I’m Dr. Tracy Carrington, and I know all about trying to chase the ever elusive goal of performance excellence. I’ve been an athlete all my life, training, competing, succeeding, and often failing in a multitude of sports. Through my experiences competing at the high school, collegiate, Olympic trials and professional levels, I learned the critical importance of mental training to achieve maximum performance.

As a high school senior in Fort Worth, Texas, I was recruited to run cross country and track and field at the University of Colorado, Boulder. After two challenging years of falling short of my personal goals and expectations, I shifted my focus to pole vaulting where I quickly found I had a knack for launching myself through the air. This led to my recruitment by The University of Tennessee to pole vault.

Arriving at Tennessee, I progressed rapidly, and thus was expected to be competitive on a national level, despite my limited experience. Luckily, the UT athletic department understood the importance of mental training, and provided a performance specialist, Dr. Joe Whitney, to their athletes. With much skepticism and doubt, I attended my first session and to say he changed my life is an understatement. He was the missing piece of my performance puzzle.

Equipped with both the appropriate physical and mental training, I became the Tennessee team captain, the 1999 Southeastern Conference Champion, an All-American, the school record holder, and a 2000 Olympic Trials qualifier. I graduated in 2000 from Tennessee with a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree in English Literature, and in December 2001 with a Master of Science degree in Kinesiology, specializing in performance coaching After finishing my Masters program, I continued to train professionally as a pole vaulter, and coached high school track where one of my athletes became the 2004 AAAA Boys' Georgia High School State Champion.

With a strong desire to help others reach their fullest potential through mental training, I enrolled in a doctoral program at Michigan State University, and in May 2010, graduated with a doctorate in Kinesiology and a specialization in performance coaching. Upon receiving my doctorate, I returned to Fort Worth, Texas and established a private practice as a performance specialist.  

I’ve continued to fuel my competitive spirit by completing multiple marathons, including the Boston Marathon, and training and competing as an adventure racer, triathlete, cyclist, and martial artist. These on-going endeavors help me relate more directly to the challenges my clients experience.    

With the development of Mind Game Performance, LLC, I now work with athletes and coaches, as well as performing artists and business professionals at all levels, both nationally and internationally to share what I have learned through competition and education. My goal as a performance specialist is to prepare my clients by offering them the mental tools and skills to help them achieve their greatest potential on the field and in life. 

Email Dr. Carrington and start the conversation.