Beyond Winning
Push For Progress
By Chris Hershberger
Athletics have been an important part of my life since my first go at soccer in kindergarten. In an unprecedented turn of events,
athletes have been sidelined from competitions indefinitely,
by a virus.
Unless you’re a virtual Rock Paper Scissors champion,
the near-term is looking bleak when it comes to competitive prowess.
So what to do?
All athletes will fall into one of three categories
when the COVID-19 full-court press subsides.
Digression Athletes
Who probably weren’t consistent hard workers in the first place will likely fall into this group. A quarantine to this type of athlete is welcomed as hard work is eschewed and mind-numbing, non-physical behaviors are embraced. If you’re in this group you’ve probably leveled up on all the video games at your disposal and lost progress in most of your athletic markers in a few short weeks.
Stagnation Athletes
In this group will have put in a moderate amount of effort to maintain progress built from long hours prior to COVID-19. The general rule of thumb for this group is to do just enough to get by. Prior to the pandemic, these athletes were integral in team sports for being reliable and hard-working on the whole, but certainly not key or star players, or athletes known for extreme hustle.
Progression Athletes
If you fall into this group, you don’t need to be told so. You already know it, because you have a dogged desire to be the very best at what you do. You don’t know what the concept of ‘downtime’ means. You view a quarantine as more time to train and hone your craft. It’s a mindset difference that really separates you from your peers. Progress is your passion.
Which athlete are you?
Be honest with yourself Why?
Because the good news is, this designation isn’t fixed, and there’s no better time — with all this open time — to migrate from one group of athletes to the next more promising group.
What if you’re a superstar athlete already?
Easy. Raise the bar. Create new standards.