If you’re afraid of not being good enough
It was a beautiful, sunny, perfect-for-ultimate-Frisbee afternoon. I’d parked next to a field where I knew a good pickup game would be starting soon. I opened my car door . . . and couldn’t get out. There was nothing wrong with me physically, but I just couldn’t bring myself to get out of the car.
I’d played ultimate Frisbee at the national and world levels. I absolutely loved competitive ultimate, and if someone wanted to play, I was in! But it had been a couple of years since I’d trained hard or played at a high level.
I’d just moved to one of the most competitive ultimate Frisbee cities in the United States, and I was hoping to get back into the mix. But now I was worried because I didn’t know who would be at the pickup game, and I wasn’t sure how well I’d play. I was nervous about what people would think of my game and the implications for the upcoming season. This was creating a mental turmoil more intense than the usual butterflies that any athlete might feel before competition.
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