Rising graduate student takes on mental performance coaching with FC Cincinnati
Addy Lancaster pursues a future in Sports Psychology as the first SLAM intern to join the professional soccer club
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Published
Miami graduate student Addy Lancaster in one of FC Cincinnati's training facilities
Rising graduate student takes on mental performance coaching with FC Cincinnati
•
Published
Even the all-time greats must start somewhere, and in sport, it’s not just the players.
Both on and off the field, it’s also the coaches, trainers, and performance specialists who can lay the foundation for greatness by pushing athletes, and themselves to master their craft.
Addy Lancaster, a Miami master’s degree student in a Sport Leadership and Management (SLAM), with a concentration in Sport Psychology, is now among the future professionals helping the next generation of soccer athletes become aspiring superstars as an intern for FC Cincinnati.
This spring, Lancaster joined the organization’s mental performance team to work with FC Cincinnati’s Youth Academy, which is part of Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Next leagues and one the top divisions of youth soccer in the country. In this role, she’ll be working with David da Silva, the lead mental performance coach for FC Cincinnati, who also works with the club’s first and second teams.
“It's really exciting to meet different athletes and know that I'm going to be able to contribute to their mental performance,” Lancaster said. "Being a graduate student here at Miami has helped me tremendously in learning more about the field of Sport Psychology. Now, getting this internship and working alongside David is a great opportunity for me to apply my knowledge and continue to grow as a professional in the field."
Lancaster secured the internship after an extremely competitive search, which began after da Silva contacted Miami because of the SLAM department’s highly regarded national reputation.
“Addy has been a great addition to our team,” da Silva said. “She has shown tremendous passion and a will to start positive initiatives that will positively enhance our academy teams this season.”
As a FC Cincinnati mental performance intern, Lancaster will assist with psychological skills training, group training sessions, collaborations with coaches, practice observations, and individual athlete consultation sessions.
Over the last several years, this emphasis on the mental aspects of performance has seen a meteoric rise across the entire sport industry.
Today, more organizations understand that “the mind can be a great strength and a big weakness,” da Silva said. Therefore, many top coaches and athletes are embracing the performance-boosting power of various sport psychology techniques such as goal-setting, visualization, focus and concentration, and stress management.
These are also the specialized areas that Lancaster has already demonstrated a profound aptitude for during her time at Miami.
“Sport and performance psychology consulting involves science and art,” said SLAM professor Robin Vealey. “Addy is a strong student and researcher, who excels in class. But just as importantly, Addy shows the ability and the work ethic to take evidence-based concepts and package them into practical mental training activities and strategies for athletes. She has a knack for this kind of work, and she takes no shortcuts.”
Lancaster is the first Miami student to receive this opportunity with FC Cincinnati, and it’s also the kind of work she plans to continue after graduation.
“I really enjoy doing the applied side of Sports Psychology, so this internship is a tremendous opportunity,” she said. “Because it's where I want to be. It's what I want to do. I want to continue doing mental skills training by working directly with athletes. It's very, very exciting to be doing this work in the field.”
Both on and off the field, it’s also the coaches, trainers, and performance specialists who can lay the foundation for greatness by pushing athletes, and themselves to master their craft.
Addy Lancaster, a Miami master’s degree student in a Sport Leadership and Management (SLAM), with a concentration in Sport Psychology, is now among the future professionals helping the next generation of soccer athletes become aspiring superstars as an intern for FC Cincinnati.
This spring, Lancaster joined the organization’s mental performance team to work with FC Cincinnati’s Youth Academy, which is part of Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Next leagues and one the top divisions of youth soccer in the country. In this role, she’ll be working with David da Silva, the lead mental performance coach for FC Cincinnati, who also works with the club’s first and second teams.
“It's really exciting to meet different athletes and know that I'm going to be able to contribute to their mental performance,” Lancaster said. "Being a graduate student here at Miami has helped me tremendously in learning more about the field of Sport Psychology. Now, getting this internship and working alongside David is a great opportunity for me to apply my knowledge and continue to grow as a professional in the field."
Lancaster secured the internship after an extremely competitive search, which began after da Silva contacted Miami because of the SLAM department’s highly regarded national reputation.
“Addy has been a great addition to our team,” da Silva said. “She has shown tremendous passion and a will to start positive initiatives that will positively enhance our academy teams this season.”
As a FC Cincinnati mental performance intern, Lancaster will assist with psychological skills training, group training sessions, collaborations with coaches, practice observations, and individual athlete consultation sessions.
Over the last several years, this emphasis on the mental aspects of performance has seen a meteoric rise across the entire sport industry.
Today, more organizations understand that “the mind can be a great strength and a big weakness,” da Silva said. Therefore, many top coaches and athletes are embracing the performance-boosting power of various sport psychology techniques such as goal-setting, visualization, focus and concentration, and stress management.
These are also the specialized areas that Lancaster has already demonstrated a profound aptitude for during her time at Miami.
“Sport and performance psychology consulting involves science and art,” said SLAM professor Robin Vealey. “Addy is a strong student and researcher, who excels in class. But just as importantly, Addy shows the ability and the work ethic to take evidence-based concepts and package them into practical mental training activities and strategies for athletes. She has a knack for this kind of work, and she takes no shortcuts.”
Lancaster is the first Miami student to receive this opportunity with FC Cincinnati, and it’s also the kind of work she plans to continue after graduation.
“I really enjoy doing the applied side of Sports Psychology, so this internship is a tremendous opportunity,” she said. “Because it's where I want to be. It's what I want to do. I want to continue doing mental skills training by working directly with athletes. It's very, very exciting to be doing this work in the field.”
Established in 1809, Miami University is located in Oxford, Ohio, with regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown, a learning center in West Chester, and a European study center in Luxembourg. Interested in learning more about the Department of Sport Leadership and Management? Visit their website for more information.
