Competition

Extended Stay America for Team Travel

When I ask my daughter what her favorite memories of her high schools sports years were, she always says the travel. She can’t tell you whether they won their competition or not, but she can tell you all about the team bonding, late night chat sessions with her teammates and the team dinners. That is what she remembers with the greatest fondness.

We recently worked with Extended Stay America who gave me a few nights in their Colorado Springs location in exchange for my honest review of my stay.

First of all, let me just say, that if you are traveling with a team, Extended Stay America is a great choice! The fact that they have very clean and spacious room coupled with the full kitchen in each room is ideal for team travel.

Rooms are available with one or two beds (in most cases) and have all the important amenities of home that make travel enjoyable. Extended Stay America has over 600 locations throughout the US and Canada, and the location I visited in Colorado Springs is probably one of the cleanest hotels I have ever stayed in.

The fully functional kitchen is a huge plus when traveling with a team. We were able to stop at the local grocery store on our way in to pick up healthy breakfast and snack foods for our stay, however, you can get a full set of pots/pans and do all your cooking. Depending on the size of your team, this definitely makes preparing a team dinner less expensive and more comfortable than trying to coordinate restaurant options.

Other amenities at Extended Stay America include free wi-fi, on-site laundry facilities, grab & go breakfast, and they are pet-friendly.

Next time you are looking for high value, affordable hotels for team travel options, be sure to check for an Extended Stay America near your destination – they are becoming my go-to for family and team travel – you will love them, too!

Looking for Strategies for Dealing with Pre-Race Anxiety

Ok readers, now its your turn to give me advice. My youngest had her first swim meet of the season today and was totally overcome with anxiety after warm ups and got herself so worked up, she got physically ill. As a result, she ended up scratching all three of today’s races. By the time her first race would have started, she was feeling better, and by the time her second race rolled around she actually felt like she could have raced.

What strategies have you used to calm those pre-race nerves?

UPDATE: Day 2 of the competition went better. She still threw up before we even entered the building, but her coaches allowed her to warm up when she was ready in the second pool. Just that little gesture was enough to really calm her down. When it came time for her to race, she was a little stressed but once she was on the blocks everything was fine. She had a great first swim of the season and now has a time to use as a benchmark. I don’t think this is the last of the nerves, but now she has a few strategies and experience she can draw on next time.

First Meet Reflections

My gymnastics team girls made it through their first meet of the season and they did great. During awards, I witnessed some very cool moments – ones that remind me of why I love working with kids and what is important.

It’s okay to make a mistake – one of the lessons gymnasts learn early is that everyone makes mistakes, but you can make them and live to tell about it. Mistakes are part of the learning experience and you can laugh about them too.
Perseverance – one of the best moments of the evening came from a gymnast who was on my team last year and struggled all year long. She did not progress as fast as her team mates but she always kept a positive attitude. Last night she improved her overall score from last year by almost 5 points (which in gymnastics is HUGE). The look on her face when she got called to the podium for awards was priceless. Her self confidence is through the roof and she has learned one of the most important life lessons ever.
Believe in yourself – another little girl came to us from another gym this summer. The first weeks of practice were filled with tears as she made the adjustment to her new training environment. She was a little girl who really didn’t believe in herself or think she was all that good. Last night as she finished her beam routine, a huge smile came across her face – she had stuck her beam routine and scored higher than she ever had before – it was even good enough for first place. It was so much fun as a coach to be able to go back to her and say, “hey, I told you that you could do it – you have been working hard and it shows!”

There were so many other little things that warmed my heart. While watching awards I told a fellow coach that when the girls arrived before the meet, they were just kids who took gymnastics, but once they finished this first meet, they are now gymnasts.