By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

The 2026-27 season is officially here.

And so are the pressure points for high school student-athletes.

They exist both internally and externally.

They require daily attention to manage and balance and span a variety of layers.

The anxiety of high expectations, social media comparisons, time management, academics and college recruiting, identity and self-worth traps, among others.

For some players, the the work to suppress the pressures is equal to the work they put in during their training sessions.

For coaches, the goal is to build a culture that recognizes that the pressures exist, but minimizes them through the creation of a culture where players build confidence and find — or maybe rediscover — that the game is supposed to be enjoyable.

As simple as it sounds, the smiles that follow are the start of helping a student-athlete prioritize, with perspective, and suddenly the pressures are far more manageable. In fact, they can be viewed more as challenges or problems worth finding answers to instead of burdens.

Some of the pressures are smaller.

Can we win the next game?

Will practice be hard today?

Some of the pressures are bigger.

Can I get my dream get my dream college to recognize me?

Can I make sure that I play well enough to make my parents happy?

Big or small, managing the pressures are part of positive growth moments of maturity. A reason why being an athlete oftentimes provides layers of mental and emotional progress that turn athletes into next wave of great future employees because of their ability to problem solve, compromise and maintain composure.

The road to get there has many routes, but here are a few points of emphasis that are easy to find, but oftentimes overlooked.

   1. Leave an autograph wherever you go.

My dad gave me that advice when I was in middle school and got my first job. It was his way of telling me that the work I did was going to be a direct reflection on me. It was going to be a direct reflection of him. When my boss came around to check on what I had done for the day, what kind of reaction was he going to have? The work I completed needed to be my autograph. As an athlete, your heart and hustle is how you start to sign your name. Let that signature be known as a player who gives every play, every drill, every game and every moment 100 percent 100 percent of the time.

   2. Be willing to be OK with making mistakes.

There is something truly healthy about holding yourself accountable and to a high standard, but not at the detriment of expecting that you will get to perfection immediately and without mistakes. I think all coaches would admit that they have yet to have a player who made mistakes on purpose. Each mistake is another step closer to where you want to be. And a mistake made in practice, with empty bleachers and no opponent on the field is nothing more than another learning moment.

   3. Be a positive and supportive teammate.

The best leaders find a way to lead regardless of the circumstances. Even in the most frustrating moments, they can still lift up those around them with their actions and encourage with their words. Let your teammates hear your voice as a positive one. Be there to say hello as they arrive. Be there for reassurance when they are feeling inadequate. Be there to celebrate their success without anything expected in return.

   4. Remember that you are playing a game.

There was a time in your life when you just showed up and played. Maybe you smiled more, too. Your team could have won in dominating fashion, and you or a teammate still asked, “Did we win?” Or maybe you lost in underwhelming fashion and the same question was presented to your bewildered coach who somehow couldn’t understand how it wasn’t noticed that the game wasn’t close enough to ask such a question. A question like that only materializes, though, because a player is trapped inside just playing the game. By now, as high school student-athletes, you are expectedly and understandably far more invested and have a hold on how a game is going, but things can sometimes flip too far the other way. Don’t forget about being excited by accomplishing or learning something new in practice — and being excited to tell your parents about it. Don’t forget about how fun the bus rides should be, or to get lost in conversations of all different kinds with your teammates, or to laugh at the silliest inside jokes. Train hard, compete fiercely, chase difficult challenges, but don’t forget to have fun along the way.