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Ohio State redshirt junior Emily Nothnagle during photo day on Feb. 27, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. Credit: Courtesy of Bernard Melus

Five, four, three, two, one.

That’s all that redshirt junior Emily Nothnagle allows her mind to think about before a match. 

Five things she can see, four things she can feel, three things she can hear, two things she can smell and one thing she can taste.

In a world filled with more stress and anxiety than usual, the Ohio State pistol team’s captains have had to work harder to block out these emotions and maintain focus. The team has broken several team records so far this season and is on track to compete for another national championship despite the added emotional strain on its athletes.

Blocking out distractions is something Nothnagle said she has practiced since she started her career seven years ago, but she didn’t have to worry about a pandemic on top of her performance in previous seasons.

Although all sports require athletes to control their nerves and suppress their emotions, these actions are at the forefront of pistol. The sport requires athletes to shoot a target 10 meters away and being even a millimeter off-target can cost them the entire match.

Head coach Emil Milev said that in order to be successful in the sport, student-athletes must master the practice of suppressing these feelings during competition.

“In pistol, it is crucial being in control of your emotions and your thought process,” Milev said. “The fine motor movement and fine motor control is more affected by thoughts and by emotions and by nerves, so it’s definitely important.”

Due to COVID-19, the pistol team was unable to compete or practice in the fall, when they normally have its season. Dealing with the added stress of the pandemic has been challenging, sophomore Katelyn Abeln said.

“Not being able to compete for almost a year is really scary, honestly,” Abeln said. “Nerves were definitely more apparent when competition started back up.”

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Ohio State sophomore Katelyn Abeln holding her pistol during photo day on Feb. 27, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. Credit: Courtesy of Bernard Melus

Abeln said that dealing with these emotions can be difficult at times, but nerves are a natural part of the sport. She said that dealing with these nerves is what separates the competition within the sport. 

Milev said that he dedicates portions of every practice to working on mindfulness exercises to ensure his athletes are prepared for these feelings in competition, pointing to difficulties emulating match experiences in practice. 

Abeln is also dealing with the added pressure of her up-and-coming Olympic career. She qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics as an alternate for both women’s sport pistol and women’s air pistol.

“It is stressful just having to train like you’re going to the Olympics, knowing that you probably won’t be but still having that mindset that you need to be ready in case something happens,” Abeln said. “Trying to be at the top of your game all the time is a bit stressful.”

Abeln and Nothnagle both said that their roles as team captains comes along with expectations of being positive and motivational, regardless of how stressed they are personally. 

“There’s a little added stress for me to seem like I’m more cool and collected,” Nothnagle said. “I feel like it’s a responsibility to be an example for what we should be doing and how we should be focusing.”

Ohio State lead sport psychologist Jamey Houle said that when athletes are stressed for any number of reasons, focusing on their own ­cognizance is crucial to their success. 

Although dealing with the nerves of competition are normal, Houle said that these nerves combined with the anxiety related to COVID-19 has created difficult situations for many of the athletes that he works with.

“The student-athletes are used to a world of structure and predictability,” Houle said. “COVID has thrown a wrench in that and made the focus be on moment to moment because we aren’t sure what’s going to happen next.”

What seems like small disruptions to an athlete’s schedule can be amplified to become larger issues that can impact the athlete’s performance directly, Houle said. 

Milev said that although he is grateful to be competing again, he understands the emotional strain all of this has on his athletes. He has worked with them to take advantage of this added stress and use it as practice for more nerve-wracking situations such as big competitions.  

“My goal this season is to gain confidence, even if it’s not complete confidence and not complete control,” Milev said. “I want their comfort level to be comfortable shooting at nationals.”

Ohio State looks to add to its 10-team and 35-individual national championships beginning March 24 at the Intercollegiate Pistol Championship.

Nothnagle said that despite all the adversity they face this season, being back on the range has brought back some sense of normalcy that she has missed since the pandemic began.

“It’s just a relief to be able to do our sport and be with our teammates and colleagues,” Nothnagle said. “It’s what we came here to do.”