Jeremy Powers (Rapha-Focus/Aspire Racing) entered the first World Cup race held in North America with the realistic goal of a top five finish. If all went right and the stars aligned, his team thought a CrossVegas podium spot was possible, but top 5? That was something well within his reach.
In a stacked field with only two of the top 20 in the world missing, that goal may have been realistic, but it was by no means an easy one to achieve.
In the end, Powers finished sixth. He was in a group with Lars van der Haar and Kevin Pauwels, the last two winners of the World Cup title, racing for fourth.
As you will see in the interview posted below, Powers is disappointed. But he’s able to step back from that disappointment and take in the bigger picture: that sixth place is his best finish in a World Cup event and he belongs in the group at the front of these races. No longer satisfied with “just” being on the front row of World Cup races and ranked in the top 10, the goal now for Powers is world class results.
From a sports psychology standpoint, the interview is instructive. Be hard on yourself but stay positive. Even when you don’t meet your goals, look at what went well, know that you are moving in the right direction, take in the big picture and continue to work on improving everything else.
Finally, as you will see in the way the video is edited, there are no questions asked. There are some racers we talk to who need to be led through a conversation to make the interview informative. For Powers, your first question can be something along the lines of “Jeremy, now a good time to talk?” and then five minutes later after maybe asking one or two small follow-up questions, you say “thank you,” knowing you’ve gotten everything you need and all of it is on point.
Thanks for watching and please check out all of Bruce Buckley’s photography at www.brucebuckleyphotography.com.
