The 2024 season is over, now what?
The 2024 USA BMX Grandnationals is in the rearview mirror. As you travel home from the event in Tulsa, and reflect on the 2024 season you will likely fit into one of 3 categories.
The season was a success.
The season was not a success.
The season was partially a success, partially not.
Success means something different for everyone. For some, it just comes down to exactly what place they got. For others it may mean improving upon last year, improving a specific skill, learning something new, or ultimately just having fun.
I always fell into the category of what place I got when I was younger. That was all that mattered to me. What was my plate number for the following year? My success-o-meter depended on that. As I got older I learned how to look at things from a broader scope and analyze whether or not they were a success based on a variety of factors, which place I finished was just one of them. Did I improve on a skill I set out to improve on? Did I overcome some challenges? Did I learn new skills? That sort of thing.
No matter what your specific marker of success was, you will fit into one of those 3 categories. Whichever one that is, you have the same question that will come up. Now what?
One of the most important things an athlete (or anyone, really) has to do if they want to be their best is learn the skill of looking in the mirror and assessing their performance honestly. Doing so can be difficult. It can be very challenging to assess your own strengths and weaknesses, especially if the season was not deemed a success. It requires being vulnerable.
Let’s break them down individually. Let’s start with situation number 1: It was a success.
Congratulations! You had a successful season. What that means is you now have a blueprint. You have been successful, and now you can repeat it. But here is the most important thing to remember: Prior success does not guarantee continued success. Don’t get complacent.
If you won a championship, you do not have to defend that championship. You will be a champion forever. I actually hate the term “defending champion.” When it was me, and people would say I was the “defending” Olympic Gold Medalist I remember thinking “no one is breaking into my house to try and take it from me, I don’t need to defend anything, I will be an Olympic champion forever.”
What you will actually have to do, is start again at zero. In January when the season starts again, you have the exact same starting point as everyone else. The only difference is you have the proven blueprint of how to be successful. Follow the blueprint, but work just as hard as you did the first time. That is the best way to maximize your chances of repeating it.
Number 2: The season was not a success.
This is the hardest one. This is the one where you have to sit down, look in the mirror, and ask “why?” If you can figure out the answer to that question, attack it. If you can’t figure out the answer, ask those around you and get an outside opinion. Honestly, even if you think you know the answer it is always a good idea to ask those around you to see if they see the same reasons as you.
Being able to admit failings and shortcomings is key to growth and getting better. On the track and in life.
Number 3: It was mixed, successful and not.
If it was mixed, which is the most likely scenario, you have the hardest job of all. You have to follow the steps for both number 1 and number 2 in order to reach your peak performance capabilities for next year. What did you do well? Get the blueprint for those items specifically, and follow it. Where could you improve? Identify those and ultimately improve and correct those.
My biggest advice of all, is learn how to analyze yourself. This is only going to pay dividends down the road. That, combined with trusted advisors, is the most efficient way to get the best out of yourself.
Remember how you feel as you leave 2024. If it is a good feeling, work just as hard in 2025 to have that feeling again. If it is not a good feeling, remember how this feels so as to not let it happen again.
Have a good offseason everyone!
