Tom Michael wrote:
<There's a physical
element to academic competition that's frequently
overlooked. When the body gets tired, the fatigue toxins
produced can have a deleterious effect on concentration
and recall. When the mental pressure of the late
stages of a national championship tournament are added
in, players who are best able to maintain a relaxed,
focused concentration and who are in the best physical
conditioning may find themselves with an
advantage.>
<Tournament preparation should not be solely focused on
knowledge drills. Endurance conditioning is also very
important, as is adequate sleep.>
There are ways
to combat the effects of long tournament fatigue
that I see surprisingly few teams employ. Before a big
late tournament match we would always eat a candy bar.
The sugar fix would sustain us through the match and
help keep our concentration focused. Also, we'd carry
ample supplies of caffeinated beverages around with us,
preferably sweetened ice tea. When everybody else was
flopping on the desks, we'd be rarin' to go--and winning
the tournament.
Albert Whited