Hello, everybody. Welcome back to "The Elite Competitor." I'm Coach Saylor, if we have not yet met, and I'm a mental performance coach inside of our Elite Competitor Academy, and we work with high-level girl athletes in our program. And every month, we have athletes in our program submit wins onto what's called our Champions Board, and we have one particular story that we are going to be highlighting. Joining us today is Maya. Maya is our August Athlete of the Month, and Maya does trampoline and tumbling gymnastics. And we're super excited to have you. Welcome to the episode, Maya. Thank you maya, I wanna start by highlighting your story and your submission that you told us. You had told us, "I'm a champion because I overcame my fear of a skill." And more specifically, the skill that you were working on was called a Cody, and you had been working on this for months and months and months. It's one of the skills that you needed to move up a level, move up the team. And you told us that one day you were walking into practice, you didn't feel like today was gonna be a good practice. However, you still stayed hopeful, and trampoline was your last event, so you headed over there, you started to warm up, and then your coach told me to start doing your Cody warmups, your specific skill. And after a little bit, he told you that he was gonna come over and spot for you. And he told you, what he's been telling you for months, which is amazing, "Today is the day." And so you started attempting some. They just weren't really going well. You started to lose some of that hope. You were shaky and nervous, but you said, "I remembered to take some deep breaths, and right before I went, I did my snapback routine. I took one last deep breath, and I just went for it. It felt amazing. I got off the trampoline. I was shaking with excitement, and I could not stop smiling. It was definitely one of the biggest wins I've had in a long time, and I'm so grateful for everything that the program has helped me with, and I'm excited to see what it helps me with in the future." So this is a huge win, Maya, and what really stands out to me the most is your patience. Like, you had been working on this for months and months and months, and I remember getting a message from you saying that you finally did it, and that it was so refreshing. And it's tough to walk into a practice feeling like you're not gonna nail it, and then you actually do. Yeah. So we're gonna talk specifically about your story, but before we get too far, let's have you introduce yourself. So introduce who you are, again, what sports you do, what level you are, and how long you've been inside of The Elite Competitor Academy. I'm Maya, I do trampoline and tumbling gymnastics. I'm a level seven going on eight right now. And I think I joined, March of this year. So you've been in the program for quite a few months. And let's focus on that specific story of you getting your Cody, 'cause I think that's a great example of just how strong your mindset has gotten. So tell me, like, why did you need this skill to move up the team? What even is a Cody, for those of us who maybe- don't know? And how long had you been working on it before completing it that day? A Cody's, like, a back straight to your stomach, and then you back tuck out of it. I needed it to move up because, it's in the routine and, there's, two skills in that routine that you, need to have, and then the other ones are kind of optional. But the Cody, you needed to have it. And my coach had, four skills that he wanted us to have before we moved up. I'd been working on it for, like, maybe, I don't know, like five months. It was a long time. When you walked into that practice today, you had said, you didn't necessarily feel like it was going to be the practice for you. You didn't have a good- Mm-hmm feeling about the practice necessarily. So what was going through your head, like, walking into that practice? I think it was just, one of those days. I was really tired. I was, just not feeling it, just kind of, there to be there. Walk me through what was happening, like, when your coach said, "All right. We're going to the trampoline. It's time to do the Cody." What was that moment like for you? Especially when the first few attempts, weren't going well. What were you telling yourself? I was pretty scared. I was like I knew I could do it, but I was, scared 'cause it's obviously a new skill, and it's like, "Mm, scary." But I don't know. I kept, like, doing my snapback routine. I was just like, "You can do it." Like, I was visualizing it. And then, yeah, I did it that's amazing. So it really sounds like the, the switch was flipped when you leaned on your mental training, going back- Mm-hmm to the basics of your snapback routine, imagining yourself doing it well and doing it right, and, moving up to that next level. Probably the accomplishment and pride you would feel once you completed that skill. So if you are willing to share, what is your snapback routine? What is your word and your signal? Okay. My word is unstoppable. And then my signal, I, like, wipe my hands on my shorts. And then what did it feel like the second that you landed it? What was that like? I was, like, so happy. Like, I didn't, actually think I did it. I was like, "Wait, oh my gosh, did I do it?" I was so happy, and, all my friends were cheering for me. It was so great. Yeah. I love that. That sounds like such a special moment, right? To share it- Mm-hmm with your teammates and- Yeah for you to have that belief in yourself of like, "Yes, I can work on a skill for months and months and months, and I am able to complete it. I can be patient and resilient and still come out on top." Love it. All right. If you can remember, before you started- Yeah working on your mental game, before you joined the Elite Competitor Academy, what did you struggle with the most? I definitely struggled, like, with my confidence and being able to come back from a mistake. I just could not- Mm come back from a mistake for the life of me. Like, my practice would just be over at that point. Yeah. And I think that's so common too, right? You're not alone- Yeah in that. I think so many athletes go through that, mental spiral and just get in their head. And for you, I think it's different for everybody inside of the program, but what tool or routine or training from the Elite Competitor Academy do you think has had the biggest impact on you? Definitely this knap back routine. I use it, every day. It's just so great. I don't know. It's, like, so easy to do and quick I think it fits into, your day-to-day routine so well. Um, are there- Mm certain situations that you use it outside of your sport too? Sometimes, like if I kinda am having a bad day at school or something, I'll just be like, "It's okay. Like, you got, like you can do it." I think it's probably, yeah, you're spending a ton of time in the gym as well working on your skills- Yeah so it makes sense that that's when you're using it the most. And then what do you think, it sounds like definitely mistakes, but what have you noticed or what have even like your parents or your coaches noticed, and what's been that like shift or transformation from before starting mental training and now like you have a strong mental game? I think everyone has noticed that like my confidence has just like shot up. Like I've been so confident at gymnastics and like I'm so much more confident than I used to be awesome, yeah. And what would you tell another athlete who's maybe stuck on a certain skill or starting to lose hope, or just like maybe struggling with their confidence too, because you've been there. Yeah, I would probably like short term tell them to like visualize, maybe teach them like the snapback routine. And then like long term, I'd probably tell them to join The Elite Mental Game that's awesome. Yeah, so giving that piece of advice of, what's worked for you, right? Going back to the basics- Mm-hmm of visualization, getting those really great mental reps in, building that belief up in yourself so that you can go and translate it into a physical skill. Definitely using your snapback routine to bounce back quickly and just reset and refocus, and then having a community that supports you and- Mm-hmm kind of holds you accountable to the process. Awesome. And then what, Maya, what's the next goal that you're working towards? What's next for you? I'm definitely working towards level nine. Probably, like, double backs Or like, half outs, which is a double, and then, you twist in it. So I'm excited to see what's next. Yeah, that's super exciting, and I'm so glad that you have a strong foundation too, that you can rely on these past experiences, knowing that you have gotten through them before and knowing that you can do them again and again and again. That's super exciting, and I know that you're gonna accomplish so many great things in the near future. Thank you. You're welcome. All right, Maya. Again, congrats on being our August Athlete of the Month. And any athletes who are listening here, if you're wanting to be a part of a community where you have like-minded athletes committed to working on their mental game, wanting to level up, then you can build that kind of confidence that Maya has built. You have showed us the way, Maya, tool by tool, practice by practice, rep by rep. And we have a fun quiz, to find out your competitor style so that you can start leaning into your strengths, because none of this would be possible if Maya didn't know her strengths, right? She knows what she's good at. She can tap into that patience and that resilience and adaptability that she has. So go ahead and check out that quiz, down below in the description. And again, congrats, Maya. We're super excited to see what you accomplish next. Thank you so much.