Mental Performance Coach: Gianine Craw, M.S., MGCP
Hi, I’m Gianine Paoletta Craw. I’m a Mental Game Coaching Professional (MGCP) who teaches athletes and coaches mental skills so that they can reach their potential.
Aside from my family, I love figure skating, coaching and psychology. I studied psychology in college and went on to get my Masters and 6th Year Professional Diploma in School Psychology and became a school psychologist. I began coaching in college.
Since then, I have learned and continue to learn that there is an art and science to being an effective coach. It’s not only about the technical and tactical knowledge, it’s also about understanding human development, communication skills, motivational theory, learning theory and mental skills, to name a few.
Many of these skills were a part of my school psychology training, so I had a good foundation, but always yearned to learn more. I apprenticed with Master Rated coaches, attended workshops, seminars and took various university courses. After several years of dedicated study, I became a PSA Master Rated Coach.
Yet, I always had a fascination for learning more about the mental game. I had many unanswered questions from my days as an athlete that fueled my passion. It was personal.
When I skated, I struggled with my nerves. Competition wasn’t fun; it was terrifying. I had no clue how to deal with the butterflies in my stomach, shaky legs, ruminations about landing jumps, fear of failure, lack of confidence, comparing myself to others and this aching need to be perfect.
My coaches never brought it up and I didn’t know where to begin. I felt lost. I watched other skaters and I wondered what they had that I didn’t. I wished I could look into their minds and see how it worked. How could they skate so confidently in competition while my best performances were left in practice? I figured you were either blessed with mental toughness or you weren’t, and I wasn’t.
My mom saw my struggle and introduced me to the Norman Vincent Peale book, “The Power of Positive Thinking.” While I can’t say the book turned my mind around, I can say it planted a seed. A mustard seed of hope.
The thing about seeds is you just never know when that seed will find fertile soil. For me that mustard seed started growing early in my coaching career. I wanted to do more than teach the technical aspects of our sport.
My passion for sports psychology enabled me to weave concepts into my coaching to prepare my athletes for their pressure-packed moments. As time went on, I realized these tools were not just for those moments in the spotlight, but for all moments, and they are not just sport related.
I began finding ways to help my students practice better, to encourage more effective thinking, to set goals, to identify and quiet their inner critic and so much more. I also included mental skills training when I coached my theater on ice team for 13 years. I loved having a team and relished the opportunities to inspire young skaters to strive for something bigger than themselves.
This experience pushed me out of my comfort zone and I am so happy I took the chance. I would love to help others move from their comfort zone, whether as an athlete or coach.
Mental skills training is so important for our athletes to reach their potential. I want to equip our youth with these skills as they are developing their technical sports skills and before an unproductive or negative mindset takes root.
To further this goal, in 2020, I became certified as a Mental Game Coaching Professional through Peak Performance Sports, under the mentorship of Dr. Patrick Cohn. He was a student of Dr. Ken Ravizza and Dr. Bob Rotella, both giants in the field of sport psychology.
I now know what those other skaters had that I didn’t have, and it wasn’t something they were born with. Confidence, focus and composure are mental skills we can learn, and I want to share that knowledge with coaches, athletes and parents. Mental skills are not reserved for the elite; these are skills for everyone in pursuit of a goal or dream, no matter how big or small.
Let me help you develop your Inner Edge so you can reach your goals. When you play big, you raise the bar for everyone and we all win.
Gianine Paoletta Craw M.S., MGCP
PSA Master Rated
USFS, ISI, PSA member