Editor's note: Bryce Houston is a track and field athlete, whose writing will appear on ArizonaWildcats.com bi-monthly. Houston will go behind the scenes to deliver interesting features on his fellow student-athletes.
Running through a dimly lit smoke-filled tunnel to meet fireworks bursting in the sky and hearing the collective screams of 50,000 fans.
Digging in the batter's box as the crowd becomes seemingly inaudible, breathing in-and-out, and reading the pitchers motions, waiting for that perfect time to swing.
Stepping into the blocks, hearing nothing but your heart beat and the cadence of the official “Runners take your marks… Set…”
Go. It's game day.
Anticipation, adrenaline, anxiousness; the three “A's” that every competitor faces on that magical game day. As an athlete, there are three main objectives when facing competition: Meet your coach's expectations, fulfill your own goals and execute to beat the competition.
On top of these tasks you have hundreds, even thousands, of fans watching your every move, hoping that you succeed--or that you fail. Amidst the cheers of encouragement or the jeers of hate, you're expected to accomplish what you came to do.
Every athlete deals with the pressure in different ways, whether it's staying calm in the eye of the storm, or channeling the adrenaline to become so hyped that the feeling of nerves or fear goes numb.
Fans only see the “during”, but what's really important is the “before”. The “before” sets the tone, whether the athlete will rise to the occasion, or become stagnant due to fear. The “before” is where leaders are made, minds are set and adrenaline is contagious.
I wanted to see how three athletes in three different sports attacked the same Goliath known as pressure:
Mo Mercado-Softball
Softball is a huge part of Arizona Athletics. Naturally, every season the expectations are high, from the fans and the players.
Mo Mercado has been playing softball all her life. From 2008 to 2012 Mercado led her club softball team, the So. Cal Athletics, to five uninterrupted national championships.
At this point in her career are there even any nerves? Of course. They're just channeled correctly.
“It's kind of intense walking into a stadium when you know thousands of fans hate you” the junior infielder admits, “but at the same time it's fun to rise to that.”
Being prepared is what calms Mercado leading up to the game. Practice, film on the opposition, talks with her dad and a solid meal the night before are major keys to her pre-game day routine. “I try to stay consistent with my routine.”
Once game day approaches, Mercado is ready to get to work and produce.
“I really focus on what I want to do that day” Mercado said.
Her mindset is: stay focus on the task at hand while remaining loose.
When asked if the crowd plays a part in your performance, Mercado laughed “I like it, I thrive off of it.”
The biggest crowd she's faced was during the 2015 season when the Lady Wildcats were tested by LSU in the NCAA Super regionals. The games were held at Tiger Park in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Mercado is batting .425 this season for the Wildcats with four home runs and 20 RBI. She was the Week 1 Pac-12 Player of the Week last month.
Nnenya Hailey- Track and field
As the spring season is upon us, so is another major sport… track and field.
Track and field is an individual sport, meaning your performance is on you and only you. Athletes have a limited amount of attempts of having a successful competition. At some meets, it only takes one race to dictate whether you advance to the next round or everything you've worked for since September comes to an end.
Nnenya Hailey, a standout hurdler for the Wildcats, has competed at indoor and outdoor nationals every year since her sophomore year. She holds the school record for the indoor 60m hurdles and is also on the indoor recording breaking 4x4 quartet.
Rising to the occasion is this senior's specialty. “The pressure motivates me, it doesn't weigh me down,” Hailey said. “It makes me work harder for my team, it makes me push myself.”
Competing in front of thousands was not unusual for the hurdler. In 2011, as a 17-year-old, she represented the United States in the World Youth Championships, held in Lille Métropole, France. She won gold in the 400m hurdles. The 10,000 plus fans present that day ignited her to blaze the competition.
Consistency is key for Hailey. The night before and day of a meet she has the same ritual: Eat salmon the night before, then on competition day, she eats oatmeal and an apple, takes a shower, and then does pre-meet shakeout and stretch routine.
Jacob Alsadek- Football
Cool, calm and collected is definitely a phrase that describes offensive lineman Jacob Alsadek's approach to the pressures of game day.
The 6-foot-7-inch right guard embraces the craziness of game day, from the screaming fans to the defensive rush. “You have to stay focused through it all”, stated the redshirt junior, “know what your job is, it makes the game smoother and helps your teammates out.”
Alsadek's main objective is to protect the quarterback. But there are many underlying factors Alsadek must decipher to achieve his main objective. In the 2015 season, the Wildcats averaged 78.3 snaps per game. For every snap, Alsadek must focus on the different types of blitz's and the defenses setup, which changes nearly every play.
Now add the roar of the crowd to the equation.
Playing weekly in front of 50,000 plus fans can be hectic. “At ASU this year it was so loud that you couldn't hear the snap count”, Alsadek recalled, “so it was hard to hear when the play was changed.”
Alsadek's preparation for such insanity, remaining calm… and wearing his lucky shower slippers. Since his high school football days, he's worn a special pair of shower slippers every game day. The wear and tear is simply a sign of loyalty to the pregame process.
Alsadek's favorite part of the pregame process, running out the tunnel with his teammates. “I wish everyone got to experience that feeling… It's something else.”
