"The good news is that there is still room to grow."
Three weeks after the Canada East Regional, and six weeks away from the Games, Michele Letendre is looking forward with controlled anticipation. The top finisher from Canada East is back to training. Bolstered by her Regional experience, she’s continuing to find new ways to grow, and focusing on being physically prepared and mentally composed for California.
After Regionals, Letendre took a few days rest, and slowly started to build her volume up to Games level. It has been tough, but that alone serves as an important indicator for Letendre. “The good news is that there is still room to grow.”
She isn’t done improving.
The thrill of the Regional competition has not dulled for Letendre. It continues to motivate. “The organization was great, the volunteers and judges were top notch this year, and the crowd was electric,” she says. “It still makes me smile uncontrollably when I think about it. We saw some amazing features by the women, men and teams, all with the goal of bettering ourselves as athletes. How can you not be inspired by that?”
While still in awe of those around her at Regionals, Letendre has taken the time to reflect on what the event could teach her about her own process. She discovered her training paid off; she was both mentally and physically prepared. “I felt physically prepared and mentally composed,” she says. “In essence I was able to gain some confidence in my abilities.”
Her performance in Event 3 helped. “I definitely didn’t think I was able to pull off a win on that event, considering how my shoulder felt. It’s amazing how the competitive environment makes you forget certain things … like pain!”
Armed with a new appreciation for her capabilities, and a rehabilitated shoulder, Letendre is setting her sights on the Games. She is returning to the state of composure and confidence she had at Regionals. “I’m simply focusing on keeping my conditioning up and working on some specific weaknesses as skill sets,” Letendre explains. “I have to clean up my schedule and make sure I have enough time to recover between training sessions.”
Just as with her experience with Regionals, she’s also excited. New athletes to the Games are posting impressive numbers, and she is looking forward to seeing how the Games veterans have improved since last year. “This year will no doubt be very competitive. I’m looking forward to it.”
This feeling is different from last year, where she placed 25th. “Last year, I was so scared to screw up that I wasn’t able to take it all in,” she says.
The awareness of her physical and mental capabilities means she is more comfortable heading into the Games, but getting there has taken practice. “I’m just trying to stay calm when I have a bad day and stay positive. Just because there are a couple of bad days doesn’t mean that I’m regressing,” she says.
Like her physical training, she will carry this mental practice with her to the Games. “The idea here is to have fun and enjoy the opportunity to compete against the top women in the world. I’ve done the work all year to perform well. Now I just have to go and not stop once I hear ‘3, 2, 1 … Go!’”
While there is little question that Letendre is physically capable, her outlook means she’ll be enjoying every second of her Games experience. Great things can happen at the intersection.
