ABSTRACT
An Olympic gymnast lands a perfect ten on the vault to win gold, a baseball star makes a diving catch to seal a victory, and a violinist, with the final thrust of her bow, brings the audience to its feet. Although we often see or hear such results, we rarely acknowledge the effort preceding the success, including the intense training regimens, year-long competitions, and driven personality required to compete at high levels. Consider now that these athletes and artists have not even reached their fifteenth birthday. Somehow, in a time when a child’s attention span is measured by the speed of the television remote control or hours at the local shopping mall, these children have managed to attain tremendous focus and determination. What enables these children to dedicate themselves completely to their activities? How are they able to sustain their intense commitment over an extended period of time?
