Auroras Mindset Pack
A Mental Skills Companion for the 2025 World Championships
Introduction
— Another one for me. For the next 13 weeks ..
This pack is a reflection drawn from across our training and shared experience — the rhythms, learnings, and quiet moments that shape a campaign. It's written not as a manual, but as a companion. A way to hold the mindset steady through every stage of this World Championships journey.
It comes from an experienced and deeply grateful paddler — grateful for the teams that have surrounded, the leaders who’ve guided, and the many hands and hearts that have supported along the way — from family and friends to the current Head and Team coaches, managers, squad and team mates who’ve made this campaign possible. Of course, you’ll have your own reflections, thoughts, and cues. This is just one paddler’s take — and hopefully it might help you shape your own.
If it helps you steady your nerves, focus your intent, or simply remember you’re not doing this alone — then it’s done its job.
Table of Contents
The Weeks Before Camp 3: Building Capacity and Flow
Camp 3 – Mid-June: Locking In the Mindset
The Final Weeks: Sharpening, Not Overreaching
On the Plane: Trust the Work
At the Hotel: Stay Grounded
Training Days in Germany: Mindset Reps Count
Bus Ride to the Course: Arrive With Purpose
Race Morning: Refocus is a Skill
On the Start Line: Own the Moment
During the Race: Stay Inside the Moment
After the Race: Let It Land
Between Races: Let Go, Reset, Refocus
Bus Ride Back: Let the Day Land
Regatta End & After Party: Celebrate with Presence
Last Morning at the Hotel: Share, Reflect, Connect
Post Race Adventures Ahead: Step Into What Comes Next
The Flight Home: Let the Learning Land
The Days After: Return Home with Awareness
Returning Home: Fill the Space With Care
After It’s All Done: Hold the Lessons
The Weeks Before Camp 3: Building Capacity and Flow
"Belief begins when you realise you've already started becoming the athlete you want to be."
In the two weeks before Camp 3, we build capacity — physically and mentally. This is the bridge from thought to flow, where training becomes instinct. Camp 3 reunites us one last time before Germany to cement that shift. We consolidate gains, embed habits, and begin to truly own our readiness.
What to focus on:
Use each session to solidify your mental skills — not just your strokes.
Trust is being built right now: between you and the crew, and between you and yourself.
Confidence grows from action. Keep showing up with purpose.
Stay connected to the team — your belief strengthens theirs.
Power Cue: Consistency is confidence.
Reflection prompts:
What kind of teammate do I want to be when it matters?
What cues have helped me reset in training?
Camp 3 – Mid-June: Locking In the Mindset
"Belief begins when you realise you've already started becoming the athlete you want to be."
As Camp 3 arrives, we move from building toward sharpening. This moment in the campaign is about consolidation — not just of physical capability, but of mental clarity. It's here we begin to own our readiness.
What to focus on:
Use each session to solidify your mental skills — not just your strokes.
Trust is being built right now: between you and the crew, and between you and yourself.
Confidence grows from action. Keep showing up with purpose.
Power Cue: Consistency is confidence.
Reflection prompts:
What kind of teammate do I want to be when it matters?
What cues have helped me reset in training?
The Final Weeks: Sharpening, Not Overreaching
"You're not trying to get fitter. You're learning to arrive readier."
The work has already been done. These final weeks aren’t about adding volume — they’re about arriving sharp, rested, and present. Let each session now become a rehearsal, not a test.
What to remember:
The heavy lifting is done. Now it’s about quality, recovery, and clarity.
Sleep, hydration, and mental calm are performance tools.
Visualisation is training. See it. Feel it. Do it.
Power Cue: Rest sharpens the edge.
Questions to sit with:
How do I want to feel stepping into the boat in Germany?
What does “ready” look like for me?
On the Plane: Trust the Work
"You don’t have to be perfect — you just have to be present."
As you settle into the long flight, take a moment to acknowledge everything you’ve already done. You’ve trained hard, built strong habits, and earned this opportunity. This is your time to settle your nervous system and mentally rehearse success.
What to reflect on during the flight:
The work is done. Trust it. Let go of 'what ifs.'
Visualise calm, clarity, and connection.
Let your mind rehearse composure, joy, and rhythm.
Power Cue: You've already earned this seat.
Journaling prompts:
What have I learned about myself this season?
What does success feel like — not just look like?
At the Hotel: Stay Grounded
"Calm is contagious. So is chaos. Choose which one you bring."
When you first arrive and settle into the hotel, it's tempting to overthink. But now more than ever, presence and composure matter. Keep your world small, your movements intentional, and your mind light.
Things to practise:
10 minutes of stillness: eyes closed, focus on breath.
Check in with teammates — connection is fuel.
Keep things simple: rest, fuel, hydrate, stretch, visualise.
Power Cue: Keep it simple. Keep it solid.
A reminder:
Energy is precious. Spend it where it counts.
Training Days in Germany: Mindset Reps Count
"Train the mind like you train the body."
These sessions are not about proving anything — they’re about embedding habits. Use them to rehearse how you want to think, respond, and reset under pressure.
Daily mental habits:
Begin with a mindset intention (e.g. calm, alert, connected).
Catch your thoughts drifting? Breathe. Reset. Recommit.
After session: score 1–10 — how present was I?
Power Cue: Today’s mindset is tomorrow’s race plan.
Cues to remember:
Let go. Reset. Refocus.
Why not me? Why not us?
Bus Ride to the Course: Arrive With Purpose
"You’ve earned the right to be here."
The journey to the course is a chance to tune in. Use the time to anchor yourself in calm energy. Let your body arrive prepared and your mind settled. You're not alone — you're arriving together.
On the bus:
Nerves are okay. Let them come, then let them pass.
Focus on the first 60 seconds of your race. Visualise rhythm.
Stay quiet if needed. Respect your teammates’ space.
Mental cues:
Steady hands. Calm heart. Ready mind.
Breathe. Be here. Let’s go.
Race Morning: Refocus is a Skill
"Pressure is just energy. Let it fuel your performance."
This is what you trained for. Race morning isn’t about perfection — it’s about being present, responsive, and trusting the work. Anchor in your role and lean into the moment.
What to practise today:
Control what you can: breath, thoughts, effort.
Use anchors: breath, hand on blade, pre-race cue.
Choose belief over doubt, every time.
Cues to call on:
Trust your team. Trust the work.
Perform — don’t overthink.
On the Start Line: Own the Moment
"You are ready. Let the race bring out your best."
As the horn nears, this is your time to step into flow. All the work, all the belief, all the preparation — it's with you now. You don’t need to do anything new — just everything you’ve practised.
Final checks:
Breath low and steady.
Eyes soft. Focus narrow.
Anchor to your race plan.
Remind yourself:
This is what we trained for.
Trust the rhythm. Trust the boat.
During the Race: Stay Inside the Moment
"There is no later. Only now."
Once the race begins, there's no room for analysis — just instinct, rhythm, and unity. The mind doesn’t lead; the body does. And the body knows what to do.
During the race:
Feel the stroke. Let rhythm guide you.
Stay inside the boat. Stay inside your role.
If doubt creeps in, breathe it out and recommit.
Anchoring cues:
One stroke. This one. Now.
Sync, drive, trust.
After the Race: Let It Land
"You gave what you had. That’s enough."
The boat slows. Your breathing is heavy. Whatever the result — win or lose — let the moment land before rushing to analysis. Hold the effort. Honour the race.
Post-race pause:
Don’t talk yet. Just breathe.
Let your heart rate settle before your thoughts do.
Acknowledge your teammates. A tap on the Back or Knee and Eye contact says more than words.
Reflection prompts:
What did we do well?
Where did I show up? What did I learn?
Between Races: Let Go, Reset, Refocus
"The best performers recover faster — not just physically but mentally."
Between races, the window is short but powerful. You have a choice — to carry frustration or to create freedom for the next performance. The best teams recover together.
Reset protocol:
Shake it off — literally. Move your body.
Reflect quickly: 1 good, 1 to shift.
Then: Let it go. You’ve got another chance.
Mini reset cue:
New race. New rhythm. Fresh mind.
Bus Ride Back: Let the Day Land
"Legacy is more than results. Who you become matters most."
Whatever happened on the course, the ride back is a moment to reflect and release. Take what matters. Leave what doesn’t. Regroup as a team with perspective and pride.
First 15 mins: Quiet is fine. Let the experience settle.
Then:
Think about what surprised you — in yourself, in the team.
Share a moment with someone. A smile, a laugh, a breath.
Carry the effort, not the outcome.
Regatta End & After Party: Celebrate with Presence
"Let joy in. It belongs to you too."
As the final race is behind you and the medals are handed out, this is your moment to celebrate — with the people who mattered, in the place where it all happened. Be present in the joy, pride, and release.
Let yourself feel it:
Smile. Laugh. Cry if you need to. This is part of the journey.
Honour your teammates: raise a glass, give a hug, share a story.
Don’t rush to the next thing. This moment counts.
Power Cue: Let joy be part of your performance.
Last Morning at the Hotel: Share, Reflect, Connect
"The race is done — the team remains."
Before heading off in different directions, the final morning together offers one last chance to pause, honour, and connect. The pressure is gone, but the meaning remains. This is your final moment to reflect together.
Morning cues:
Speak from the heart — what did this mean to you?
Make space for others — everyone had their own race.
Capture something: a shared photo, a short note, a quiet hug.
Power Cue: This is still part of the performance — the ending matters too.
Post Race Adventures Ahead: Step Into What Comes Next
"Open your heart to what’s next — you’ve earned it."
As you travel onwards into your post-regatta adventures, let the mindset you built guide you beyond racing. These journeys often hold some of the richest reflections — unexpected clarity, unplanned moments, and stories that tie your paddling life to the broader world.
New places, fresh connections, uncharted moments — greet them with the same presence, trust, and openness you brought to the boat.
A mindset for what comes next:
Be curious, not rushed.
Let wonder in — it sharpens your senses and softens your steps.
Notice how differently you move through the world now.
Power Cue: Move forward with grace. Stay open with strength.
The Flight Home: Let the Learning Land
"You arrive different than you left — take time to notice it."
As you board your flight back, the campaign begins to recede — but the learning is just beginning to settle. Let the travel time help you surface insights and carry forward meaning.
In the quiet of the plane:
Look back gently — at what worked, what surprised you.
Write a note to your future self. Capture this version of you.
Let gratitude settle where pressure once sat.
Power Cue: You’re returning with more than you left with.
The Days After: Return Home with Awareness
"What you built on the water can shape how you move through the world."
These first few days at home bring a new rhythm — not quite racing, not quite routine. It's a transitional time where the echoes of the campaign are still close, yet the pace of everyday life begins to return. The paddle is packed away, but the clarity, discipline, and belief you built remain.
Though the racing has ended, your momentum hasn't. Let yourself carry the presence and purpose you trained into this re-entry — with awareness, with care, and with heart.
In the days that follow:
Reflect without rushing — you don’t need answers yet.
Let others in: share a memory, a photo, a lesson.
Take note of how you move, think, and lead — it’s changed.
Power Cue: The race is done, but you’re still becoming.
Returning Home: Fill the Space With Care
"The campaign is done. The space it leaves deserves kindness."
Arriving home can bring with it a surprising ache — the silence after the effort, the stillness after the surge. It’s normal to feel a gap. That gap isn’t emptiness — it’s space to breathe, to reflect, and to care for what’s next.
In the quiet return:
Don’t rush to replace the campaign — let it settle.
Create gentle structure: walks, journaling, quiet reconnecting.
Give yourself grace. Transition is also a performance.
Power Cue: You don’t have to fill the space. Just tend to it.
After It’s All Done: Hold the Lessons
"Belief doesn’t end with the race — it shapes who you become next."
As the noise fades and routine returns, give space for the learnings to settle. What you built here — in belief, focus, and trust — doesn’t stay in Germany. It travels with you.
What to reflect on post-regatta:
What do I want to take with me into the next chapter?
Who did I become through this campaign?
What do I now know about pressure, trust, and joy?
Final cue to keep close:
Why not me? Why not us?
Let that belief travel with you — wherever the next boat takes you.
Author’s Note
"If you keep perspective, you’ll keep your head."
These words were written with every Aurora in mind. Whether this was your first campaign or your last, may this guide serve as a reminder of what you’ve carried, what you’ve built, and what you’re capable of. You brought your whole self — that’s what matters most.
"Belief doesn’t end with the race — it shapes who you become next."
As the noise fades and routine returns, give space for the learnings to settle. What you built here — in belief, focus, and trust — doesn’t stay in Germany. It travels with you.
What to reflect on post-regatta:
What do I want to take with me into the next chapter?
Who did I become through this campaign?
What do I now know about pressure, trust, and joy?
Final cue to keep close:
Why not me? Why not us?
Let that belief travel with you — wherever the next boat takes you.