Olympics: Mind games with the Web for NZ athletes

By PETER JESSUP

New Zealand athletes heading around the globe for pre-Olympic training and competition will be linked via the Web from next week as the national team's psychological support team surfs into action.

The Internet connection will allow members of the team to share information on nutrition, training techniques and specific areas where performance gains can be made, as well as offer experience on everything from repair of injuries to motivation.

The team members will meet only for the few days before the Sydney Olympics and will then follow separate routines and competition schedules throughout the city.

The Web site will also include a chat-line so they can get to know each other in advance, building a team culture.

The Web site is part of the work of Massey University lecturer and Olympic team psychologist Gary Hermansson.

Among his work at the Olympics will be helping the athletes to deal with the pressure of their own expectation and that of their family and friends, the pressure from the media and the effects of success or loss.

Some competitors will be retiring after Sydney and need help coming to terms with that, while others will need geeing-up for their next competition.

Hermansson described his job at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur as "like two weeks on a school camp - very demanding and tiring."

Among the problems that arose were conflict between coaches and managers, problems athletes had with coaches or with each other, old relationship dramas and performance anxiety.

For some, diet was a problem, not helped by the temptation of a continuous supply of free ice creams laid on by a sponsor.