Barnesville native Dr. Nicole Detling is again providing her sports psychology expertise to U.S. Olympic athletes.
The 1993 Barnesville High School graduate, who worked with the U.S. Speed Skating Team at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, is honored to once again be chosen to help U.S. athletes hone their mental edge.
Detling has worked with the U.S. Ski Team for 11 years. She is currently in Sochi, Russia where she is part of the coaching team of the Freestyle Aerials U.S. Ski Team. She is also working with Jessica Jerome, six-year member of the U.S. Ski Team, who is one of the women making history this year by competing in the ski jump, a new Olympic sport for women.
"There is nothing greater," Detling said. "It is such an opportunity and I am so flattered and proud to be asked to once again be part of this."
Although not arriving until after the opening ceremonies took place, Detling will be participating in the closing ceremonies, as she did in Vancouver.
Detling said despite high security and terror alerts surrounding the games, she feels the Olympic Village is the safest place she could be.
She said the Russian government has too much riding on the games not to make safety the highest priority and the United States government has also invested a lot in the safety of U.S. athletes and citizens.
Detling said the security was also incredibly high at Vancouver. She said snipers could be seen on the roofs of the buildings in the Olympic Village there.
With this being her second time to the Olympics, Detling said she knows what to expect and has a better understanding of the ins and outs of life in the Olympic Village.
"I learned on the fly and now have inside info on how things are done," she said.
Detling, now a resident of South Jordan, Utah, is the owner of Headstrong Consulting. She is assistant professor and lecturer at University of Utah where she works with college athletes including the women's gymnastics team.
She attended a competition for the team the night before leaving for Sochi.
One of the softball players she works with at the University of Utah gave her an "Olympic" charm bracelet.
Detling helps athletes at all levels enhance their performance through mental skills training. She teaches them confidence and how to deal with anxiety and pressure.
"My career has gotten bigger and bigger and I am working with more people," Detling said.
She balances her successful career with the raising of two sons, Logan and Elias. They are under the care of her parents - Rev. Tom and Bonnie Detling of Barnesville - while she is in Russia.
Detling said despite the outcome for the athletes, the Winter Olympics in Sochi will be of great historical importance.
"It is the world's stage," she said. "It is the one time where the world comes together."
Detling was the keynote speaker at the 2010 Barnesville Area Chamber of Commerce Spring Banquet, where she shared her 2010 Winter Olympic experiences.
After graduating from BHS, where she was a three-sport athlete, Detling received her BS in psychology and sports science from Ohio Wesleyan University. She earned a MS in sport psychology from Ithaca College and a PhD in sport psychology from the University of Utah.