The Most Important Play Is the Next Play: Helping Young Athletes Bounce Back | Richie Contartesi
Host Valerie Alston welcomes former college football player Richie Contartesi to discuss helping young athletes respond to mistakes, setbacks, and disappointment with a “next play” mindset. Richie shares his journey from being an undersized, overlooked high school athlete to earning an FCS scholarship, transferring to Ole Miss, walking on, and eventually earning a full-ride scholarship, emphasizing the importance of marketing yourself to coaches. He explains how a coach taught him that the most important play is always the next one, and how he and his parents reinforced it with three action questions: what will you do, how will you do it, and when will you do it by. Valerie closes with discussion rules, four reflection questions for parents and athletes, and a free mental skills assessment offer.
00:00 Mistakes And Setbacks
00:20 Meet Richie And The Lesson
01:48 Recruiting Struggles And Breakthrough
03:56 Next Play Mindset
07:11 Parents As Support System
09:19 Where To Find Richie
09:36 Host Wrap Up Key Takeaways
10:28 Car Ride Questions Rules
11:06 Guided Questions For Families
13:37 Final Takeaway And Next Episode
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