Magazine of Latin School of Chicago

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Through the Lens of Athletics: A Mental Approach to Sports

 

Join Latin’s Director of Athletics, Kirsten Richter, to learn about the mental approach to sports and how students can take these skills from basketball court to Wall Street.

TRANSCRIPT

I think athletics is such a powerful learning environment. It has the feeling of high stakes. Individuals can learn so much about themselves while also learning how to interact with their teammates.It feels high stakes. We want to win. We really want to achieve competitive excellence. But when we fall a little bit short of that, we can redouble our efforts and learn from that and get even better. A lot of times in sports will say we got to be resilient or be gritty. 100% agree. But how do we actually do that? We want the students who have learned these skills in this setting where we can take time and get better and learn and grow. And now we want that student to be able to take this forward with them when it is high stakes, high risk. Brain surgery, Wall Street trader, you name it. But they've developed this and they can use this to the benefit of their career and the benefit of those around them.

My name is Kirsten Richter, and I am the director of athletics here at Latin. The bulk of my professional background is in higher ed. I was fortunate to coach college basketball for 17-18 years. For seven years, I was an assistant at two different institutions. I spent ten years as a head coach and I got to do a lot of different administrative things and take on different administrative responsibilities, both in athletics and broader across campus, including some leadership development work.

I think athletics is such a powerful learning environment. It has the feeling of high stakes. Individuals can learn so much about themselves while also learning how to interact with their teammates. I could rattle off a whole list of things I think you can learn through competitive sports, but resiliency communication skills, giving and receiving feedback, the way in which you interact with someone, verbally, body language. There are so many nuances to it. And I think really what makes it special and unique is that it has the feeling of high stakes but with relatively low risk. So you get to practice all these skills and make mistakes and learn and do better and fail, really without too much on the line. So it feels high stakes. We want to win, we really want to achieve competitive excellence. But when we fall a little short of that, we can redouble our efforts and learn from that and get even better.

So I just think there's so much learning that can come from athletics participation. I think a big building block to the mental approach to sports, and that really fuels all that. Learning through sport is the approach outcome response cycle. So we all control how we approach a task. We don't always control the outcome, but then we always control how we respond to that outcome.

We want to win, we really want to achieve competitive excellence. But when we fall a little short of that, we can redouble our efforts and learn from that and get even better.So when you think about it through the lens of athletics, we want to think about it sort of in the smallest pieces. So not how I approach the game. Win, lose, how do I respond to winning or losing much smaller? So within a game, that cycle is happening dozens and dozens of times. So they start feeding each other. So how I approach something, the outcome doesn't go my way. Okay, now how am I going to respond? Because that's going to feed into the next approach to the next thing.

So in more tangible terms, a simple example is like a foul shot. So there's a thing called a foul shot routine. So everybody is the same thing before foul shot. That's controlling the approach outcome doesn't always go in, right? So in a big moment that's going to sting. But then what's the response? And then that feeds the next approach. So you can sort of play this out and see how this happens over and over and over. And then how a student can control that really then starts to affect their performance in a positive or negative way. And then think beyond that. I'm doing this for myself and my individual tasks. But now think about those around me. So how my approach and my response? If I'm doing that well, that's going to affect the approach and the response of the people around me.

So you start to see the team dynamics and how that's at play. And it's just a powerful concept because it can affect so much change. And I think that's important because a lot of times in sports will say how we got to be resilient or be gritty. 100% agree. But how do we actually do that, being resilient? How? So I think this is a great building block to that because this is how we can be resilient and how we can be gritty and how we can persevere. This mental approach I think has so many applications outside athletics.

So I think some of my proudest moments as a coach when I saw students really grow and learn in that mental approach, whether it was I can think of a student who sort of grew tremendously over four years and found her voice and gained confidence.Think about a student in an academic setting, the approach, how I'm studying for an exam or how I'm preparing to write a paper. The outcome. Maybe I fall a little short of my goal in that test or I didn't sort of nail that paper. How do I respond? Same concept, even smaller. Like within a class setting. I go to the board. I think I have this math problem figured out. I didn't quite get it. This happened to me all the time in high school, right? Okay, so now how do I respond? Am I embarrassed? How am I going to feel about doing the next problem? Right? There are so many applications of that. And then as students enter college and then the workforce, this certainly has applications professionally, professional, day to day setting, meetings, interactions with colleagues can go on and on. But you can see how this sort of building block of the approach outcome, response cycle can easily be put into effect in those settings as well.

And I think, again, going back to the learning environment, that's why this is such a special learning environment because as students can practice this in that setting and then 20 years from now be so well versed at it that they can take it into their professional setting. And really too, you can perform at a high level because of their ability to do this. When you're learning this in athletic setting, again, it feels high stakes, relatively low risk. So you really have the opportunity to build this and grow this skill and it translates into the workplace. So picture of student 20 years down the line now in brain surgery, super high stakes, super high risk, right? So we want the students who have learned these skills in this setting where we can take time and get better and learn and grow. And now we want that student to be able to take this forward with them when it is high stakes, high risk, brain surgery, wall street trader, you name it, but they've developed this and they can use this to the benefit of their career and the benefit of those around them.

A coach can have a profound role in teaching the mental approach to sports to students. Certainly coaches are adapted teaching sports specific skills to their students, but to really maximize students' ability to perform those skills, we want to have that parallel track of that mental approach.

So I think some of my proudest moments as a coach when I saw students really grow and learn in that mental approach, whether it was I can think of a student who sort of grew tremendously over four years and found her voice and gained confidence. And a lot of that was because of the mental approach that she developed. I can think of another student who is always confidence was not her, she was not lacking confidence, right? But it was her ability to sort of navigate team dynamics and communicate with teammates that had to grow in nuance. And she was able to do that tremendously by her senior year in the way that she knew how to sort of respond to some things one way, how to respond to something else a little bit differently, how she approach something with one teammate would be different from how she approached something with another teammate. And so much of that is just the mental approach to team dynamics in sport. And now they're young adults and they can take that with them into their professional careers. 

  • Athletics
  • Features
  • Podcast
Through the Lens of Athletics: A Mental Approach to Sports

 

Join Latin’s Director of Athletics, Kirsten Richter, to learn about the mental approach to sports and how students can take these skills from basketball court to Wall Street.

TRANSCRIPT

I think athletics is such a powerful learning environment. It has the feeling of high stakes. Individuals can learn so much about themselves while also learning how to interact with their teammates.It feels high stakes. We want to win. We really want to achieve competitive excellence. But when we fall a little bit short of that, we can redouble our efforts and learn from that and get even better. A lot of times in sports will say we got to be resilient or be gritty. 100% agree. But how do we actually do that? We want the students who have learned these skills in this setting where we can take time and get better and learn and grow. And now we want that student to be able to take this forward with them when it is high stakes, high risk. Brain surgery, Wall Street trader, you name it. But they've developed this and they can use this to the benefit of their career and the benefit of those around them.

My name is Kirsten Richter, and I am the director of athletics here at Latin. The bulk of my professional background is in higher ed. I was fortunate to coach college basketball for 17-18 years. For seven years, I was an assistant at two different institutions. I spent ten years as a head coach and I got to do a lot of different administrative things and take on different administrative responsibilities, both in athletics and broader across campus, including some leadership development work.

I think athletics is such a powerful learning environment. It has the feeling of high stakes. Individuals can learn so much about themselves while also learning how to interact with their teammates. I could rattle off a whole list of things I think you can learn through competitive sports, but resiliency communication skills, giving and receiving feedback, the way in which you interact with someone, verbally, body language. There are so many nuances to it. And I think really what makes it special and unique is that it has the feeling of high stakes but with relatively low risk. So you get to practice all these skills and make mistakes and learn and do better and fail, really without too much on the line. So it feels high stakes. We want to win, we really want to achieve competitive excellence. But when we fall a little short of that, we can redouble our efforts and learn from that and get even better.

So I just think there's so much learning that can come from athletics participation. I think a big building block to the mental approach to sports, and that really fuels all that. Learning through sport is the approach outcome response cycle. So we all control how we approach a task. We don't always control the outcome, but then we always control how we respond to that outcome.

We want to win, we really want to achieve competitive excellence. But when we fall a little short of that, we can redouble our efforts and learn from that and get even better.So when you think about it through the lens of athletics, we want to think about it sort of in the smallest pieces. So not how I approach the game. Win, lose, how do I respond to winning or losing much smaller? So within a game, that cycle is happening dozens and dozens of times. So they start feeding each other. So how I approach something, the outcome doesn't go my way. Okay, now how am I going to respond? Because that's going to feed into the next approach to the next thing.

So in more tangible terms, a simple example is like a foul shot. So there's a thing called a foul shot routine. So everybody is the same thing before foul shot. That's controlling the approach outcome doesn't always go in, right? So in a big moment that's going to sting. But then what's the response? And then that feeds the next approach. So you can sort of play this out and see how this happens over and over and over. And then how a student can control that really then starts to affect their performance in a positive or negative way. And then think beyond that. I'm doing this for myself and my individual tasks. But now think about those around me. So how my approach and my response? If I'm doing that well, that's going to affect the approach and the response of the people around me.

So you start to see the team dynamics and how that's at play. And it's just a powerful concept because it can affect so much change. And I think that's important because a lot of times in sports will say how we got to be resilient or be gritty. 100% agree. But how do we actually do that, being resilient? How? So I think this is a great building block to that because this is how we can be resilient and how we can be gritty and how we can persevere. This mental approach I think has so many applications outside athletics.

So I think some of my proudest moments as a coach when I saw students really grow and learn in that mental approach, whether it was I can think of a student who sort of grew tremendously over four years and found her voice and gained confidence.Think about a student in an academic setting, the approach, how I'm studying for an exam or how I'm preparing to write a paper. The outcome. Maybe I fall a little short of my goal in that test or I didn't sort of nail that paper. How do I respond? Same concept, even smaller. Like within a class setting. I go to the board. I think I have this math problem figured out. I didn't quite get it. This happened to me all the time in high school, right? Okay, so now how do I respond? Am I embarrassed? How am I going to feel about doing the next problem? Right? There are so many applications of that. And then as students enter college and then the workforce, this certainly has applications professionally, professional, day to day setting, meetings, interactions with colleagues can go on and on. But you can see how this sort of building block of the approach outcome, response cycle can easily be put into effect in those settings as well.

And I think, again, going back to the learning environment, that's why this is such a special learning environment because as students can practice this in that setting and then 20 years from now be so well versed at it that they can take it into their professional setting. And really too, you can perform at a high level because of their ability to do this. When you're learning this in athletic setting, again, it feels high stakes, relatively low risk. So you really have the opportunity to build this and grow this skill and it translates into the workplace. So picture of student 20 years down the line now in brain surgery, super high stakes, super high risk, right? So we want the students who have learned these skills in this setting where we can take time and get better and learn and grow. And now we want that student to be able to take this forward with them when it is high stakes, high risk, brain surgery, wall street trader, you name it, but they've developed this and they can use this to the benefit of their career and the benefit of those around them.

A coach can have a profound role in teaching the mental approach to sports to students. Certainly coaches are adapted teaching sports specific skills to their students, but to really maximize students' ability to perform those skills, we want to have that parallel track of that mental approach.

So I think some of my proudest moments as a coach when I saw students really grow and learn in that mental approach, whether it was I can think of a student who sort of grew tremendously over four years and found her voice and gained confidence. And a lot of that was because of the mental approach that she developed. I can think of another student who is always confidence was not her, she was not lacking confidence, right? But it was her ability to sort of navigate team dynamics and communicate with teammates that had to grow in nuance. And she was able to do that tremendously by her senior year in the way that she knew how to sort of respond to some things one way, how to respond to something else a little bit differently, how she approach something with one teammate would be different from how she approached something with another teammate. And so much of that is just the mental approach to team dynamics in sport. And now they're young adults and they can take that with them into their professional careers. 

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RomanAmbassador_group photo
Meet our Roman Ambassador Senior Leaders 

Our Roman Ambassadors are Upper School students who lead tours of the upper school and answer any questions prospective students and families may have about Latin. Meet a few of our senior volunteers! 

RomanAmbassador_Juliette

Juliette

  1. What school did you come from?
    I came from Latin–I have been here since JK.

  2. What are you involved in at Latin?
    My favorite part of high school has been the diverse extracurricular opportunities I’ve explored at Latin. I have served on Student Government for four years, currently led the Model Congress club, sing in 59 West A Cappella, and have played field hockey, lacrosse, and golf. I also serve on the Difficult Dialogues Council and the Roman2Roman Steering Committee, Latin's mentor program.

  3. What is your favorite part of being a Roman Ambassador?
    My favorite part of being a Roman Ambassador is how fun and natural it is for me to talk about all things Latin. Whether I’m leading tours, speaking on panels, or having genuine conversations, I love the opportunity to represent a school that has given me so much. It’s incredibly rewarding to share my passion for Latin while also welcoming new students and helping them feel at home.

  4. Why did you choose Latin?
    With two older sisters, a dad, a set of grandparents and an uncle having either graduated or been currently enrolled in Latin, I did not really have a choice.  However, for the past fourteen years, I’ve actively chosen to stay every single day. Latin is one of the most magical, welcoming, and supportive environments I’ve ever experienced. The sense of community here is unmatched, with people always ready to help you succeed. In the Upper School, I’ve been fortunate to have incredible teachers who truly know and understand me. The teacher-student relationship at Latin is uniquely special, with teachers and community members genuinely invested in your success. While I didn’t choose Latin in the beginning, I choose it every day."

RomanAmbassador_Danny

Danny

  1. What school did you come from?
    I came from Bernard Zell.

  2. What are you involved in at Latin?
    I am involved in cross-country/track, the Latin School Investment Fund, the Harvard Model Congress, and the Student Philanthropy Initiative, to name a few.

  3. What is your favorite class at Latin?
    I really enjoyed AP Physics: Mechanics. Not only were my peers and teacher in that class amazing, but I really enjoyed everything we learned about.

  4. As a senior, why would you recommend Latin?
    I would recommend Latin because it will provide you with a great community, wonderful opportunities, and moments that you will never forget. You get unrivaled attention from your teachers, who truly want you to succeed, alongside peers who are always willing to help, and it becomes a definitive formula for success.

RomanAmbassador_Myles

Myles

  1. What school did you come from?
    Bernard Zell.

  2. What are you involved in at Latin?
    The Forum, Model UN, JSC, Ultimate Frisbee, Cross Country, and the Roman Ambassadors Program.

  3. What is your advice for students applying to 9th grade?
    I would encourage incoming 9th graders to discover all of the great courses Latin offers and to take full advantage of our amazing clubs and sports teams.

  4. Why did you choose Latin?
    I chose Latin because of its unique and close-knit community that inspires genuine relationships between students and teachers that go beyond the classroom.

RomanAmbassador_Carla

Carla

  1. What school did you come from?
    St. Clement 
     
  2. What are you involved in at Latin?
    I am one of the heads of Hope Squad, a part of the Difficult Dialogues Council, and Co-leader of We Will Vote Club. I also play on the ice hockey team and played on the soccer team for my 9th and 10th grade years.
     
  3. What is your favorite class? 
    I really enjoy my Chicago Politics and American Politics class.
     
  4. As a senior why would you recommend Latin?
    I would choose Latin not only because of the incredible academic environment but because of the people. My teachers and classmates are what make the school such an amazing learning environment, along with their connections and dedication, which open up so many incredible opportunities.
Roman Ambassador_Avani

Avani

  1. What school did you come from?
    British School of Chicago

  2. What are you involved in at Latin?
    Roman Ambassadors (senior leader)
    R2R
    Asian Student Alliance
    Young Women of Color
    Model United Nations
    Romans Volleyball
    Intersectional Feminist Alliance
    Marketing Club

  3. What is your favorite class at Latin?
    World Religions with Mr. Cruz.

  4. As a senior, why would you recommend Latin?
    Latin is foundational not only because of the strong academics, but because they prepares you for the future, teaching essential social skills, and nurturing intellectual curiosity. I feel ready for whatever my future holds for me because Latin has helped me discover more about my identity as well as useful skills like communication, self-advocacy, and drive. I recommend Latin for those who want to build on academic AND social skills, and for those who want to explore new interests or delve deeper into existing interests. 

RomanAmbassador_Fowowe

Fowowe

  1. What school did you come from?
    Latin Lifer

  2. What are you involved in at Latin?
    Roman ambassador
    Bus
    Cyber patriot
    LIFE
    Computer science club
    SAGE
    Debate Club

  3. Why did you choose Latin?
    I chose Latin and stayed my whole life because of the lifelong connections you are able to make at Latin. Not only do I have friends from as early as kindergarten but some of my closest friends even came to Latin freshman year.

  4. As a senior, why would you recommend Latin?
    I would recommend Latin because I believe it is a school that offers a wide course selection with excellent academics. Latin also many opportunities to get involved with your high school such as extracurriculars or service learning opportunities. I also think the people at Latin are such a draw to the school. Latin is an incredibly welcoming school that makes you feel at home from day one.

  • Around School
  • upper school
Homecoming soccer match
Latin wins home games during Homecoming Week

Latin's varsity teams had an incredible showing during Homecoming Week. Below is a summary of the highlights. 

  • Cross country (co-ed) won the Prep Classic.
  • Girls volleyball beat the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools in straight sets (25-15, 25-16).
  • Girls swimming won its meet against Trinity High School 109-59. 
  • Boys soccer earned a shutout victory against Francis W. Parker 2-0. 
  • Girls field hockey had a thrilling overtime win against Francis W. Parker 2-1.

Check out photos of our teams in action. 

You can learn more about Latin's athletic programs by clicking here. You can also access the schedules for our teams by clicking here. 

Go Romans!

  • Around the School
  • Athletics
  • upper school
Convocation
PHOTOS: Homecoming Week at Latin

It was a fun-filled Homecoming Week at Latin. Check out how our amazing community celebrated school spirit with dress-up days (e.g., On Wednesdays We Wear Pink Day, College Sweatshirt Day, Pajama Day, Jersey Day and Spirit Day), buddy activities, the pep rally, and our all-school Convocation.

During Convocation, we heard from student speakers in 4th, 8th and 12th grade including the senior prefect, Asher S. '25. Below is an excerpt of his speech that reminded our community of our "Mindfulness" theme for the year. 

"Part of being a Latin student is being a kind and respectful community member. Manners are how we show people we respect them. When I ran for junior prefect I interviewed students in Ms. Katz’s junior kindergarten. That’s you, 1st graders! You seemed to have the basics down. 5 and a quarter years old Adam said Romans should be kind. And 4-and-a-half-year-old Vivian defined a good Latin as one who supports people and makes sure no one gets left out. We could learn a thing or two from our younger Romans. It’s the little things: hold a door open, clean up after yourself and greet security with a smile. And put your phone in the phone bin during class because as I know, Nothing’s more embarrassing (or rude) than having your phone ring from your pocket while your teacher is speaking."

The excitement continued over the weekend with several home games for our sports teams, events such as Romans Fest and Romans Run, and reunion activities for the classes ending in '4 and '9. 

Click here to view our Homecoming Week photo gallery.

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  • lower school
  • middle school
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Romans Run 2023-24
Celebrating Latin's school spirit at Romans Fest

The Latin community is invited to participate in the annual Romans Run, enjoy food from a selection of food trucks, take part in a multitude of family-friendly games, and cheer on the home teams at the Upper School athletic games during Romans Fest on Saturday, September 28.

Romans Fest will be held from 8 a.m.- 2 p.m. at the Wilson West Turf Field and the Montrose Turf Field in Lincoln Park.

We look forward to spending the day celebrating our school with students, faculty and staff, families, friends and alumni. This event is part of a fun-filled Homecoming Week that also features dress-up days, a pep rally, a community engagement event, and the Upper School Homecoming Dance and Alumni Reunion Cocktail party.

Below you can find more information (e.g., lists of activities, times, locations, etc.) about Romans Fest. You can also click here to access a map, directions and details about parking and public transportation.

Romans Run (at the Wilson West Track)

  • Tots Dash, 50 meters on the track, 11 a.m.
  • JK run, 1 lap on the track, 11:10 a.m.
  • SK run, 1 lap on the track, 11:20 a.m.
  • 1st grade run, 1 lap on the track, 11:30 a.m.
  • 2nd grade run, 2 laps on the track, 11:40 a.m.
  • 3rd grade run, 2 laps on the track, 11:50 a.m.
  • 4th grade run, 2 laps on the track, 12 p.m.
  • MS and Adult Run, 4 laps on the track, 12:15 p.m. 

Activities and food
Enjoy food trucks, inflatables and family-friendly activities/games in the park. Be sure to bring water bottles and sunscreen.

  • 10:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. - Bounce House, Hair Spray Table and Tattoo Table at the Wilson West Turf Field.
  • 1 a.m. - 2 p.m. - Mechanical Bull, Cornhole Game, Tug-of-War, Limbo, Hockey Goal Challenge, Inflatable Sumo and Curling at the Wilson West Turf Field.
  • 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. - Food Trucks: Aztec Dave’s, Billy Bricks, Cheesie’s, Mey Delicias and Pretty Cool Ice Cream.

Upper School Athletic Games

  • 8 a.m. JV Orange Boys Soccer vs. Francis W. Parker, Wilson West Turf Field
  • 8 a.m. JV Orange Field Hockey vs. Oak Park and River Forest, Montrose Turf Field
  • 9:30 a.m. JV Blue Boys Soccer vs. Francis W. Parker, Wilson West Turf Field
  • 9:30 a.m. JV Blue Field Hockey vs. Francis W. Parker, Montrose Turf Field
  • 11 a.m. Varsity Boys Soccer vs. Francis W. Parker, Montrose Turf Field
  • 1 p.m. Varsity Field Hockey vs. Francis W. Parker, Montrose Turf Field
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