(S2) - PT #2 - Locker Personalization

[Kronen]

Ragnar Kronen has many items that distinguish his locker from those of his teammates. It's impossible to escape the Norwegian flair on display in his locker. Hanging in the back of the locker is a small photo of the harbor in his hometown:


Just behind the shoe drying rack, you'll see a small tchotchke troll sculpture his brother gave him before departing to the University of Minnesota:


You'll also find a family heirloom ring hanging on a chain. He never wears the ring onto the field for fear of losing it.



But more importantly than these the personal touches is the multiple books of sports psychology that Ragnar has come to rely on throughout his career. Sports psychology has been a mainstay of Ragnar's approach to the game from primary school and he often finds himself reading and re-reading old texts.

The chief reference text for Ragnar and quite possibly the most famous sports psychology book of all time, is the classic The Inner Game of Tennis. Why would a football player read a book about tennis? Well the answer can easily be found in its pages. The text dictates a clear program for improving confidence and execution in whatever sport you may play. Ragnar particular finds the demarcation between conscious control and subconscious action influential as he practices the fundamentals of football. Being able to trust and rely on his own practiced abilities allows him to react in the moment to whatever the opposing offense throws at him.

Ragnar suffers mightily from a strong fear of failure. Before passing, his father gave him a copy of Susan Jeffer's Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway. The copy has become dog-eared with also a break in the spine, but Ragnar continues to find it useful particularly when thinking about Agnus Winchester's sideline reprimands.

Since coming to America, Rangar has come to love the work of sport's psychologist Don Greene and his books Fight Your Fear and Win and Performance Success. The visualization and centering techniques in these books have made Ragnar's pre-game routine much more effective in calming and focusing his mind.

tags for player reference:
@timeconsumer