Preparation Meets the Moment

This time of year is championship season—the French Open, NBA Finals, NCAA Softball and college baseball World Series are all taking place right now. The best of the best are on full display, and it’s easy to focus on the wins and especially the “talent” on the field and why they are successful. But when you look a little deeper, I notice a theme that comes up often and can be shown in all levels of athletics and life: the athletes who shine in the biggest moments are the ones who prepared when no one was watching.

We love to say someone "rose to the occasion," but in truth? They rose to the level of their preparation. There are examples throughout the championships that have been on our TV screens-here are just a few:

Tyrese Haliburton has become a star of the Indiana Pacers’ NBA Finals run, delivering multiple game-winning and tying shots throughout the postseason. Many of you probably remember him from his days at Iowa State where he had a good career despite being ranked as the 27th best point guard in his class. Here he is leading the Pacers in the finals.

Tyrese was asked at a news conference this week how he does so well in late game situations-here was his response: “I work really hard. All of these shots I’ve made are shots that I work on every day playing 1 on 1 with our player interns. If I lose belief in taking a shot at the end of a game, we’re probably screwed.” Although at times, he makes hitting these shots easy, he has prepared himself for these moments.

Texas won their first ever NCAA women’s softball championship this week and the player of the tournament was their pitcher, Teagan Kavan, who is a graduate of West Des Moines Valley High School. She lost her grandmother early in the tournament but fought through the sadness to be there for her team and lead them to the championship. Although she had a successful year last year, she knew that she would have many more responsibilities this year and needed to prepare for that.

“I realized after the end of last season that what was going to separate me even more from other players was not necessarily the physical skill, but the mental game, and making sure that I had that under control and to bring me out of tough moments,” Kavan said. to the Daily Texan. In the offseason, Kavan began working with mental strength coaches to come up with strategies to reframe pressure into excitement. One of those strategies, adopted team-wide, was breathwork, helping her stay centered and present through every pitch. She put a great deal of time into her pitching, but knew the mental side was vital to becoming the best she could be.

The French Open tennis tournament wrapped up Sunday and Coco Gauff of the US captured her first French Open title after fighting through wind and a first-set tiebreak loss to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. At just 21, she showed amazing poise—rallying, resetting, and eventually dominating on the court despite tough conditions and a history of struggling sometimes during those big moments.

Commentator and former major champion Tracy Austin said that “When Coco came out she was so composed, never let the power of Sabalenka bother her. Whereas Sabalenka was bothered by everything, she looked anxious, she was looking at her team. 

“And Coco just went back to the fundamentals, (her) brain was always working and just super proud with the way that she handled that entire match and actually all seven matches. what a a lot of adversity to overcome to win a major!”

In sports, school, and life, we don’t magically become our best selves under pressure. We become who we’ve been training to be. The work we put in—quietly, consistently, and often without recognition or knowledge of others—is what shows up when the moment arrives. Under pressure, we always go back to the level of our preparation.

So whether you're coaching athletes, mentoring students, working at a business, or raising kids: keep investing in the preparation. The big moments will come—and when they do, preparation is what turns them into something unforgettable.

Have a great week!

Coach K