In the winter of 2024, I came across the task to do research about mental toughness and the direct correlation it has with professional athletes. As an athlete myself, I had some knowledge about this topic as I’ve read books about professional athletes across multiple sports prioritizing their mental health and mental training to have better outcomes of success. An athlete that stood out to be the most was Michael Phelps, a decorated Olympian swimmer, who’s experiences and events were always highlighted across the world showing his success in the swimming pool on the biggest stage. Watching him compete in the Olympics was something I looked forward to; watching him swim across the water from the couch was surreal as no other olympian I’ve seen ever had so many eyes on them. Outside of the Olympics, I’ve seen Micheal in commercials emphasizing the importance of mental health and briefly telling his story in 20 seconds leaving an everlasting impact on the viewer. Viewing this commercial was one of the main roots of my research as I began to experience firsthand the mental aspect of sports and performance going through my high school career. One of the quotes I came across throughout my research project is “one day missed in the pool is two days behind” as Michael Phelps lived by this with his work ethic resulting in monumental success across many events with the highest of stakes being involved. I constantly came back to this quote as I was conducting my research project. I was making my own strides in the weight room and on the baseball field throughout the offseason during my junior year of high school setting myself up for success up to this point and in the future with this quote being the driving force behind my discipline and work ethic. Accountability is what every athlete needs as Michael Phelps started his journey at the age of 15 building himself and showing the progression it takes to become successful, leaving a lasting impact on others.

My high school baseball career has recently come to an end and now I am slowly transitioning into becoming a college freshman student who is realizing the new responsibilities that await me. Within the past weeks, I have specifically reflected on my junior and senior seasons as these were the seasons that the team rallied around values and lessons that were presented by our coaches to build something special. Some of these lessons seemed surface level at first, but slowly grew on all of us which included phrases such as “bounce back better, next man up, and La Gran Familia.” The 2023-2024 team experienced a championship run and within that run, there were losses to teams in the regular season we would eventually defeat in the playoffs to go embodying the theme “bounce back better.” As our season went by, there were conversations and referrals to these values and how they were present on any given day on the field with the team. Some of these connections to this theme included a teammate’s approach in the box, the composure and body language of one’s self, and how to respond to any adversity that might make success more difficult to obtain. After our championship loss, a new theme of the “next man up” emerged and was emphasized as we had 7 graduating seniors whose shoes needed to be filled by the younger players. The 2024-2025 team fell short of a championship appearance, but had new players emerge who grew their skillset and their work ethic shined brightly across the diamond. Seeing those who I cared most about in between and out of the lines having the opportunity to be the next group of players to lead the program was a message to show the future is bright once my time is up. After every practice, there would be team bonding and commadery as we practiced in a public park in Brooklyn with food vendors always eager to fuel us up after a long day in the classroom and on the field. The practices ended with all of us conversing in the dugout about our days and any friendly fire we had for each other as it was something we all looked forward to at the end of the day. We all picked up that this group was special and it was “La Gran Familia,” not even being related in any biological way, but we all shared the same love for the game and for each other every time we went to battle together. Across all of these themes and lessons with the coaches and teammates I had the privilege to share with are values I will always carry on beyond college that can absolutely be applied to the game of life. Having to “bounce back better” could mean to prepare yourself more for a challenge now that you have an experience under your belt to be successful. Being the “next man up” could mean your name being called up to be given the opportunity to accomplish something that you have been pursuing your life. Trying to network with other people is a skill that is needed to build relationships greater than just a coworker or a person just to converse with. “La Gran Familia” is something few get to experience and continue to grow on as these connections and friendships are the most important to keep and grow that can be applied outside the game of baseball.