Coping with pressure is part of high school sports experience

I don't know how these kids do it.

I don't know how high school athletes handle the enormous pressure at state tournament time.

I get nervous for them just standing on the sidelines or sitting in the stands.

For the past six weeks we have seen examples of young boys and girls thrust into the gigantic glare of the IHSA tournament spotlight.

Each week we also see examples of how they handle that pressure. It's an amazing sight.

The pressure continues this weekend with girls swimming and diving and more playoff football.

Pressure may get a bad name, but it also can bring out the best in you. In fact, if you don't feel pressure, you're probably not going to do your best.

You may be the type of athlete who's not at your best until the situation is at its worst.

There can be tremendous pressure at the high school level, particularly during the state series.

When Lee Trevino was at the top of his golf game, he talked about his days as a kid on the courses hustling for money and said, "Pressure is when you've got 35 bucks riding on a 4-foot putt and only 5 bucks in your pocket."

Charles Barkley, the former NBA star and now a TV commentator, dismisses the subject entirely, saying, "Pressure is what you put in tires."

Barkley's right about tires -- and wrong in underestimating how pressure can affect your performance.

Maybe pressure at the high school level comes from the feeling that a parent or coach expects you to always win.

Or maybe it comes from inside. Some athletes are just hard on themselves, and individual situations can add to the stress.

"Friday Night Lights," my favorite television show, did a good job last season showing how a national recruiting analyst's visit on the sidelines resulted in a poor game performance by the high school's star player.

The pressure to impress the analyst and make his national list stressed the player to the point where he couldn't seem to do anything right on the field.

Pressure creates tension, and when you're tense you want to get your event over and done with as fast as possible. The more you hurry, the worse you probably will play.

Of course, I had "butterflies" as a high school student, both in athletics and when taking a big test. It got better with each year because I was in a panic mode as a lowly freshman and gradually grew out of that over the next three years.

It was all about uncertainty as a freshman. Nothing bothered me too much as a sophomore or junior, and then the uncertainty -- college plans -- hit me as a senior. There were those butterflies again.

Just when I thought I was over the butterflies after college, they continued to return, not on a regular basis but at certain times in my life.

I get them now when I take an airplane (which is rare) or visit a doctor.

There's nothing wrong with feeling a little excited or nervous in high school sports because that helps your body and mind get ready to compete.

A little stress is OK. It keeps you on your toes. It's the body's way of rising to a challenge and preparing for a tough event with focus and strength.

You need lots of energy on that field of competition, and that means you must find a way to relax right before a game.

A few slow, deep breaths can ease pressure. Find a quiet spot.

Flex your muscle groups for a few seconds at a time and then release. Do some gentle stretches.

Visualization leading up to the game also works. Close your eyes and picture a peaceful place or visualize success in your sport.

Competition makes sports exciting. Because somebody wins and somebody loses, competition also brings pressure.

When you learn how to deal with that pressure, you've cleared a gigantic obstacle in high school.

The tension you feel and those butterflies should then go away with the excitement of the first play.