Written by GRP Biathlete Raleigh Goessling

In the first few seconds after I wake up, I take a few deep breaths and check over how I am feeling. Am I super sore from lifting? Did I sleep in a weird position and pull a muscle in my elbow? (This is just a random example. Definitely didn’t happen last week) Nope, all good.

****Okay- Do I have a headache or sore throat?*****

In the summer of 2020, this ritual has new layers of consequence and importance. The COVID-19 pandemic has created a world in which a small sore throat, headache, or cough is a major issue that needs to be addressed immediately. For a seasonal allergy sufferer like me, another layer of confusion and anxiety is added.

It is easy to feel a headache coming on and begin to worry. Thoughts such as: “Do I have the ‘Rona?!”, “Am I going to get my teammates sick?!”, “Is this because I accidently got too close to that person on the singletrack?!”, all begin to creep in as I browse the increasingly troubling news on my phone at breakfast.

Even in normal years, being an athlete on a pro team and traveling to race abroad gives me a privileged life experience. I live in a safe, beautiful place, were my two focuses are improving at my sport and giving back to the community that supports me. When I travel to race, I am always shown the best of the place I visit. All my arrangements taken care of. A coach plans my workouts, techs wax my skis. I live a charmed life.

The implementation of the GRP Training Bubble has further insulated me from everyday experiences. I stay on the COC campus for most all my training, I don’t go into grocery stores (or any structure off the COC Campus), I rarely see people outside my teammates and coaches. When I see people outside my household it is at a 6ft distance, often wearing a mask.

My day to day sporting life has changed extraordinarily little compared to previous years. Yes, there are additional COVID safety measures in place, no national level summer racing, and the teammates aren’t leaving town as often, but my experience has been much the same as my previous two years on the GRP. Nobody knows what the race season will look like, but up until this point, that hasn’t affected my or the team’s preparation.

The safety and consistency of my daily life stands in stark contrast to the COVID risks and uncertainty facing most Americans. The Black Lives Matter movement continues to push for desperately needed reforms. A bitter election season has just begun. Vulnerable populations everywhere are suffering more than ever due to the pandemic.

I have found that the best way for me to cope with the uncertainty surrounding my race season, the low key anxiety around the microscopic chance I contract COVID, and the guilt I feel about the privilege of my lifestyle, is to take it one day at a time.

Is there an opportunity for me to safely attend a protest today? Okay, let’s go. Two hard workouts? Today I will need to take a nap. Can I safely coach kids, or chop wood for community members in need? That’s the ticket for today.

Placing my focus on the present moment, and not being drawn into re-analyzing the past or worrying about the future has always been a weakness of my mental game. COVID has forced me to address this head on.

I suggest everyone make the most out of the opportunities the day presents, place their focus on the present and do all you can to improve your position and uplift others.

Pandemic Process-Athletes’ Mental Game during COVID-19