| > | | | | VISUALIZATION |
| Interview with a former skateboard champion | | | | AW: Did you have a pre-event psych-up routine? |
| Interview with Per Welinder | | | | PER: About 2-3 weeks before an event I would really |
| Former Free Skating World Champion | | | | start working on skating timed contest runs to the |
| MOTIVATION | | | | music I selected for that competition. On the actual day |
| ATHLETE WHISPERER: Your backgroundhow old | | | | of the event I would warm-up in the arena. I would |
| were you when you got involved in the sport | | | | then go to a quiet area and rehearse the entire routine |
| seriously? What was your goal? Where did it lead | | | | in my head numerous times. |
| you? | | | | SKATING AS IF. . . |
| PER: I had no real goals at the beginning, just a burning | | | | |
| desire to learn how to skate and do new tricks. At | | | | AW: Who were your skating heroes? |
| first, it lead me from the suburbs of Stockholm, | | | | PER: Skating with guys like Steve Rocco, Rodney |
| Sweden, to the center of the city where there were | | | | Mullen, Hazze Lindgren, Bob Schmeltzer, Don Brown, |
| skate shops and occasional demos by U.S. pros like | | | | and Pierre Andre Seniserguez inspired me. |
| Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta. Then it lead to trips to | | | | |
| Paris and other European destinations for competitions. | | | | MENTAL GAME |
| Winning lead me to a more goal-like mind-set. I wanted | | | | |
| to go to southern California, the Mecca of | | | | AW: Did you use mental game techniques? |
| skateboarding. I wanted to compete against the best. I | | | | PER: I would prepare using visualization. I would also |
| loved the skating opportunities, the weather, and the | | | | use it to imagine new tricks. I would imagine the trick in |
| girls. | | | | slow motion, real time, and speeded up. All can be |
| Today, I live with my wife and two sons in | | | | helpful to grasp how you would go about pulling off the |
| southern California, and run my skateboard company. | | | | trick. |
| DISTRACTIONS | | | | AW: How did you deal with disappointments? |
| AW: What or Who were your stumbling blocks along | | | | PER: Mull it over for a day or two. I would use it to |
| the way? Were you encouraged and supported or | | | | push harder, skate more often, skate faster, and try |
| discouraged? | | | | more tricks. |
| PER: Rain and cold Swedish winters reduced the | | | | LESSONS LEARNED |
| opportunities to skate outside. I was fortunate and was | | | | AW: What are you doing now? Does your sport |
| allowed to skate and do stationary tricks on a carpet | | | | experience help you in business? In life? |
| in the living room. Also, when the weather was bad | | | | PER: In business, I really enjoy pushing for new |
| we would go to into Stockholm and find the least busy | | | | products and new designs. That has carried over from |
| subway stations deep underground and skate for | | | | the competitive skating days. And dealing with |
| hours between the trains stopping. Those were very | | | | disappointments is similar too. I don’t dwell on |
| memorable days. My mother was supportive but my | | | | business disappointments; rather I try to learn from |
| dad had reservations for many years about me | | | | them. I hope that transfers into satisfied customers. |
| spending so much time o the skateboard. | | | | |