By Lillian Pham | Cosby High School, VA
While it’s easy to feel overwhelmed the morning of your competition, here are some tried-and-true tips to set you up for success.
1. Get plenty of sleep.
One of the most important factors to excelling at your event is actually dictated by the night before: namely, the quality of sleep you get. Sleep deprivation slows reaction time - critical for answering judge questions - and reduces creative problem-solving, which may harm your chances of being a standout competitor.
Judges meet with many students, so the ability to create a unique, well-thought-out solution is crucial to stand out from everyone else. Furthermore, an important component of the judge’s impression of you is your body language and delivery; getting enough sleep and having the energy to deliver your solutions with passion and articulation, instead of fatigue, will reflect positively on your score. Hence, aim to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep the night before your event to ensure alertness and optimal cognitive function.
2. Eat a nutritious breakfast.
While tempting, a chocolate chip muffin isn’t an ideal breakfast for your big day. High sugar foods will spike your blood sugar and leave you feeling tired and foggy-headed. Not eating can be just as detrimental, as your body and brain need the proper nutrition and glucose to function at their best.
In comparison, eating a healthy, well-balanced meal before your competition will ensure you have the energy to think quickly and stay alert. The perfect breakfast will vary significantly based on preferences, but it’s best to fuel up with foods rich in protein and carbs like eggs, oats, and yogurt - and remember to stay hydrated as well.
3. Get there early.
On a day that is already plenty stressful, the last thing you would want is to have to rush - or worse, to be late for your event. Arriving at your competition location an hour to an hour and a half before your event will give you enough time to figure out where you need to go, with some wiggle room in case transportation issues arise.
4. Relax.
Since your confidence and delivery are major components to how your solutions are received, being overly anxious might impact your score since judges will pick up on things like your body language and use it to determine their impression of you and your solution.
While competition day is understandably stressful, there are some small things you can do to help alleviate some of that anxiety.
- Bring a water bottle with ice: Drinking cold water or holding ice provides a sensory shock that distracts your brain from anxiety.
- Control your breathing: Deep inhales and slow exhales, which are longer than your inhales, signal to your brain that you're safe
- Monitor physical reactions: Body tension and rapid speech are normal when your nervous system enters fight-or-flight mode in stressful situations. To combat these reactions and calm your nervous system, consciously relax your muscles and slow your speech if you notice nervousness.
- Smile and "fake it 'til you make it:" Smiling tells your brain to release happy chemicals - yay! Acting confident, even when you don't feel it, tricks your body into believing your act and helps you let go of some stress.
Follow these tips and remind yourself that you’ve done all the preparation you can do; now it's time to have some confidence in yourself and nail that competition.
