With the clock winding down to half time during the district final, the Colts football team was fending off the 8-2 Vashon Wolverines. So far the game was tied 7-7, however, coach Ryan King called on three year varsity kicker and four year varsity punter Connor Lander.
“There were three seconds left in the second half and we went out to try a field goal to put us up by three going into halftime. And I knew that these were pretty important points. Being up an entire score, that’s pretty good,” Lander said.
As Lander took the field, the pressure mounted. But the field goal ultimately went through.
“I went out there, they took a timeout, trying to ice me, the nerves started. But, we made the field goal and it was a great operation. It was awesome to see it go through,” Lander said.
Thanks to Lander’s field goal, the Colts eventually used that momentum to win the game, scoring a second touchdown in the third. Overcoming the Wolverines 17-7. Needless to say, it was a big moment for Lander, but he wasn’t always good under pressure.
“My entire freshman punting season was rough for me, I was stressed and really just didn’t know how to handle pressure. I thought everyone was so big and I would be shaking back there. Ultimately, I would just never get good punts just because I was so nervous and wasn’t confident myself,” Lander said.
Parkway Central is full of different pressures students must navigate on their day-day. One of the most prominent stressors is Central’s strong academics, something that Counselor Priscilla Greenwood notices.
“A lot of students place immense value on getting the highest GPA possible and taking as many honors and AP classes as they can in high school. While for some students this is doable and they are able to find balance, while also thriving in rigorous classes, it can be too much for some students,” Greenwood said.
Junior Amir Esmaeeli performs well in an academic environment, taking a collection of nine honors classes and eight AP classes thus far in his high school career. Esmaeeli has maintained an A+ average. Esmaeeli claims that the key to success in the classroom is taking a more day by day approach
“Take it assignment by assignment, test by test. If you challenge yourself like that, and then if you work hard, you can succeed academically,” Esmaeeli said.
Along with academic and athletic pressure, Central students also face pressure in their extracurriculars. Senior Stage Manager, Rachel Land, has been involved with the theater program for all four years and attributes her success under pressure to that dedication.
“I just have a lot of practice with it. Honestly, I think pressure is something that the more you experience it, the better you’ll adapt to be able to get through it. I just have four years of experience behind me that a lot of people don’t,” Land said.
Despite experience being an important key to thriving under pressure, having a balance is also vital.
“I would recommend having a hobby, to take your mind off of just that sport and not having that one sport take over your entire life,” Lander said.
Esmaeeli also echoes this on the academic side.
“Another key thing is doing things outside of school that fuel your motivation and fuel your love. Don’t just take a rigorous course load because that can wear you out. You want to be involved in activities,clubs, and extracurriculars, stuff outside of school can give you more balance rather than just doing schoolwork,” Esmaeeli said.
Another key to having success performing under pressure is the social environment.
“It’s really important to have other people working with you who can take on some of that load,” Land said.
Pressure can already be a lot on its own, nevertheless in a high ranking position.
“There’s a lot of pressure because I’m not just a leader, but I’m a leader among my peers. So me as a senior is having to tell a bunch of other seniors and juniors, that I’m friends with outside of school and outside of the department, what to do, and just having to expect that they can trust me as a leader,” Land said.
When dealing with pressure it is also important to not over apply it; AP psychology teacher Brad Robertson supports this notion.
“Think of it like holding a cup of water. If you hold a cup of water for a minute. Not too bad. If you hold a cup of water for a day it becomes worse and a week it becomes far worse. That’s exactly what’s happening with pressures. We apply it to ourselves and it builds and mounts over time and our body becomes less capable of fighting against it,” Robertson said.
Regardless of the countless strategies available to students to perform better under pressure, sometimes it’s best just to take a step back.
“Breathe – specifically taking several deep breaths. Find something that helps ground you in the moment (music, deep breathing, talking to someone, get outside) and don’t be too hard on yourself! Look for the good and focus on the positive rather than dwelling on the negative. Celebrate the little things,” Greenwood said.
