Hicks' Key To Performing Under Pressure


You toe the line. As you focus your eyes on the course ahead your mind is racing. Thoughts about what you will be feeling for the next 5000 meters run through your head.

Will you have what it takes to reach your goals? You have to win. You have to succeed. 

For a split second, the world stops at the line. You remember your Coach's words: "You don't have to. You get to." 

The gun goes off. The expectations vanish. The pressure is eliminated. Excitement is born.

You think "I get to succeed."  

The Power of a Coach's Words

For Charles Hicks, Coach Rivera's words: "You don't have to. You get to," have become a mantra for his career. 

Hicks is no stranger to the spotlight. More often than not, Hicks toes the line as the favorite. The favorite to win, succeed, and lead. With the pressure that comes with talent, there is also fear -- fear of failure. 

It can be crippling. It can shut you down and shut you out from your goals. As Florida's top runner this year, Hicks has discovered a mentality that shuts fear out -- a mentality that allows him to run free. 

"I'm extremely competitive. I always have been, but I never really had a platform to excel in. Running became that for me," Hicks said. 

The Stanford commit moved to the States from England back in 2013, where he started his first cross country season as a seventh grader for BollesIn five years, Hicks went from running 21:08 for the 5k to 14:53 just last week at the FHSAA 2A Region 1 meet. 

"I was in the mindset of treating every workout like a race back then. Wasn't very tactical, but I developed a strong work ethic," Hicks said. 

Year by year, Hicks began to see improvements. His sophomore year, Hicks went from running a 15:44 down to the low 15s over the course of a season. Track season came along and Hicks was excited about the possibilities a new season could bring, until a hip injury sidelined him for the majority of the season. 

"It broke my heart when I would go out for a run and it just wasn't better," said Hicks. "Getting back to running was my number one priority. I needed to get my confidence back." 

A Paradigm Shift - A Desire to Win

When we go through injuries or when we set expectations for ourselves it is easy to let fear creep in. Will we ever reach our goals? Will we be able to succeed? 

"Cross country is a sport where the desire to win is a skill," Hicks said. 

When there is desire to compete - to win - there is excitement. 

On Saturday, the top teams in the state will compete against one another at the FHSAA State Finals. For many, this race can be daunting. It is what many have been training for since July. There are high expectations and goals that have the potential to overwhelm and cause one to fear. 

Turn fear into desire. Shift your mentality to focus on what you can control -- your attitude. Get excited, this is what you have been training for. 

"When you experience something that is tough, remember: You don't have to. You get to," said Hicks. "If you can adopt this mentality in any facet of your life, you gain a fresh new paradigm of the situation and put yourself in a position to experience success."