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Keith Ballard
Photo by Norm Hall
Cal Dietz
James Newson
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Testimonials
Jermichael
Finley’s
Minneapolis
Winning Team
By Tom
Silverstein of
the Journal
Sentinel
Green Bay
- When Green Bay
Packers tight
end Jermichael
Finley scored
his third and
final touchdown
of the game
Sunday, there
weren't nearly
as many people
thinking about
how he got to
the end zone as
those who were
just happy he
was there.
But up in
Minneapolis,
where Finley's
other "team"
resides - the
one that helped
him get through
the darkest of
days the
off-season -
they were
celebrating how
far the young
star had come
since tearing up
his knee against
Washington in
Week 5 last
year.
Sunday against
the Chicago
Bears, just two
weeks shy of the
moment that
changed his
life, Finley was
back.
"It's so fun to
see him, he's so
motivated," said
Josh Sandell,
the sports
medicine
specialist who
directed
Finley's
rehabilitation.
"He's on such a
mission. For
four months, he
was completely
focused on rehab
and training. He
was a consummate
professional."
Finley may be
best known for
his touchdown
catches and
tweets - both of
which are often
eye-catching -
but the back
story to the
24-year-old
phenom's return
from cartilage
repair in his
right knee is
about the steps
Finley took
toward getting
his life in
order.
With the help of
his agent, Blake
Baratz, who not
only befriended
Finley but
frankly told him
all the things
others wouldn't,
the immensely
talented tight
end embraced the
concept of
teamwork,
trained like
never before and
overcame a
debilitating
injury.
"I would say
it's the hardest
thing I've ever
been through,"
Finley said.
"I've never had
a death in the
family or
anything like
that. I never
had to push
myself so hard.
People don't
know how hard I
worked."
Since arriving
as a third-round
draft choice in
2008, Finley
often has been
portrayed as a
loose cannon
whose
self-confidence
and unedited
comments
sometimes make
the organization
cringe,
especially given
the conservative
tone general
manager Ted
Thompson has
set.
Finley
criticized
quarterback
Aaron Rodgers
for the throws
he made to him
in the end zone
as a rookie. He
talked candidly
about blowing
curfew before
the Arizona
playoff game in
'09, got
involved in the
Super Bowl team
photo flap,
called Chad
Ochocinco a
"clown" and
tweeted that he
wished the
Packers played
Philadelphia
this year
because all this
"dream team talk
is killing me."
This year, the
Packers
frequently have
a public
relations
employee hanging
around Finley
during the
locker room
sessions open to
the media.
Baratz said he
understands that
Finley needs to
censor himself
more, but he
also pointed out
that nothing
Finley has said
has been
malicious or
incendiary.
"People focus on
why did he say
this or that,"
Baratz said. "A
lot of those
things are him
growing up.
Sometimes he
doesn't realize
how big of a
star he is. He
only played two
years at Texas
and they
blanketed him
from talking. He
doesn't have a
lot of
experience with
it.
"People are
misunderstanding
who he is. He
wants everyone
to like him."
Repairing
the meniscus
After Finley
went down with
the injury early
in the first
quarter against
Washington, team
physician Pat
McKenzie
repaired the
torn meniscus.
He could have
trimmed and
removed part of
it and gotten
Finley back on
the field in a
matter of weeks,
but he did what
was in the best
interest of
Finley's
long-term
future.
The downside of
it was Finley
had to miss the
entire season.
He didn't know
it at the time,
but he was
playing on a
Super Bowl team
and would miss
all of the
thrills that
came with it.
Worse yet, he
developed a
staph infection
in the knee,
which required
him to have a
stent placed in
his chest so
high doses of
antibiotics
could be pumped
into him. The
infection slowed
his rehab and
left Finley
helpless to feed
his competitive
hunger.
Players on
injured reserve
come in for
treatment before
the rest of the
team and usually
leave before the
others come
back. Finley
came and went
before the
others came in
and had limited
contact with the
team.
"Green Bay in
winter is cold
and he's coming
off an injury,
and he wasn't
around the team
all the time,"
Baratz said. "It
was very
difficult. It's
very difficult
to go out there
in great shape
and your season
ends in Week 5."
Back home in
Diboli, Texas,
where Finley was
raised by his
grandmother, the
atmosphere was
not conducive to
rehab. Baratz
said in the
recession-struck
town Finley is a
target for every
person who once
knew him and
wants a handout.
Finley isn't
estranged from
his family, but
he's careful
with whom he
associates and
relies on his
wife, Courtney,
and his son,
Kayden, for his
family support.
Baratz is one of
the few others
Finley trusted
before embarking
on a seven-month
rehab frenzy.
Off to
Arizona
Once the
infection
cleared, Baratz
sent Finley to
train in
Arizona, where
he could get
around-the-clock
attention so his
rehab wouldn't
be neglected.
The knee didn't
respond the way
Finley hoped
and, with the
lockout in full
bloom, Baratz
contacted
Sandell, who
employs a
program that the
U.S. Olympic
training center
uses. It
includes several
layers of
treatment,
including
nutritional,
physical and
psychological.
When Sandell saw
Finley, he was
amazed at how
little
flexibility he
had in the knee.
"He was very
limited,"
Sandell said. "I
bent the knee
and the two
bones would bump
together. There
are a lot of
compressive
forces working
there. It was
serious."
According to
Sandell, the
septic arthritis
(the infection)
led to
arthrofibrosis,
which is a
condition where
scar tissue
forms and the
ligaments and
tendons tighten.
If left
untreated, the
only remedy is
more surgery.
Sandell said he
was determined
to get Finley
healthy without
surgery, so he
formed a team
that would treat
Finley over a
four-month
period. It
included
respected
personal trainer
Bill Welle and
performance
coach Shaun
Goodsell.
And then
Minneapolis
All three
operate out of
Minneapolis,
which meant
Finley would
have to spend a
significant
amount of time
there. He
surprised
everyone when he
moved his wife
and son there so
he could train
daily.
"That was my
question to
Blake, 'How long
is he going to
be here?' "
Welle said. "He
said, 'Bill,
he's moving
here. I said,
'What do you
mean?' And he
was like, 'I
said he's moving
here to work
with you and
Josh.' "
As Welle went to
work on Finley's
body, Goodsell
began counseling
him on rehab,
stress, trust
and life in
general. The two
met regularly
and talked about
all the things
going on in
Finley's life
and how to deal
with
difficulties
when they arose.
"He's a young
man that
functions and
strives and
thrives under
structure,"
Goodsell said.
"His finely
tuned nature of
athleticism is a
byproduct of
structured life
and a very
determined
personality. He
put his all into
what he does.
"That's even why
the rehab
process is so
difficult,
because when
that's stripped
away you have to
internally
reorganize
yourself. He did
a pretty darn
good job of
that."
The player who
showed up late
to meetings in
'09 never missed
a day of rehab,
training or
counseling,
according to all
three members of
his team. He
attacked the
rehab with such
vigor that he
was running in
June, two months
before expected.
Building
stamina
With Welle,
Finley would
come in four or
five days a
week, twice a
day. He'd do
speed work and
resistance
running, upper-
and lower-body
weightlifting,
cone drills and
intense
conditioning. It
was a process,
though, because
when Finley
arrived he was
as out of shape
as the couch
potatoes who
watch him on
Sundays.
"The very first
time we did 12
warm-up drills
and he just had
to jog out and
catch the ball,"
Welle said. "He
was done. He was
just fatigued."
By the time they
were finished
rebuilding his
body, Finley was
able to run the
10-route
"receiver tree"
four times with
only a 2-minute
rest between
sets. He ran the
first two sets
with a 20-pound
weight vest on.
"I think he knew
he needed to get
back on the
field and prove
something to
everybody,
including
himself," Welle
said. "He
definitely put
the time in and
the work and he
had a lot of
blood, sweat and
tears go into
it.
"He's definitely
reaping the
benefits now."
The last part of
the process was
preparing Finley
to play
full-contact
football again.
The
psychological
part reigns
above all
because any
finely tuned
athlete needs to
know all his
parts are
working the way
they always
have.
Goodsell helped
prepare Finley
for that day,
which has since
come and gone.
Finley has
advanced to
catching
touchdown
passes, a
trifecta on
Sunday that will
be hard to
duplicate.
Finley hasn't
forgotten how he
got there.
"The cuts I was
making, I felt
so light out
there," Finley
said. "I thought
to myself, 'I've
never felt like
this.' I thought
back to all
those two-a-day
workouts and not
taking a single
one off. Every
day was a
serious grind.
"But now I'm in
the best shape
of my life."
My son Colin is a senior at Eastview High School and has been working with
Justin Johnson and the Mental Edge for the last year. I couldn't be more pleased
with the results! He has learned many "life" lessons including: Planning,
Setting Goals, Making a Commitment to Succeed, Decision Making Skills, to name
just a few. As an added benefit we’ve seen a significant level of overall
maturity. And not to mention, he is a better goalie. This is a direct result of
you teaching him to focus, be patient, game preparation skills, setting practice
goals and believing in himself.
- Steve Longren, Parent
Within the short time with The Mental Edge I learned things that I could
apply to my game immediately. I would recommend The Mental Edge to any athlete.
- Keith Ballard, Phoenix Coyotes NHL
We have been meaning to drop you a note about the impact that you have had
on Ryan. It is hard to put your finger on it, but we have witnessed the
development of definitive skills that he will have throughout this life. First,
the ability to plan ahead for a specific goal. Ryan is competitive in academics
as well as sports. We have watched him go to the top of his geometry class, plan
ahead on his research paper, and even ask his science teacher if he could do his
science project over the Christmas break - just in case his team did well in the
playoffs. He is setting goals and figuring out what he needs to do to achieve
them. Secondly, Ryan's confidence in himself in growing. He has always wanted to
be on student council. Last year he finally became a class rep. This year, he
delivered a great speech and was elected president of the student council. Not
bad for someone who had to go to years of speech class. And of course there is
his passion - hockey. He has developed a confidence in his game that enables him
to be prepared, focused , and keep himself on an even keel. He doesn't complain,
nor blame. He reflects on what he needs to do and works hard to improve. Ryan
came out of a loss where his team was starting to pick on each other. He told
us: " You know I think my team needs Justin Johnson.
So thank you Justin helping our son develop focus, resilience and tenacity.
- Parents Mark and Ann
I have searched for many years for mental assessment tools and mental
performance coaches, such as The Mental Edge provides to better understand the
athletes I prepare for competition. This program impacts everyone from female
youth athletes trying to build confidence to Olympic/World Champions that wants
to excel to higher levels. The Mental Edge can help anyone at any stage become
the best they can be. The ability of the Mental Edge to provide practical
information to the individual is amazing. I would highly recommend using The
Mental Edge to anyone.
- Cal Dietz, Head Strength Coach University of Minnesota
Being a professional athlete in any sport is 99% mental. Sometimes I found
myself having a difficult time focusing on the task at hand which prevented me
from accomplishing everything I wanted to. The Mental Edge allowed me to become
more focused by introducing me to techniques that allow me to focus on what I
need to do to become successful both on and off the ice. I would recommend it to
all athletes looking to gain a competitive edge and be the best they can be.
- Matt Koalska, Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL
“I watched my son the last two tourneys and he
has really had great focus! It's like he was like his old self prior
to going to the U when I used to watch him as a junior. It's like my
real son is back! His progress has been fun to watch. I hope you
realize I think you really helped and he does too! Thanks so much
for your time and effort. You'll always have a place in our family’s
heart.”
~ Parent
“What a difference a year can make. Last
September, as our son entered his junior year, he was working hard
but felt like he was spinning his wheels. His confidence was low and
he was second guessing himself in social situations, academics and
in hockey (on and off the ice). He was negative, confused and didn’t
think he could do anything about it. He was waiting for things to
happen and hoping for the best versus taking initiative and making
things happen. He felt unneeded pressure and was a classic victim.
As parents, we were frustrated, supportive but lacked the
perspective and training to effectively handle this situation. We
knew we needed help - someone that could uniquely connect with our
son and his issues. We wanted someone that would positively tell him
“truths” and could help him understand who he is, how he thinks and
works and give him tools for living his life.
We have to admit, when we picked up the phone to call you we were
apprehensive but figured it was worth a try. We had no idea how
profound the experience would be for him. Today, our son is more
confident and demonstrating a winning attitude. He is upbeat, an
initiator and fun to be around (usually – he is still a teenager).
He has been more positive and busy this summer – a night and day
difference from last summer. He is able to see beyond the moment,
set personal goals and be more proactive. He is often the initiator
when planning to hang out with friends or thinking about his future.
The biggest life tool however has been the ability to recognize and
reverse his self talk when he is in a slump. For example, when he
has a bad shift in hockey, he recognizes it and rather than
spiraling out of control he pulls himself out of it and can get back
on track. He can now make mistakes without becoming dysfunctional.
Another big change is - he plays for himself, not for his coaches,
us or others. He knows what he needs to do. He can listen and be
open to information and decide on the action.
It was fun to watch the process and the relationship develop between
you and our son. We don’t claim to understand it, nor do we need to
understand it because we see the results. He developed a confidence
and friendship that you clearly earned over the course of several
months. This confidence enabled him to trust and try the techniques
you were advocating. Your sessions were private. Sometimes he would
share information, mostly he didn’t.
One thing we could feel - was your passion for what you do. As
caring and involved (maybe too involved) parents, it was difficult
for us to back off, trust your process and be patient. We are glad
we did. We learned new parenting skills in the process (a bonus) –
backing off and giving up control, patience and how to be better
communicators with our teen. There is no silver bullet but your
approach is working for our kid at this time in his life. We are
grateful for your help and available to give you the highest
recommendation. Please thank Dawn as well – for her outstanding
communication and organizational skills. You make a great team!!”
~ Brad and Deb “When we first met Justin Johnson at a State
Bantam tournament a few years ago, he talked a little bit about The
Mental Edge. I remember thinking to myself, “This is exactly what my
son needs!” My son, Nolan, was one of our team’s two goaltenders. He
had good skills, but was struggling with confidence issues and was
having difficulty dealing with adversity. Having majored in
Psychology myself, I was keenly aware of the importance of mental
preparation. On the way home from the tournament, I talked with
Nolan about The Mental Edge. Always interested in improving his
game, he was very interested in trying it out.
All of Nolan’s goaltending training has been valuable, but The
Mental Edge training has clearly been the most effective. I sat back
and watched, with amazement, as his game consistently improved and
his own satisfaction with his performance visibly increased over the
next season. He was having fun again! Consequently, I became much
more relaxed at his games. I began to enjoy break-a-ways, because I
knew he was going to make the save!
At the end of the season, Nolan received a hand-written note from
his coach congratulating him on his performance during the season.
The coach went on to say, “Your consistency and confidence improved
constantly, as did your skills.” His team members and other parents
also noticed the difference.
Many of the mental strategies that he learned from Justin to improve
his athletic skills are also excellent life skills that have helped
him to become more assertive, responsible, and emotionally mature in
his personal life. The training he received from The Mental Edge was
not only the best investment I have ever made in my son’s athletic
career, but also his emotional development. I would strongly
recommend this program to any athlete, especially the youth. My son
and I are both very grateful that we found The Mental Edge.”
~ Ellen Paulseth, Parent
“We wanted
to send you a thank you for the wonderful work you have done with
our son, Tyrone. Somewhere along the line, the pleasure and
enjoyment Ty got out of sports began to feel more like pressure. He
had a harder time focusing and felt frustrated with his performance.
Through the profile assessment and the individual sessions with you,
he learned tools to help him with positive thinking, managing
disappointment and diversity, focusing, and increasing his
confidence in all situations. He could apply these tools immediately
and see the results in all areas of his life… his grades, his
relationships with family, friends and teammates, and his sports
performance. Most of all, he’s having FUN again. You made an instant
connection with him and understood exactly what he was feeling. Your
honest and direct approach quickly built a high level of trust and
he valued you as a trainer and coach. We’ve spent a lot of money
over the years for sports training but the Mental Edge program was
definitely the best dollars for the results we ever invested in our
son.
Thanks to Justin Johnson for his coaching and guidance (especially
during the pre-tryout time) and to Dawn for keeping it all
organized. You have a fabulous program and we would be happy to be a
reference at any time.”
Colleen and Dan Simcoe
Thank you for
being such caring and giving people! It is awesome for Jack to have
such a positive mentoring relationship!
Cheryl
“I wanted to take a minute and reflect on the
time that you spent with Allison. I can’t tell you how much a change
we’ve seen in her since she started the program with you. She became
acutely aware of what issues that she needed to address if she
wanted to achieve the goals that she has for herself in hockey. She
has worked so hard on improving her physical skills – which she has,
but she really needed some focus on the mental part of the game;
both on and off the ice. You helped her so much in that area! She
feels that she is so much better prepared to handle the issues that
affected her in hockey, and I have really seen the difference in her
game since starting the program with you. As we both have told
Allison, this is just a beginning in developing a stronger mental
approach to the game, and that she has to consistently use the tools
that you gave her to continue improving her game.
What’s even better is the “blueprint” that you left her with in
which the both of you collaborated on, that will help her deal with
future situations as they arise. She now has the tools that will
help her better deal in the future with all the issues that affected
her play in the past.
From a parent’s point of view, it was great to have someone outside
the family with credibility to discuss these issues with her. She
readily accepted your ideas, guidance and counseling and again, the
results were outstanding. We know that we will be in touch again
with you soon to develop a “maintenance” program for her as she
continues down the path of achieving the high goals that she has for
herself.
Thanks so much for your time with Allison; she really enjoyed the
time she spent with you, and she feels, as my wife and I do, that
she really got a lot out of the Mental Edge program. Thanks again!”
Respectfully,
Don Micheletti
Our daughter’s sessions with Shaun have definitely
helped her deal with the many things she internalizes. We have seen
a 180 turn around in how she plays and maintains control, I have not
seen her ‘out of control’ attitude since summer before she started
seeing Shaun. Thank You a Million!
Parent |
