The Winter Olympics hopeful spoke to Gabby Logan on The Sports Agents podcast where she opened up on how she keeps her nerves under control – and why her family struggle to watch her compete.
Kirsty Muir in action at the Olympics(Image: Getty Images)
Aberdeen freestyle skier Kirsty Muir has said her family still struggle to watch her compete – with her grandmother choosing not to watch her ski altogether.
The Winter Olympics hopeful spoke to Gabby Logan on The Sports Agents podcast where she opened up on how her mum finds it difficult to watch her compete due to the risks that come with freestyle skiing.
The 21-year-old said:“Yeah, my mum used to really struggle with watching me compete when I started, like, the really big jumps. But she’s a bit better now.
“My nanny will still not even watch me! She’s like, ‘I’ll probably put it on, but as soon as you come on, I’m not watching!’ She’s always telling me to just be careful and I’m like, ‘I’ll try, but it’s kind of risky!’ Yeah, they’re all behind me and they’re all here to support.”
Kirsty explained that she used an unusual method to get to grips with her nerves while competing. The ski star said that practicing free diving has had a tremendous impact on teaching her how to remain calm under pressure.
She added: “We went into the quarry and went down to kind of 15 metres, I’m pretty sure. And it was really, really interesting, because it put us in a quite a high-pressure situation in which we really needed to calm down.
“There was one dive that I remember, like, getting a bit panicked and really trying to settle myself. And I managed to calm myself down and keep going. And I got back to the surface, and I was really proud, because I did kind of overcome that panic. And now I feel like I’ve taken that a bit into skiing, in the sense of relaxing before I go.”
In addition to free diving, Kirsty will listen to music – something freestyle skiers are permitted to do while they compete.
“I have some music in my ear. I just wear it in one ear and I just kind of zone into that and kind of just [go] into my own thoughts and try and chill out,” she says. “Sometimes, you hear the commentator introducing you, but I kind of just try and zone that out. I don’t like hearing anything else… It’s just my phone. I have my phone in my pocket!”
