MIND OVER MOUNTAIN: AN INTERVIEW WITH ANNIE RENDALL ON HELPING KIDS THRIVE ON AND OFF THE SLOPES

We’re thrilled to welcome back Annie Rendall, LPC, BCC, who will lead our Well-Being Program this season. Annie is a familiar face at JHSC, coaching U14 Alpine from 2014-2019, and now helps our athletes build mental skills that support performance, resilience, and overall well-being. Annie raced for and later became a Captain of the Dartmouth College Alpine Ski Team while earning her B.A. in Psychology. She was named 2011 Eastern Intercollegiate Skiing Association Slalom Champion and competed in 2010, 2011, and 2012 NCAA Skiing Championships.

We caught up with Annie to learn more about her journey and hear her guidance for helping young athletes thrive both on and off the slopes.

Three Questions for Annie

Q1: You’ve coached at JHSC and now lead the Well-Being Program, what inspired your focus on helping young athletes develop mental skills?

A1: Firstly, a big shoutout to Alpine Director Kristin Waddle for supporting this effort! It's been incredible to collaborate with Kristin and the alpine coaches to create such an intentional program for the athletes. Through my background in athletics, psychology, counseling, and coaching, I have learned the value of strengthening mental skillson performance and well-being. Ski racing was a huge part of my life and I learned so much from it. With that said, the thought "I really wish I had known this stuff when I was competing" runs through my head most days! I feel inspired to support the next generation of ski racers in having the most valuable and positive experience through sports, and I see mental skills playing a huge role in that!

Q2: What practical strategies can kids use to handle stress, nerves, or self-doubt, whether on race day or in everyday life?

A2: We could think of a stressor like a rut in the race course. Some days feel essentially rut-free, other days there is just one that shows up seemingly out of nowhere, or the course may be full of them! We can do our best to try to minimize how big the ruts get or feel (sleep, recovery, self-care!), but inevitably the ruts will show up sometimes. The best question may not be 'how do I get rid of this rut?', but rather, 'how do I ski a course when ruts show up?'. We cannot expect to effectively move through ruts without skills or training, and the same goes for managing these challenging experiences you've asked about. We can't expect to be effective at coping without practice.

So WHAT do we practice when external or internal pressures show up? Fortunately, there are many strategies! Unfortunately, it's not as simple a formula as "use X strategy and it will work every time". This is why we build a toolkit of skills. We learn different strategies so that we can be resilient and adaptable when challenges and opportunities arise (the rut!). Some athletes find it helpful to focus on their breath with a breathing technique. Focusing on a helpful thought such as "I have trained for this" or visualizing themself skiing the course well can also be useful.

In addition to these tools, it can be beneficial to engage with a coach, family, or a teammate when stress, nerves, or self-doubt show up. I learned recently that the word compete is derived from a latin term meaning “to strive together”. Sports are a collective process, even ones like ski racing that are categorized as “individual” sports require a collective effort. Our performance and our well-being benefit from leaning into that!

Q3: What can parents do to support their child’s mental and emotional well-being as they juggle school, sport, and social life?

A3: I’d encourage parents to ask this question to their kids and let them answer it. They may surprise you! Humans thrive when we feel valued at our core, and not just for our results and achievements. Think for a moment about what it might feel like to be asked this question? Simply asking the question can indicate care and faciliate a conversation. I'd also encourage parents to also ask themselves, how is my well-being as I juggle it all? What might I need to implement to best support myself and my family?

JHSC Athletes have been working hard this summer. Here’s where they are headed to train on snow this fall!

FIS/U16 Athletes are going to...

U14 Athletes are going to... 
Loveland, Colorado November 14th-23rd

Gear to sell? Two days to drop it off!​​

Fees to sell gear:

Times & locations:

Thursday, Oct 23: Pre-Filled Tag Form Gear Drop at JHSC

Friday, Oct 24: Gear Drop at Heritage Arena

These items are not accept to sell:

Saturday, Oct 25: Ski Swap at Heritage Arena

Cash, Local Checks, Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express are accepted.

The following items are NOT allowed into Heritage Arena for the Ski Swap:

Ski Club Cards

BUY NOW

Internal SWAP Update

The Internal Ski Swap had a great turnout this year with a lot of great finds at an affordable price. We hope the Internal Ski Swap continues to grow!