"I didn't hear the crowd or anything" (sports psychology rule #1)– Seth Wescott, Winter Olympics, 2010

Seth Wescott, Olympic snowboard athlete, and the apparent underdog, made history yesterday when he catapulted from last place to a first place finish winning the gold. In an astounding air pass at the last moment, Wescott overtook Canada's Mike Roberts for the lead crossing the green line to victory, gold, and history. The 33 year old Wescott is the first snowboarder to achieve a repeat as an Olympic gold medalist and the only snowboardcross gold medalist in Olympic history. The only people that believed Wescott could triumph were his teammates, his parents, and Seth, himself. Everyone else had pretty much ruled him out as a contender for the gold.

"Pressure situations like this kick me into a different level of motivation," said Wescott after the race. Seth's father, Jim Wescott, said in an interview with ESPN Magazine, "When Seth has a big race, I don't talk to him all week. I think he turns his cell phone off, doesn't check his e-mail. He needs to be in his own zone"

"In the zone" is a phrase heard time and time again when top notch Olympic athletes speak to the media or public. So, what are they talking about and what are the benefits of being "in the zone"?

In the zone refers to the condition of the athlete's mind and their mental state of being before, during, and at the end of their competition or performance. They are passionate about their chosen sport or game. They are dedicated to maximum performance. They are motivated to achieve. They are focused on nothing but their game. They are confident that the end result will be success. They hold the absolute belief that they will win. The athlete who has trained their mind as well as their body sees nothing but a positive outcome.

The keys to a positive outcome and winning performance:

• DEDICATION
• PASSION
• MOTIVATION
• FOCUS
• CONFIDENCE
• SELF BELIEF

Todd Stofka, of Philly Hypnosis, has been a snow boarder, snow board coach, and trainer. He knows fully the challenges any athlete faces when going into competition. Regardless what the game, be it snowboarding, golf, or anything in between, Stofka knows an athlete's mental training can make or break the success of the outcome.

Todd Stofka, CH, HNLP, has spent years training athletes to train their minds along with their bodies Stofka has shown athletes in every arena of play how to stay motivated, focused, and confident. He developed The Stofka Method, as a safe and highly effective means to transform negative thought patterns into winning thought patterns. Winning thought patterns are critical when it's game time. Athlete's play to win and no other outcome satisfies like a win!

If your desire and passion is to be successful and win at your chosen sport, Todd can show you how to bring out your best game and be a top notch, peak performer. He can help you be where every winning athlete belongs. "IN THE ZONE".

Todd Stofka if the founder of Philly Hypnosis. Philly Hypnosis is the Philadelphia area's Premier Sports Performance Psychology  practice. http://www.phillyhypnosis.com/power-hypno-slim

Philly Hypnosis has 3 convenient locations for personal service: Doylestown Sports Psychology, King of Prussia / Main Line Sports Psychology and Philadelphia Sports Psychology