With respect to the present sample of young TOPs gymnasts, it is important to note that this age and level of competitor had no trouble indicating what made her nervous in gymnastics. The major sources of stress among members of our TOPs National Team were performing the necessary skills, fear of evaluation and the experience of competition. Drawing from these findings, coaches would be wise to employ strategies which enhance young gymnasts' self confidence in regard to skill execution. To counter the anxiety associated with meets, simulated competitions should be incorporated into training. Further, imagery can be used to help gymnasts become more familiar with the demands of a particular competitive situation.
Athletes also vary in how they manifest stress.
To date in this research on members of our TOPs National Team, we have seen that young, elite gymnasts could define and distinguish stress and relaxation and readily provide information concerning what causes the former. Developing effective interventions to counter anxiety entails that we also know how this age group experiences stress. An examination of the psychological and physiological manifestations of stress among TOPs National Team Members is the focus of the next article in this series. An exploratory study on sources of stress and athlete burnout in youth golf. Sources of stress in national champion figure skaters.