail or whatever, no one's gonna say, "Oh, she lost this 14 and under tournament." No one's gonna be like, "Oh, she must be terrible then." It's one loss out of your entire career, and that might even be your career in life or whatever you do. So you shouldn't be nervous for anything that shouldn't be m- made a big deal out of.

Speaker 2 4:50

Yeah. Yeah, totally. Like one performance, one, one week, one bad moment does not mean you're a bad athlete, right? Like you're able- Yeah to recover from that. So not tying that to, like, your identity of yourself, and knowing that you're greater than that as well. I love that. That's awesome. Um, and then, okay, let's talk about your snapback routine and some breathing techniques as well. So Marin- Yeah is part of our program called The Elite Mental Game, and that is where we coach athletes and parents as well on strategies for enhancing the mental side of the game. So building that strong mindset needed to be an elite athlete. Your snapback routine is taking a deep breath, saying a word to yourself, and then having a grounding signal. If you don't mind sharing with everybody, would you share what your word and signal are?

Speaker 5:39

So I usually go back to my towel or touch the tarp with my racket, and I just wipe my face off, and I say, "The next point's the one that matters most."

Speaker 2 5:48

Hmm.

Speaker 5:48

And so I just go after that, and then I'm reset and ready to go for the next one.

Speaker 2 5:54

Nice. Nice and simple, right? Of, like, having that quick cue that you do, and then, all right, next ball mentality. Sweet. I love that.

Speaker 6:01

Because in, like, tennis, you only get, like, 25 seconds or to 21 seconds to at least regroup yourself in professional terms. Sometimes you get 15, and so you have to have something fast, and this is what really helps me. Yeah.

Speaker 2 6:15

Yeah.

Speaker 6:15

Fast and simple.

Speaker 2 6:16

Oh, that's such a good point of... I, I mean, in most sports, right, like, you do not have time to, like, be spiraling and dwelling on that past moment. You have to move on, and that's also how you are going to beat out your competitors, exactly how- Yes you are doing. You have to be able to move on and recover the quickest. That's great. Okay, and then tell me a little bit more about this, brain dump strategy that you have of writing all of your worries down. How long have you been doing this? How come you started doing it in the first place as well? What did you notice was coming up for you as you were preparing? Were you feeling nervous, stressed, worried? Sounds like maybe all of the above there, but tell me how this came to be.

Speaker 6:56

Okay, so I started doing this last year. It was towards mid-December where most of the international tournaments were going on, and my dad was the one with me. And so I would get really nervous before matches, and so he said, "Do you wanna write anything down? I know writing stuff helps you." And so I decided to write all my worries down, and I gave them to my parents, and it just became such a anxiety relief for me. I wouldn't go on the court feeling like, "Oh my gosh, what's gonna happen?" And, analyze every situation that might come or, "Oh my goodness, I'm going to embarrass everyone." It would just be like, "I'm here to play. I'm here and I'm free. I should be proud to be here. It's No one's gonna be disappointed by the way I play. It's just my game."

Speaker 2 7:41

That feels like probably the biggest weight that was lifted off of your shoulders- Yes being able to do that, right? Of like, I can play freely right now. I can just be me. I'm playing for me. And at the end of the day, tennis is just a sport, right? Like- Yes we can boil it down to very, very basic, simple terms. So I'm really glad that your dad helped you, think of that strategy to just get things off of your brain, get that clear mind so that you can show up and be present and play freely. I'd also love to know, it sounds like you have a really great relationship with your parents, and you have- Yeah that comfortability and trust with them. It can be really easy to just close your parents off, especially as a teen girl. We want to be independent. We wanna figure things out on our own, right? So- Yeah what

Speaker 8:23

have

Speaker 2 8:23

been helpful for building this strong relationship with your parents?

Speaker 8:27

Realizing that everything isn't about you. You have people in your life who are in your corner, and you're not alone, and they're always gonna be there to support you no matter what. So you should always build a great relationship with your parents before you go out to college or anything you might do, because that's when they matter most.

Speaker 2 8:46

Awesome. And then final thing in your prep i- was those, like, mental, um, like, affirmations, right? Those positive- Yes self statements. Those sound really helpful because it's allowing you to show up exactly as the athlete you know you can be, you deserve to be, and allowing you to trust your training as well. So again, tell me about, like, how long have you been doing this for, and how does that help you prepare? What happens after you do these affirmations?

Speaker 9:13

I started doing this the same time, around mid-December, same international tournaments were going on. And so I always write I've picked up on these, like- Three to five things that I would always write down. They're like, Marin is strong, Marin is confident, Marin isn't tied to the outcome, she's tied to the process, and Marin knows that no matter the outcome, she's loved no matter what. And so those are the f- four things that I always would write down. And, like, it's just changed my mindset of how tennis works, because I know I'm still gonna have those people in my corner, I'm always still gonna have my self-confidence in me, and that should never go down just because of a loss. And so these positive affirmations have just been so helpful to keep them on the court and read them during changeovers or breaks, and it's just really amazing.

Speaker 2 10:01

Yeah. I might need to steal some of those. Those are awesome. And it sounds like you've taken the time to understand what you need to hear in that moment, and what's making you feel at peace as well, which is- Yes perfect. Awesome. I know that all of this sounds like you are mentally strong, you are on the right track, which you definitely are, and I am guessing that there's been a time where you have struggled, or where things were a little bit different. Yes. So let's rewind the clock a little bit. Because you have been a part of our program, The Elite Mental Game, for so long, can you tell me about what life in your sport was like before that? Tell me what some of your struggles were, what challenged you, and what, what drew you to wanting to work on your mental game

Maeryn 10:43

I think the biggest problem was actually me, and not getting that confidence I needed to. Because I'd always dwell on a mistake or dwell on a bad grade at school or something that happened, and it would just be like I couldn't let it go. it'd always stick with me for, like, about, like, a week or so. And so I'd be like, "Oh, I could have done this. Oh, I could have done that." But it was just in the moment that it was like I got tight and I froze. And so with EMG, it has been a total game changer My mental game has been totally reworked to think I'm a confident person, I don't have to dwell on mistakes, they're in the past, I'm onto the future. And, like, I'm can just be me better. It doesn't have to be so tight and anxious all the time.

Speaker 2 11:28

That's great. So before it sounds like you were spiraling, right? Like, dwelling- Yes on those mistakes, getting in your head, beating yourself up, and now you're able to bounce back, you're able to play with that, authenticity, and just show up and be you, right?

Speaker 11:42

Yes.

Speaker 2 11:43

And now you're crushing it out there with that. You don't- Thank you have all of the stress and the pressure on your shoulders, and it's really paying off big time. If someone were listening who's really, going through a tough time and struggling with their confidence, feeling insecure, what would you tell them right now?

Speaker 12:00

I would tell them, trust the process. Life, it's not a sport, it's not a race, so don't think, "Oh, I have to finish before someone else." You're running your own life line right now. It's not your friends', it's not your parents', it's yours, so you should go make the best of it, and you shouldn't always think, "Oh, what if I do this and it messes up something in the future?" No, that's for you to worry about later. Live life as you should now. You- while you're a kid, you should at least be free to do what you want, while still having some boundaries and restrictions. But, like, having fun, going out with friends, that should be a, a pleasure you go and enjoy, and you shouldn't be so restricted doing, like, feeling tight about what's gonna happen in the future or what you did in the past. It's the present, and that's why it's called a gift.

Speaker 2 12:49

Yeah. I love that. That's so empowering to, take control of your own life right now. Not staying stuck, not staying in that worry as well, living in the here and now, because that's the only thing that we're guaranteed right now. Yes. That's a really great message to have. Everyone, you h- heard it here first. Seal Marin strategies right here. She gave you the tool book for success and climbing those ranks. And also, if you're wanting to get started, we have a quiz down below. It is the competitor style quiz. So we can tell that Marin's an elite competitor, and if you are also wanting to learn about your strengths and what makes you unique as an athlete, take that quiz. It's completely free, and that's a great way to just get started on the mental side of the game. All right, Marin, anything else that you would like to share with everybody?

Speaker 13:37

Just know that you are who you are, and you shouldn't try and change yourself just because someone says so. Just be you. It's your sport, it's your life, and obviously, just go out and try your best no matter what. I'd also like to have a shout-out to my coaches, Donna, Coach Todd, Coach Vince, and Coach Nick Loscaras, and all the CRC people.

Speaker 2 14:00

Well, Marin, you keep on being

Saylor 14:01

you too. You have- Thank

Maeryn 14:02

you

Saylor 14:02

something that is so special, and I know it's gonna take you so far. You have a great support system as well. We always have your back. Keep working hard. And again, congrats on being our athlete of the month, and inspiring so many other athletes who are in our community.

Maeryn 14:16

Thank you, Coach Saylor. This has been amazing. I also want to say thank you to Coach Bre and Coach Rachel. If you know them, they're always on the Elite mental calls on Sundays, and they're just amazing. They will give you the best advice you could ever hope to have.

Saylor 14:30

Ah, yeah. Thank you so much for those kind words about all of our coaches in the program. All right, everybody, we will see you next time inside of The Elite Competitor.