Two of those golds came at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics,
where Douty proved to be one of the key components to American
domination. At the 1996 Games, she had the highest batting average
on the team at .393 and led all U.S. players with 11 hits and nine RBIs
over the course of the tournament. Her third homerun of those Olympics
was a game-winning blast versus rival China.

Douty talks about the process she goes through prior to each game
in order to best prepare herself, both physically and mentally, for success.

Keys to successful game preparation 

 Tip #1: Begin to mentally prepare yourself the night before a
game.
"Game preparation is like a ritual to me and I feel it is definitely a
factor in how well I perform in a game. I like to visualize the night
before as I drift off to sleep. I picture myself at the plate hitting all types
of pitches, perfectly."

Tip #2: Prior to leaving for the field, begin relaxing and visualizing,
mentally preparing for competition.
"About an hour and a half to two hours before we leave for a game I start
to get ready. I try to be fully dressed and ready to go at least 45 minutes
before the departure time. At this time, I find myself a quiet place to lie
down and visualize. I visualize hitting, fielding, what the field looks like,
the crowd. I do relaxation breathing exercises."

 Tip #3: Begin to focus and take things seriously once you're at the competition site.
"When we get to the field I am serious. I don't joke around much before
or during a game as my concentration is too focused."

Tip #4: Get a good warm-up in.
"My preparation at the field is usually just for warming up. I jog, stretch,
do a few agilities and sprints, throw a few balls, field a few grounders,
and spend some time on the tee warming up."

 Tip #5: Right before game-time, visualize situations and scout
the competition.
"The last thing I do is to visualize different pitches and "dry swing" for
each one. I also try to watch the other pitcher warming up so I know
what she is like on that given day. Because of the way things are set
up at certain tournaments, this is not always possible. At the very least
I watch enough to pick up her release points on different pitches."