What a week!

SPORT AND EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGIST ADELE MUSCAT RECENTLY RETURNED FROM HER FIRST STINT AT THE SMALL NATIONS GAMES. INTERVIEW BY ZILLAH BUGEJA

My work incorporates both private clients and with the Malta Olympic committee, where I counsel the elite and aspirant elite. The work involves mental preparation for competition, focusing, enhancing concentration, anxiety regulation and attitude work. Other clients come in after an injury, they would have lost their confidence and fear they will injure that body part again.

Work on our attitude is essential because we Maltese tend not to believe in ourselves – we’re negative and focus on the things that are beyond our control, like the weather or the competitors.

I’m also getting a reputation for putting people to sleep easily! Yes, when I teach athletes how to relax, it does work.

I teach positive self-talk. So many people start moaning, ‘I can’t do it, it’s too much.’ I teach that everything you say to yourself, all day long, has to be positive, even when you have a puncture, you’ve got to say that it’s better than if I’d had an accident! Clients also learn to practice teaching positive self-talk to others. There is no reason to get angry about anything in life. You end up destroying yourself. In fact, my own mantra is ‘I am responsible for making myself feel good’. I’ve found that positive self-talk is a natural part of me now, and that’s how it has to be with athletes.

The way I diagnose a client is through questionnaires and by chatting. People aren’t always capable of telling you how they are feeling, there can be mental blocks.

At the Small Nations Games this year, the most significant results for me personally were from a particular judoka, from the athletes and from the shooters. It had been a long time since the shooting team had won anything at all, and now they got a gold and two silvers! The swimmers too improved considerably: they’re young and are so dedicated that they practice two hours before and after school.

The time factor was against me there. Because events were taking place simultaneously and at different venues, I physically couldn’t be everywhere at once. Often I would have like to be able to get close to the athletes, but as during shooting, when there has to be complete silence because it is such a mental sport, you just have to hope that the work will be remembered.

My job gives me a lot of personal satisfaction, one reason being that sports people can be fantastic. They have a certain energy for life, they don’t need to get drunk to have a good time. Getting a buzz out of sport makes them different in a way. Of course, sport can also destroy your body, quite literally, and it can be difficult to cope with the fact that at a certain age you’ll have to quit.

It had always been a dream of mine to compete in these games, because I’ve always been active in so many types of sport. I used to do middle distance running, until a skiing injury stopped that career. It was great to be there, walking out with the other athletes in the opening ceremony.

I’m glad I didn’t feel depressed when I came back, because it can happen, seeing as you get so emotionally involved. Last December I was involved in the Optimists international regatta and spent three days on the water, the day after I felt really down. I get on well with kids. Children, unlike adults, don’t test you at the beginning, although I guess it’s fair enough that clients do that. I like a challenge, I prefer an athlete who has a series of problems because you get to see results.

With teams, like a sailing crew, I help out with group dynamics. Tensions, the weather and even different backgrounds can get a bit too much, so I help them to open up as much as possible, and discuss the issues that are troubling them. Communication is absolutely crucial.

Children are brought in by their parents because they can’t deal with the competition, but the children themselves want to achieve so much, they want to win. They’re not working for a personal best, but an outright win.

The younger the athlete, the more they are dedicated to learning new skills and employing them. Children often have behavioural problems, being rude or aggressive. Change can take a few months, but what is fascinating is that it just seems to click. They do employ the new skills, and accept them readily. Often they’re surprised when they read a book and it says the same things I do.

My work can take the form of a counselling session, because in some case other things affect your sport, like diet, relationships, family, school work. I will do counselling only if I’m competent, otherwise I’ll refer. It’s not the first time that if I help someone deal with their attitude, they can start tackling everything, really.

There is a danger of clients becoming dependent on me, so I do have to be careful. Sometimes I get phone calls at 11pm from athletes and I might have to let go of everything to help them out, but that doesn’t happen very often.

I rarely see anyone for exercise related issues, although I’m qualified to give advice on how to set goals for fitness programmes. On those lines, I give talks in schools and clubs.

Even I find it hard to go to the gym. I try to train every day and go running as often as possible, just to keep my body toned and to feel good. Also because of my role I can’t be overweight and working with sports persons.

My friends take a lot of interest in my work and both they and my family are supportive. They’re always asking for advice on what sport to take up, but I wish they would actually do so. If we do play squash or something it tends to be hilarious.
I love socialising, yet sometimes I have to work early mornings on the weekend, so I can’t stay out that late. My job includes socialising, so that’s fine. When I’m at home and don’t find anything to do, I panic. After doing some reading or going on the Internet, I feel the need to go out.

I love my afternoon nap. Once summer comes, the dilemma becomes, beach or nap? I tend to go to a sandy beach where I can also sleep.

I lecture at university in the psychology department and in the education department. Students are often older than me, I’m 23, and I have a very relaxed approached to my lecturing. I like to include a game of sorts during lectures, because I remember how bored I used to get, maybe I’m too good to them.

There were nasty comments when I started out, that I was ‘too young – and a woman – so what could I know about their sport?’

I tend to spend all my free time doing sport. On Sunday I could have gone to the beach, instead I was at the shooting range. I love swimming, but not here at the national pool – it’s too professional for me.

Recently I’ve turned to adventure sports, doing climbing, abseiling, canoeing, mountain biking, sailing, trekking and lifesaving. It was part of the Adventure Programme 2000, really a lot of fun.

On the last day of the Games I got injured. We were celebrating on the dance floor and I just landed badly on my foot, and experienced my first ride ever in an ambulance. I got so much teasing, imagine that I was the one who came off the plane on a wheelchair.