The Olympic trials for whitewater canoe and kayak include four runs down a whitewater course, spread out over two days of competition. The setting in 2024 was perfect – we had beautiful weather in sunny Oklahoma City, cooled by a little wind and some morning rain. The Olympic and American flags waved proudly on their posts above the facility.
Casey Eichfeld had represented the United States at three previous Olympic games in Beijing, London, and Rio. After missing the games in 2020, he was back and competing against the nation’s top talent to decide who would represent the U.S. in Paris. On the second day, after three races, Casey was in second place. Now in his late 30s, he realized his Olympic window was shrinking. With one run remaining, his final attempt would determine if he would reach the Olympics for a fourth time (rarified air) or, possibly, never race at this level again.
Thirty minutes before entering the water, I caught up with him on the river’s edge. “How are you doing?” I asked.
He took a breath. “You know,” he said, “in 24 hours I’ll be on a plane back home to be with my wife and daughter… so, I’m feeling fine.”
In my younger, more intense years, I would have wondered what the heck he was talking about – does he not realize what’s at stake? Doesn’t he care about this? Of course he cared. He was not dismissing the significance of the moment, he was stabilizing within it. He was getting steady. I’ve seen athletes in similar spots, without quite as much at stake, scanning the environment, nervously checking out the competition, obsessing over every detail of the competition track, desperately seeking something to control in an otherwise stressful moment.
Casey had been there before, he’d done it. He has what I would call “earned confidence”. His only task was to steady himself in the situation, put his boat in the water, and
let his talent shine,
unencumbered
by hesitation, fear,
and misplaced focus.
Casey had a great run, finished first, and went on to represent the United States at the Olympic Games in Paris. He admits that this approach can be challenging. You have to build it deliberately over time. But it works.
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