sports July 7, 2003 Issue

Poised to play well

By Susie Rynerson

A Quick Online Search of Yahoo! or Google suggests that there's a relationship between poise and excellent athletic performance. Over 66,000 entries put poise and sports together. Poised is used to describe people ranging from professional football and basketball players in the finals, to a jockey riding in the Kentucky Derby; from Egyptian field hockey players in a Mediterranean championship, to people taking karate classes.

But what does the word poise really mean? Both Webster's and The American Heritage Dictionary relate it to balance, stability, and composure. It implies a type of freedom, ease, dignity, and calm, shown by the way you carry yourself.

Well, I know in my own attempts to maintain this type of mental attitude while playing sports, I've struggled with how to simultaneously mix in some intensity, love of the game, unselfish teamwork ... more than just a few wins here and there. I've had my ups and downs—sometimes all at the same time.

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