Former NCAA athlete to bring 'Winning Mindset' to Lind-Ritzville

Paul Swanson Jr., a former Ritzville student and NCAA Division I athlete will be returning home to bring the “Winning Mindset” training program to Lind-Ritzville/Sprague athletes.

Greg Whitmore, the athletic director of the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague sports combine, wants to see LRS teams be more competitive at the state level.

“We aren’t sending as many athletes or teams to state as we have in years past,” Whitmore wrote in an email to The Journal in June. “Sometimes that is due to circumstances that we cannot control. However, there are some items we can control.”

Whitmore said he thinks fitness and mental toughness are areas where LRS athletes could improve. Over the summer, Whitmore addressed fitness with a summer training program. Now, as the fall sports season approaches, he is trying to tackle mental toughness as well.

“I think our kids could benefit from improving the mental part of competition including mental toughness and focus,” Whitmore said.

Winning Mindset is a mental training program founded by former college wrestlers Gene Zannetti and Jeff Zannetti. The Zannetti brothers are both former All-Ivy League wrestlers from the University of Pennsylvania. The program started as a wrestling-specific program.

According to the program’s website, “Gene and Jeff expanded their systematic mindset training into all sports, business and weight loss. Winning Mindset coaches have worked with thousands of athletes, teams, professionals & coaches. This includes the Men’s & Women’s USA Olympic Team, UFC fighters, national champions, state champions as well as youth and rec programs throughout the country.”

Winning Mindset has several coaches and Swanson is one such coach.

Swanson played Division I football at Arkansas State University. Before that, he enlisted into the Washington Army National Guard at age 17 and remained a member of the United States Army until 2013. He then attended community college at Orange Coast College where he attained his associate degree and was an all-conference football player.

Swanson will be making eight visits to Ritzville as part of the training program. His first visit is Sept. 5 from 6:30-8 p.m. in the Gilson Gym.

Whitmore said parents of all middle school and high school athletes are invited to the first session. He says the next seven sessions, for which dates have not yet been announced, will focus mostly on high school athletes.

Whitmore, who coached Swanson when he was in Ritzville, said LRS students can learn a lot from him about mental strength.

“He is going to talk about mental concentration, mental focus and mental awareness,” Whitmore said at an athletes and parents meeting. “These things will pay off on the court and on the field. They will also pay off in the classroom and pay off in life.”