When all eyes are watching you

Focuses on the impact of public attention on the performance of athletes in sports that demand skill. Advantage of self-awareness for self-conscious golfers and skaters.

By Peter Doskoch, Samantha Nicosia, published on December 01, 1996

Talk about coming through in the clutch. With thousands watching in thestands and a billion of us glued to our TV sets, Kerri Strug nailed her final vault to assure the U.S. women's Olympic gymnastics team a gold medal last July. That she did so while injured is impressive. But what makes her feat even more admirable is that gymnastics is one sport where athletes often choke under the pressure of public scrutiny.

According to psychologist Roy Baumeister, Ph.D., of Case Western Reserve University, most athletic endeavors fall into one of two categories: sports of effort, like swimming and running, and those of skill, like gymnastics and figure skating. While spectators tend to inspire athletes in sports where exertion predominates, Baumeister says they are more likely to undermine performance in sports demanding dexterity

"Skill events require automatic execution," Baumeister explains. "But public scrutiny makes athletes pay attention to what they're doing. And that may cause them to choke under pressure."

Surprisingly, self-conscious skaters and golfers are more likely than their self-possessed peers to perform well in front of a crowd. The reason: they're used to being scrutinized--by themselves. "Pressure makes them more self-aware, but it's nothing new for them," Baumeister says.

But even the most excitable jocks among us can learn to stay cool when all eyes are watching. Practicing in front of an audience or a video camera helps. Then, when the game begins, Baumeister suggests focusing on an opponent or another external cue: "Concentrate on the ski slope, the ball--anything other than yourself."

PHOTO (COLOR): Despite an Olympic-sized audience watching her every axel, Oksana Baiul skate her way to a gold medal in 1994.