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How Teammates Help Each Other Past Mistakes

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Four-time Olympic Water Polo Medalist, Brenda Villa (@brenda4villa) is a PCA National Advisory Board Member. Villa spent her collegiate career at Stanford University, where she arrived as the nation’s top recruit, and graduated as a three-time All-America. She was named the Division I Water Polo Player of the Year, as well as winner of the Peter J. Cutino Award as the top female college water polo player in the United States and earned a Gold Medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

In this video clip, Villa shares a mantra she lived by: “Elite athletes have a short-term memory.” Athletes must be able to recover quickly from mistakes on their own, and Villa also talks about how teammates can and should prevent each other from dwelling on mistakes. Teammates supporting you during times of success and during more challenging periods may help keep you on an even keel and better prepared for progress.