Ask Me Anything! with Sam Cary #3

Every Monday on our Instagram story, we ask our Socceristas to submit questions to our content creator Sam Cary. Sam is a senior at the University of Iowa, where she is on the women’s soccer team. She is a Big Ten Champion, the team captain, and a 4x Academic All-Big Ten Honoree. Here are her responses to three of the questions you submitted. So check out the Instagram story every Monday to submit your questions to next week’s Ask Me Anything!

Q: How do you calm down before big games?

A: My biggest advice before big games is routine! I treat every game the same way, whether it is the Big Ten Championship or a preseason scrimmage. This helps my mind and body feel confident in everything I do, and it helps prevent me from getting too worked up before an especially big game. 

At Iowa, we constantly talk about the “3 phases” before a game: the red, the blue, and the green. The blue phase is when you are at your most calm. This is when you may take your pregame nap or be in a daze. You are super relaxed and not thinking much about the game. 

I hit my red phase on the way to the game and in the locker room. This is when I am hyped, I am dancing, and my blood is rushing a bit faster. This phase is crucial for me to get my heart into the game and have fun with my teammates, but I can’t play composed in this phase.

Finally, I hit the green during warmups and right before the whistle. This is cool, collected, and confident. I know the mission of the game, and I see my success, but I am not “too hot” or “too cold.” This is my “go” zone.

By learning how to feel confident in these zones, I know my body and head are in the right spot to play my best, no matter the game.  

Q: How do you stay motivated?

A: Listen, the first thing I really want to make clear is that there will be days when you are not feeling excited to go to practice. There will be days when you have to miss a big event, wake up super early for practice, or aren’t performing well. On those days, it’s hard to find motivation. However, I like to view those days as days of reflection.

One of the biggest things I think is essential to know is “your why.” This is why you play soccer, why you love the game, why you love dripping with sweat or playing in the freezing cold. Once you figure out your “why,” waking up on those days is much easier.

For me, I love the four-year-old girl that fell in love with soccer. I love the joy she had in playing the game and the dream she had of playing college soccer. I love my family, who have sacrificed so much for me to be where I am and are my biggest cheerleaders, and I love my teammates, who are my family and want me to be the best I can be.

On days when I struggle with motivation, I think of them, and I play for them. Connecting with my “why” has helped me whenever I am struggling and given me that extra push to make the last sprint or do the last rep. It all comes down to fully knowing why you do what you do and embracing that.

Q: How do you get through preseason conditioning?

A: Preseason can be tough. There is no question about that. However, there are many ways to get through preseason conditioning. The first connects to the motivation question above: know your “why.” This can change each season, but having a clear idea of what you are conditioning for and what you hope to do in the coming season will help you get the motivation to do the tough runs.

There are many times when I say in my head, “this rep is the 90th-minute spring for a championship,” or “this set is to beat our rival.” Putting stakes on my runs helps me to visualize success and want to do the run.

Another crucial thing is your self-talk and your body language. If you are letting yourself think this workout is hard and you can’t do it, then you simply won’t. No one is forcing you to do the runs, and you are often out there on your own. This means you are the only one accountable for what you do.

You need a strong mentality and positive self-talk to get through these moments. I firmly believe times like this make the difference come post-season. Constantly in my head, I am saying, “you got this, you are fast, you are strong, and you are a champion.” This convinces my body that I can do anything and I can grind out those hard reps.

Between knowing your why and positive self-talk, nothing will get in your way during the “dog days” of summer. So embrace these days because you will be thanking them later in the season.

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