Brita Sigourney | Beijing 2022 Olympic Profile
The two-time Olympian talks about how gaining more experience helped her overcome anxiety on the slopes, the importance of taking care of her mental health and gearing up for Beijing.
Video Transcript
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BRITA SIGOURNEY: Growing up as a very athletic, active child has made me a very well-rounded athlete today. And I've obviously done a lot of games and competitions in my lifetime. And I can say my nerves and anxiety used to be really bad as a child. I'd get so nervous before competitions. And that has definitely improved over the years.
I think experience is key in this sport, and especially helping with my nerves. I don't know about anyone else, but I know how to prepare for competition. And even on the biggest stage like the Olympics, I think I am well more prepared than I would have been even just 10 years ago. Yeah, just having so many years of experience on those stages has really helped me mentally, and just being able to breathe and kind of enjoy the moment, and slow down and take it all in.
My mental health has always been a big priority to me, especially leading up to the Games, just because it is the biggest stage that we ever compete on. So I always make sure that I am reading books leading up to it, a lot of just reminders on how to handle the stress of competition. And I do a lot of yoga.
I think my physical health goes hand-in-hand with my mental health. So I just try to make sure that I'm feeling as good as possible. And I think that really affects my confidence. And confidence for me is what makes me ski well. So if I'm confident, that means I'm having fun and I'm skiing well. So I'm just trying to be in the right state and believe in myself.