by Tim Curry, MS ACSM-RCEP
Define Your “Success” And Learn How To Advocate for It!
Success means different things to different people. Young adults may not always have the experience or opportunity to consider their motivations. There can often be external pressures from friends, siblings, parents, teachers, and coaches for how to think and act in the world. Learning to define what you need to succeed, what that success looks like, and how to advocate effectively is a beneficial life skill. Self-advocacy helps young athletes speak up for what they need, and establish healthy boundaries to protect against burnout and negative outcomes. For young athletes, this can make their sports experience more rewarding and fun. Let’s explore how athletes can define success in a healthy way and advocate for themselves to reach their goals.
Redefining Success: It’s Not Just About Winning
As a youth mountain bike racer, I defined success in the sport as winning and moving up to the professional tier. I didn't realize this meant that not only was my success dependent on many factors outside my control (ex. other racers, flat tires, etc) but without establishing smaller successes to measure my improvement, by the time I eventually received my pro license I almost immediately burned out of the sport. My definition of success was so narrow that by the time I achieved my goal, I had also lost my enjoyment of the sport.
This experience is not unusual, many young athletes think success means winning or getting awards. This is a very common definition of success because that is what we see online, on television, and in almost every other media source related to sports and athletes. While winning can feel great, focusing only on competition can lead to stress or burnout. Success can also mean personal growth and enjoyment, however working to redefine what success is can be a challenging task for any athlete, especially youth athletes. Here are some ways personal “success” can be expanded and refined:
Improving Skills: Getting better at something specific, like mastering a mountain biking skill, being able to ride a trail feature that you have never done before or even riding a race completely clean (not putting a foot down anywhere in the course).
Learning and Growing: Seeing challenges as chances to improve, even if things don’t go perfectly. Growth happens in every effort, even in setbacks. You can define success as learning to self-identify why something went wrong or was not ideal and planning how to move forward and correct the error/mistake.
Helping the Team: Being a good teammate and contributing to group success, whether by supporting others or playing a specific role. NICA teams and leagues tend to be excellent in this area in general but there is always room for improvement. Athletes can consider how they can help teammates achieve their success or what might be needed to help the team succeed in a goal.
Having Fun: Enjoying the sport, whether it’s the thrill of playing or spending time with friends. Fun keeps motivation alive. Maintaining the “fun factor” can often be ignored or forgotten as athletes begin training. Many coaches forget that without taking the time to foster and provide space to experience the fun of the sport, athletes have a much higher risk of burnout. Make sure there are rides focused on providing space for athletes to simply enjoy the sport they love vs. completing a specific training task. For athletes, this could mean tracking their enjoyment of the sport before and after each ride and then making adjustments to try to keep the average enjoyment high over time.
How can athletes start redefining what success means to them? You can get student-athletes to explore their current definition of what success means by using questions like these:
What do I enjoy most about my sport?
What skills do I want to work on?
How can I measure my progress in ways that show my effort and improvement?
How do I feel when I’ve done my best, regardless of the outcome?
Taking the time to reflect on these questions helps athletes set personal goals that are meaningful and achievable. It reminds them that success isn’t only about results but about their unique journey.
Advocating for Your Success: Speaking Up for Yourself
Once athletes understand what success means to them, they can start advocating for themselves. Advocacy means letting others know what you need to succeed, like asking for help from a coach or sharing your goals with teammates. Advocating isn’t just about solving problems; it’s about building connections and creating opportunities. Self-advocacy is a learned skill so guiding your athletes and providing positive support will create an environment for growth. Here are some good places to start with your athletes:
Steps For Student Athletes to Advocate Effectively
Understand Your Needs: Think about what you need to improve or feel supported. For example, if you want to work on endurance, ask for tips or drills to help you improve. Or if knowing the ride route and ride plan (ex. how hard are we going) before the practice is needed (ex. for food planning, reducing anxiety, etc.) then speak with your coaches about potential solutions. Knowing your needs gives you a clear starting point.
Communicate Clearly and Respectfully: Talk to coaches or teammates confidently and politely. Use “I” statements to explain your needs. For example, say, “I’d like more practice on passing techniques. Can we work on that next time?” Clear communication shows maturity and respect.
Ask for Feedback: Feedback helps you learn and grow. For example, ask your coach, “What should I focus on to improve my passing performance?” Being open to feedback shows you’re serious about improvement and willing to put in the effort. In fact, asking for feedback and recognizing when you need feedback are both critical to achieving a high level of skill in sports.
Be Flexible and Patient: Sometimes, your requests might not be possible right away. Be willing to adjust and try again later. For example, if a coach can’t schedule specific practice time, consider asking for tips to practice on your own. However, if there is a mismatch between what can be done and what you need, take the time to have a more detailed discussion with your coaches. There may be a solution that wasn’t initially thought of!
Practice Advocacy Skills Regularly: Advocacy is a skill like any other, and practicing it helps you get better. Start with small steps, like asking for advice, and work your way up to more complex requests.
Building a Supportive Environment
Parents and coaches play a big role in encouraging advocacy. Teaching and encouraging these skills along with creating an environment conducive to developing self-advocacy are key. Don't assume that just because your athletes are not discussing things with you they don’t have unmet needs! Many times they haven’t developed the skills, confidence, or, in some cases, the trust to bring up what they need. What can we do as parents/coaches to create the space for athletes to learn these skills?
Encourage Conversations: Create opportunities for athletes to share their thoughts and goals. For instance, set aside time during practice for team discussions. These do not have to be long and detailed. It can start as short reflections within a ride group at the end of the ride. For example, "Tell me one thing you did well, one thing you want to work on, and one thing you will do before the next practice to improve on that thing."
Be a Role Model: Show athletes how to communicate effectively and respectfully. Demonstrate how to handle both successes and challenges. An easy example of this is to ensure that coaches are communicating about ride pace and route. For example, if the pace at the front is a bit too high for riders in the middle and back then the coach at the back of the ride can call a stop and, using good advocacy skills, ask the coach at the front to slow it down (ex. "Mike I know you are feeling great today but I am a bit sore and tired. Can you slow down the pace up front so we can all stay together?")
Celebrate All Successes: Recognize achievements beyond winning, like helping a teammate or improving a skill. Small victories build confidence and momentum. Remember though that we want to reward positive, significant achievements appropriate to the individual. For example, a student-athlete who has been working on cornering technique and just did it right for an entire ride is a success that needs to be recognized as an achievement. However, an advanced rider who achieved this skill level years ago does not need this recognition, and it can lessen the recognition of other achievements!
Provide Resources: Offer tools or information that help athletes achieve their goals, such as training tips or access to helpful materials. This is an excellent area to build in a team training plan so coaches know what the focal points are for each ride and can tailor their discussions appropriately.
Combining Success and Advocacy
Defining success and advocating for the necessary tools and environment to succeed go hand-in-hand for our athletes. Together, they:
Boost Confidence: Athletes learn to believe in themselves and their abilities, making them more willing to take on challenges.
Build Resilience: A positive view of success helps athletes recover from setbacks. They learn to see obstacles as part of the journey.
Strengthen Relationships: Good communication fosters trust and teamwork, creating stronger bonds with teammates, coaches, and parents.
Foster Independence: Advocacy teaches athletes to take ownership of their growth and development, skills they can use beyond sports.
When athletes take charge of their definition of success and learn how to advocate for what they need, they transform their sports experience. They gain improved performance as well as invaluable life skills that help them in school, relationships, and future careers. Encouraging these practices helps athletes unlock their full potential.
Let’s work together to redefine success and promote self-advocacy. Help athletes discover what matters most to them and give them the tools to communicate their needs. Organize team meetings to discuss individual goals, model effective communication, and celebrate all forms of progress. Together, we can create a sports culture that prioritizes growth, joy, and long-term passion for the game.
Let’s start today by asking: What does success mean to you?
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