Q&A with Derek Robinson
As we count down the days to the Sochi Olympic Winter Games (22 days!), the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary will be featuring members of our team that have had a direct impact on athlete preparation for the Games #WE CAN
To kick things off, meet Derek Robinson. Derek, M.Ed. is a registered psychologist working as a mental performance consultant with the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary since 2003. He is currently involved with many different sports and teams at the National and International levels, including Hockey Canada, Long Track Speed Skating and the Canadian Alpine Ski Team.
Derek strongly believes in the value of specific mental preparation and simulation to best prepare elite athletes to perform on demand. "To win at the top level requires learning and developing the right habits required to compete with confidence and grit. Strengthening these habits in training and competition builds belief. And it comes down to belief and focusing on the task when it matters."
Here is our interview with Derek Robinson.
Q | What is your day-to-day role with the athletes?
A | My day-to-day role with the athletes is a collaborative process of working on these three goals.
1. Performance enhancement so athletes and coaches win
2. Coping with and overcoming adversity
3. Personal and relational well-being
1. Performance enhancement so athletes and coaches win
2. Coping with and overcoming adversity
3. Personal and relational well-being
Q | How did you get in the field of Mental Performance?
A | I played hockey at the University of Lethbridge and always loved sports and psychology. I never really thought I'd become a psychologist as I saw myself as a "hockey player." However, my passion for sport psychology allowed for decisions to naturally emerge in building towards living my dream job. And that's working with coaches, athletes, and integrated support teams (IST) towards a common performance goal.
Q | Why did you choose to work in elite sports? What inspires you about working with high performance athletes?
A | The emergent decision making (that I referred to above) led me to capitalize on the right opportunities when the chance came along. A lot of hours, work, and preparation went into becoming a psychologist and mental performance consultant. However, it never seemed like work. The privilege to work in elite sport came about through passion, hard work, opportunity and positive relationships with other people.
What inspires me to work with high performance athletes can be summarized as a love and respect for competition. Winning and most importantly, what it takes to win under different competitive situations/conditions really engages me and gives me energy.
Q | What is the role of a Mental Performance Consultant (MPC) within the IST?
A | The main role of a MPC is to support athlete performance, to effectively collaborate with the coaches, and to integrate within the IST to best support the coach-athlete relationship.
Q | Can you give us two to three mental exercises that you believe everyone should include in their daily routine? Something that you do with athletes and that the public does not necessarily know about or think about doing?
A |1. Identification of the athlete's "Go To" strategies to prepare, the ability to refocus, and to fully engage in the task. This involves the athlete applying mental skills (e.g., self-talk, breathing, mental rehearsal, acting on routines, etc.) in their daily training habits.
2. We debrief which "Go To" strategy is effectively used so that the athlete can focus on the task. The skill to focus really means the ability to refocus quickly. Being in the Zone/Flow is ideal; however, the athlete must learn to perform when not in the Zone. Olympic performance is about clear goals and a plan. Emotional resilience and mental toughness to execute the plan through adversity and distraction.
Q | How can Canada innovate in the field of Mental Performance?
A | It is truly a privilege to work with the people at the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary. The people along with the new Canadian Sport Institute facility at Winsport, is a combination that drives our field of Mental Performance. We can innovate Mental Performance in Calgary by being a great Team of MPCs and working together better than ever. Currently, it is recognized that each Canadian Sport Institute MPC brings individual strengths and by maximizing individual strengths in an environment of strong leadership, trust and respect, we have world leading performance.
Q | What will a "day in the life of Derek Robinson" be like in Sochi?
A | A day in Sochi is about being 100 % available as needed by Canadian coaches and athletes. This availability is always purposefully driven to ensure these basic Olympic lessons:
1. Do not stop doing what works (Trust the right preparation and let the performance happen. Trained habits and belief)
2. Do not start doing what doesn't work (Commit to the right plan with value-driven behaviours vs. changing things last minute in response to Olympic stress/pressure. Perform with poise and focus)
2. Do not start doing what doesn't work (Commit to the right plan with value-driven behaviours vs. changing things last minute in response to Olympic stress/pressure. Perform with poise and focus)
Olympic performance is about the athletes and coaches. It is imperative for an MPC to support coach and athlete performance.
Q | What moment of the Sochi Games do you most look forward to and why?
A | The feeling of seeing the athletes and coaches WIN
Q | What is it about the Olympic Games that inspires YOU?
A | Performance under pressure, through adversity, when it matters. It is really hard to win an Olympic gold medal - And that is awesome.
