The Current | Vol. 31 Issue 23

February 23, 2021 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 8 Sports THIS WEEK SPORTS IN HISTORY March 1 - PGA players championship In 1976, Jack Nicklaus won the PGA Tournament Players Championship at the Inverrary Country Club in Lauderhill, Fla. He beat the runner-up by three strokes. Feb. 24 - U.S. ice hockey team takes gold at the Winter Olympics At the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, NY, the U.S. ice hockey team beat Finland 4-2. Before this event, the U.S. beat the Soviet Union 4-3, which was known as “the Miracle on Ice” and was one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history. Feb. 27 - Ladies Figure Skating Champion On this day, in 1966, U.S. figure skater Peggy Fleming won the Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Davos, Switzerland. She won first place in France just two years later. Feb. 23 -Joe Louis becomes world heavyweight champion On this day, in 1938, boxer Joe Louis beat Nathan Mann in Round 3 in Madison Square Garden to win the World Heavyweight title for the second time. Feb. 26 - Jordan breaks Bulls scoring record In 1987, Michael Jordan scored 58 points in one game, setting a record for the Chicago Bulls. The most points he ever scored in one game was in 1990 when he scored 69 points in a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Feb. 25 - Memorial held for Basketball Legend Kobe Bryant In 2020, the Staples Center hosted a memorial service for Los Angeles Laker legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna. Feb. 28 - First televised basketball game In 1940, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) broadcasted the first televised basketball game. Fordham University played University of Pittsburgh at Madison Square Garden. The great power of our mind When talking about sports, we tend to only pay attention to our physical capabilities and it makes sense. However, there is another component of great importance that we almost forget exists. This factor has a great influence on our daily performance and that is the mind. Our mind has an incredible capacity. It has no limits. Its power is extraordinary and that is why we must train that power and control the use of it. Our mind has a great impact on our daily activities, but when it comes to sports, exclusively, it is understood that the mind must be worked and trained with the same degree of importance as any other muscle. On repeated occasions, the lack of mental strength becomes evident when the performance of the athlete decreases due to the great pressures of the moment. Today, there are different variants and exercises that allow the creation of a level of mindfulness that give athletes greater power and control over their performance. Many teams, or even athletes in their own ways, turn to sports psychologists who contribute to the creation of certain techniques and mental tools that help the players achieve better participation and performance in their sport, thus accomplishing their goals. These tools By: Santiago Diaz Finochietto Contributing Writer or strategies include setting goals, using imagery and visualization and also training to recognize thoughts. When it comes to setting goals, athletes gain confidence since there is an increase in their motivation and determination to meet them. Consequently, fear and lack of self-confidence are no longer important. The practice of both imagery and visualization is considered one of the great tools for mental control. It is carried out through the use of mental skills in the visualization of specific situations. The ability to recognize our thoughts is key. Sometimes we tend to ignore our feelings and thoughts due to bad performances or poor results, but the ability to recognize those feelings helps athletes to, instead of overthinking those bad situations, transform them into positive thoughts. Once that is put to practice several times, it creates better mental strength and the athletes will not have to face lack of confidence to the same degree as before. Eleven-time basketball champion Bill Russell once said, “Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.” Such a quote is evidence of the importance of our mind. Its power is from another world and not just athletes, but everyone, should seek to train their minds every day for far better results in every task we do. Finding Fitness: Working out is even better with a partner Having a workout partner can be life changing. For one, I lack motivation and self discipline when it comes to going to the gym and working out. Before I arrived at college, I played soccer, so I was not in the position I am now. Most days, I find myself stressed about my diet and going to the gym. It has been difficult juggling the college lifestyle because I am not used to not having an eating schedule and doing the same thing every day. Being active and eating all the right foods was so easy before; my mom made me home cooked meals that were really good for my body and I was always at soccer practice. I never worried about my weight or about how many calories I was consuming in a day, because I did not have to. Now, it is completely different. I struggle to eat foods that are high in nutrients and most of the food on campus do not appease me. I feel as though I can not go to the gym unless I am fueling my body properly. Gaining weight has always been hard for me, so I want to focus on weight lifting, but for some odd reason, I have no desire to make going to the gym a priority. I am not sure if it is because I am intimidated by everyone else there or if I fear being judged because, let’s face it, I have absolutely no idea what I am doing. Either way, all I want is for someone with my same ambition to be my workout partner. According to the American Council of Exercise (ACE), “choosing a partner who you perceive to be a better performer than you could increase your workout time and intensity by as much as 200%”. With a workout partner, we would hold each other accountable for our goals, and together, we would make the gym a priority. If I had someone who would challenge me daily, I feel as though I would be much more motivated. I would have a schedule, so, mentally, I would feel like I was getting more out of my day than I am now. I would also be taking time out of my day strictly to eat. I keep putting off making a schedule because I feel like it is not worth it or that it is a waste of my time because I am not going to stick with it anyways. Having a workout partner makes working out so much more fun and rewarding. As you are growing both mentally and physically, so does your partner and witnessing these accomplishments truly are life changing, especially knowing that you did it together. By: Kiley Moore Contributing Writer PHOTO PRINTED PERMISSION BY F.MIRELES Working out with a friend helps both people grow mentally and physically.