At
the highest level of every sport, you will find completely dedicated
athletes. Brian Simmons is the one of them. He's the greatest horseshoe
thrower in the world:
This is what Simmons is thinking
about as he stares down a 14-inch tall stake. He is thinking about the
slippery clay, and how he might adjust his release point, and as these
thoughts slip into his brain, he has lost without even pitching the
shoe.
“This whole game is mental,” Simmons says. “It’s all upstairs. It’s a mind game.” [...]
For
Simmons, he wants to think about one thing and one thing only. Making
sure his eyes are locked onto his right hand as he releases the shoe. He
does not look at the stake, at least not at the most important part of
his throw. He starts by looking at the stake, but then his eyes let go
of that target and start looking for his right hand, which should end up
right in his line of sight at the exact moment the shoe leaves his
hand.
And now he’s moving his hand around to compensate for the
fact the shoe is slipping out of his gloved hand. Pitching horseshoes is
a mind game, and for what seems like the first time in his life, it’s
getting to him.
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