Dear Mr. Bedley,

I really enjoyed talking to you that day in the Denver Airport. I think it is really great that you are publishing books aimed toward promoting mental toughness in children. This is one of the most overlooked areas in youth athletics. It is something I never learned until I was about 20. As an athlete progresses into higher and higher levels of competition, the mental game becomes as important, if not more important, than the physical game. I believe this because once an athlete reaches a certain level of performance, his or her skills will always be there; the athlete s success will depend on how he or she is able to use those skills. This all comes down to being mentally prepared and confident.

Thank you for the copy of your book Game Time about mental messages. It is neat to see some of the lessons that I ve learned though life and athletics simplified so that children can understand them. One message in particular that is something I talk about a lot is the one at the top of page 74 about staying in the moment. Focusing on previous failures, such as a strikeout or an error, tends to be a big problem with softball players. When they do this, they are no longer focused on the play at hand and tend to make even more errors. When kids learn to focus on the present, they will become better ball players and they will probably enjoy the game more.

Mr. Bedley, good luck to you in your future endeavors. Thanks again.

Jennifer Brundage

(Jennifer was a member of the USA Women s Softball Team which won a gold medal at the Sidney 2000 Olympics.)

– NCAA Player of the Year – 1994