About Me
I’m Caitlin Pederson, Founder of Peak Per4orm.
I am in my sophomore year of high school. I have been a competitive hockey player for seven years and really enjoy training with my teammates and competing in games. Recently, I have also found my love for the game of golf and have begun competing in tournaments. Golf is a sport that is easy to become compulsively focused on and passionate about!
In both hockey and golf, I have always understood the importance of regular physical and skills training to be successful. However, I had not fully appreciated the importance of mental focus and training required to compete at a high level until I played in my first golf tournament. No matter how dialed in my game was, I was not mentally in the zone and therefore not prepared to win.
I realized what Yogi Berra said was actually “true”, “90% of the game IS half mental!” Every elite athlete would agree that regardless of how physically ready a competitor may be, proper mental focus and state of mind is essential to optimize performance.
As a student, I also realized the importance of mental calm and solitude in academics once regular exams began in high school. I was very nervous and lacked confidence going into tests and no doubt my results suffered. Over time, I’ve learned to make sure I was well prepared and then recognized that if I’ve done all I can leading into the test, all I could do was try and perform my best and accept the result.
My goal with Peak Per4orm is to offer resources that may help others improve their mental state ahead of important events, when nerves and doubt would interfere with optimal performance. These tips and techniques could be applied to sports, academics and any other important or stressful events.
By improving your frame of mind and focusing only on the task ahead instead of worrying about the result, I am confident you will see dramatic improvements in your performance. Regardless of the outcome, you will come away feeling positive and accomplished that you made your best effort. If you can reframe those butterflies in your stomach as an indication of excitement of what is ahead, rather than a fear of failure, you will feel much more positive when looking ahead at your next event!
