Opinion Forum

Julia and Lindsey: Fire and Ice

March 31st, 2011

By Dr. Jim Taylor I haven’t spoken to Julia Mancuso or Lindsey Vonn (then Kildow) since they were probably 14 years old. In all likelihood, they don’t remember me at all. But I gave talks at a number of Erich Sailer summer and fall camps in which they were in attendance. I have been, however, […]

Articles written by Dr. Jim Taylor
Tags: goals, Mancuso, Olympics, personality, ski racing, style, training, Vonn
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The Greatest Sports Phenom You’ve Never Heard Of

January 3rd, 2011

By Dr. Jim Taylor Have you heard the name Mikaela Shiffrin? Not likely, unless you’re a big fan of alpine ski racing, a sport that only grabs America’s attention every four years during the Winter Olympics. Over the last decade, alpine ski racers have gotten their fair share of media coverage, thanks to the gold […]

Articles written by Dr. Jim Taylor
Tags: attitude, competition, Mikaela Shiffrin, parents, phenom, ski racing, sports
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Ski Racing: Don’t Praise Your Children!

November 14th, 2010

By Dr. Jim Taylor Please be prepared. I’m going to go on a bit of rant now. I just can’t hold it in any longer. I see parents doing this constantly and it’s killing me because they know not what they do and they are actually hurting their children’s personal and ski racing development. What […]

Articles written by Dr. Jim Taylor
Tags: children, confidence, effort, outcomes, parenting, praise, ski racing
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Ski Racing and Parenting: Fear of Total Failure

November 7th, 2010

By Dr. Jim Taylor In my very first Kids & Culture Alert! e-newsletter published in April of 2005, I discussed the sad epidemic of fear of failure that I found to be rampant in America at that time. Well, over five years later, fear of failure is still the most pervasive and debilitating issue among […]

Articles written by Dr. Jim Taylor
Tags: expectations, fear of failure, pride, regret, risk, ski racing, success
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Parenting: Strive for Excellence, Not Perfection

November 4th, 2010

By Dr. Jim Taylor Perfectionism is one of the most destructive diseases among American children today. Perfectionism is a double-edged sword. One edge of the sword drives young racers to be perfect. These children push themselves to win races, qualify for the next level of competition, and set extremely high goals for themselves. The other […]

Articles written by Dr. Jim Taylor
Tags: excellence, failure, parenting, perfection, perfectionist, ski racing
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