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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 18, 1998)
Athletes say phenomenon drains them physically, mentally By Sam McKewon and Darren Ivy Sports Staff With 600 meters to go in the 5,000-meter race at the Big 12 Championships Feb. 27, Nebraska freshman distance runner Amy Wiseman was right where she wanted to be. She was in third place and pre pared to hunt down the leaders. Then, it happened. “I hit the wall big time,” Wiseman said. “My legs got really tight and heavy, and it felt like someone was pulling me back with a harness. I thought I was in slow motion.” “Hitting the wall” can happen to any athlete at any time, said Jack Stark, NU team psychologist. Wiseman’s reaction to hitting the wall is common. Many athletes said that after hitting the wall they feel as though they can't move or are moving slower than their competitors. Sophomore Cookie Belcher, a guard on the Comhuskers' basketball team, compares hitting the wall to “being in a daze” and “running in pudding.” Stark described hitting the wall in more scientific terms. “What athletes typically call g hitting the wall is basically a Ik complete loss of ra|| mental and physi ■ cal stamina,” wSj Stark said. “The mental part of it is what causes most of the prob lems. It's called hitting the wall because that's what it feels like, a sudden shock. Because of f a t i g u e , the ath lete can n o longer function at a excep tional level. “They feel | I Stark said hitting «e wall often happens in course of the race like it to Wiseman, but also can ippen over the course of eason, slowly breaking down an athlete. Matt M'u.er/DN Tstr Cookie Belcher has struggled to overcome liii* tint cne waC Right Cnrsstnis Siackme" :rnfc-' hugs Ar>u Wssema afte1 " a B:r; II- 5.090-rr. tc1 race A seasonlong battle Beieher knows that feeling. During his freshman season, he hit that wall hard After starting every game in the 1996 season. Belcher led the Big 12 Conference in steals and was named to the confer ence's all-freshman team. But by the close of the season. Belcher said it was hard t-c ecen go K out there, and I would almost forget what I was doing,” Belcher said. “1 got tired really easily.” Belcher’s problems extended off the court as well. There were problems with routine sleeping habits. Belcher said con centrating on school work and basketball at the same time ah became difficult. Stark said it is common for athletes to lose focus in all areas of their life after hitting the wall. “Their energy levels are gone, and they feel tired all the time,” Stark said. “You can spot the people who suffer from fatigue. They’ve got circles under $hi§iy eyes, $nd they usually walk very slow.' If¥fbugh on them.” While 5 to 10 percent of all ath letes suffer from hitting the wall every season. Stark said certain ath letes are more mentally susceptible. Head games Various stresses in life are the J biggest determinants to which || athletes will hit the wall, Stark || said. Freshmen are often the easi- B est targets to experience rapid V| fatigue in competition or in the 1 season. * Nebraska Men's and Women’s Cross Country Coach Jay Dirksen said he's seen the effect on freshmen who are learning to make the jump from high school to college. “In high school, Mom cooked and did the laundry,” Dirksen said. “There weren't a lot of things that caused stress. Now they have to worry about bedtime, girls, harder classes and tougher competition.” NU freshman forward Chad Johnson said entering college was a physical as well as mental strain. “In high school, you’re not walk ing a mile to class like you are in col lege,” Johnson said. “That takes a toll on your legs” Problems outside athletics also have a direct effect on mental stami na, Stark said. Good and bad relation ships with friends and family are one of the most important factors in deter mining which athletes will hit the wall. Junior high jumper Shane Lavy said a personal relationship severely affected his performance his fresh man season. Lavy was jumping 7 feet 5 inches, among the best in the nation, during the 1996 outdoor season - before ins girlfriend broke off their engagement After that incident. Lavy jumped only 6 feet 11 inches at the NCA \ Championships had mt gome ibr nv. C 1 a'. - tive after that.” Stark also said that per f e c - t i o n - ists - people who con st a n t 1 y want to impress their coaches and fellow teammates - get burned out trying to stay on top. “Anybody who does a lot of wor rying has a good chance to hit the wall in sports," Stark said. “People who are constantly trying to please their teammates, their coaches and the fans can have the pressure mount up pretty quickly." But there are ways to prevent hit ting the wail and overcoming it for ali athletes, regardless of their personal situation. Breaking through the wall Stark said the rrecention starts better food- and ier .• n r unnn. pan a'-.- .a -. i \. . : die me -r Another key to helping athletes, especially perfectionists, is to teach them how to deal with the pressures of balancing school and athletics. Stark said. "We tell them just to let things go,” Stark said. “It does them no good to keep holding on to the things they are worried about, whether it is school-related or it deals with then sport” Once an athlete has hit the wall, it's easier for them to learn to battle it. Freshman All-American distance runner Jeroen Broekzitter said he hit me wall whiie cycling, which pre
