Last Updated on Sunday, 27 May 2012 18:31
By Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
Last year, one of my brothers gave me a great book called, “Simply The Best: Players On Performance.” It is a compilation of interviews with the best players in the game – from Sidney Crosby and Jarome Iginla to Cassie Campbell and Hayley Wickenheiser.
Hayley’s interview was the first one I read and reveals a great deal about what she has done to get at (and stay at) the highest level of hockey in the world. Through her amazing work ethic and unparalleled ability to focus on doing whatever it takes to be the best, she has been a bona fide superstar for Canada’s national team for the last 14 years and is widely considered to be the most successful women’s hockey players in history.
I want to share with some of Hayley’s secrets of success with you today.
• On Passion and Purpose: “If you don’t love the game, you can’t be good at it, and I am convinced that you can’t get to that top level without having a purpose, knowing what you are there to do. I think a lot of players don’t know who they are. If you don’t know who you are as a player and your strengths and weaknesses, it is pretty hard to make that next level or get better.”
• On Discipline: “It’s about living a life of excellence daily, not just showing up for games. It’s about how you choose to live every day, how you sleep, how you prepare off the ice and in the offseason and not cutting corners.”
• On Confidence: “Confidence is one of those things that is great when you have it, but hard to get back when you lose it. [Players always say], “The coach isn’t giving me confidence.” I’ve always believed that confidence has to come from within, and when you don’t have it, the best thing to do is to go back to the things you do well and do them a lot. ... When players lose confidence, they often get caught up in the big things in the game versus just simple passes, great positioning on the ice, and the little details they can pay attention to that can turn their game around. As those things happen, confidence slowly starts to come back.”
You heard it right from one of the best women’s hockey players in the world. Notice how she focuses on what she can do day in and day out to be the best she can be. She is focused on the things she has control over – her work ethic and her attitude.
In order to be successful as an elite female hockey player, you must let your passion drive your purpose. You must be very disciplined and live a life of excellence. You must build your own confidence. These traits go beyond your success on the ice and into your success in the classroom and in life.
To get complete access to articles, videos and secrets that addresses the specific needs of female hockey players, visit www.totalfemalehockeyclub.com. Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS, is an expert in the development of aspiring female hockey players. She is a former NCAA Division I captain at Dartmouth and played in the National Women’s Hockey League for six years. She is currently the Girls Hockey Director at the PEAC School for Elite Athletes in Toronto and is the Founder of Total Female Hockey.
