Find your inner athlete at Edwards lecture

VAIL, Colorado – Local sports medicine clinic Vail Integrative Medical Group and Dogma Athletica have partnered up this year and created the “Live It! Lecture Series,” bringing relevant training topics to the sports community. Occuring once a month, past lecture topics have featured local athlete Josiah Middaugh discussing “Overtraining vs. Overreaching” and “Effective Heart Rate Training and Its Limitations.” This month’s lecture will feature professional and Olympic sports psychologist Diana McNab, who will lead an informative and interactive workshop on “Finding Your Inner Athlete.” The lecture is on Thursday and begins at 6 p.m. at the Eagle Ambulance District Building, located behind the Edwards Post Office.

Based in Aspen, McNab’s Sports Counseling Corporation counsels young and elite athletes. She is the creator and founder of “Epic Sports Experience,” whose vision is to educate, motivate and communicate peak performance skills and strategies to Olympic, professional, and young aspiring athletes of all ages. McNab said that her entire life has involved the “pursuit of excellence” in all aspects of sports and life. Some athletes she has worked with in the past are pro snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler, three-time Olympian and Canadian National Ski Team member Emily Brayden, NHL professional hockey players Brad Winchester and Stephane Yelle, as well as NFL head coach Pete Carroll. Most recently, McNab worked with numerous athletes from the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics.

As an eight-year member of the Canadian National Alpine Ski team, McNab experienced dedication, intense training and the thrills of being an elite athlete. After concluding her career as a professional athlete, McNab completed undergraduate and graduate degrees in physical education, sports psychology and optimizing human potential. She is currently an adjunct professor at The University of Denver, where she teaches courses on stress management.

At the upcoming Live It! Lecture, attendees will be guided through the individual characteristics of their inner athlete and how to “get in the zone.” Participants will learn the latest sports psychology research, skills, strategies and techniques in order to become a champion from the inside out.

“Both experienced and everyday athletes will find Diana’s lecture useful,” said Dr. Joel Dekanich, principal and founder of VIMG. “We invite coaches and athletes of all ages to attend Thursday. We know everyone will benefit from this workshop, and we are thrilled to provide this opportunity through our complimentary Lecture Series with Dogma Athletica.”

The Live It! Lecture Series is complimentary, open to the public, and offered by VIMG and Dogma Athletica every month. For more information and to reserve your spot at April 25th’s lecture, call Sarah Moore at Dogma Athletica at 970-688-4433 or email her at sarah@dogmaathletica.com.