Winning at “IT”

Winning at “IT”Last newsletter we looked at what makes a great coach: Getting each team or athlete to their full potential. This article will explore some practical concepts and strategies to help coaches develop their own ways to win at “IT” means and looks like. 

Does everyone have a chance to win, find success, and/or be successful? Not everyone can start or get a post season award, but everyone can succeed in finding some type of accomplishment. If you are going to get the most out of your team, it seems obvious you need to get the most out of the individual athletes, even those at the bottom of your roster. The biggest factor for team success and where I often find the greatest joy in coaching is the bottom 1/4 of the roster.Creating realistic opportunities for success, and celebrating them, motivates everyone on the team. 

Last year one of our track “studs” didn’t want to run a race because he didn’t feel good over the weekend. I pointed to one of our athletes in that bottom ¼, puking in a trash can after a race, and told the “stud” you are a good runner, but he is tougher. Be more like him. Your top kids can learn hard work, perseverance, toughness and many other things from your bottom kids, while your bottom kids feel valued, accomplished, and important. It’s amazing how often those lower kids eventually end up being real contributors when they gain confidence and feel valued. 

In track and cross country, we have a cowbell that kids can ring if they PR or hit a certain standard. I have seen kids get near last in a XC meet or run a time in track that is far below average, ring that bell with a huge smile on their face, and most importantly, everyone on the team cheers for them and is genuinely happy for them. I loved saying we need more cowbell (if you get that you are a bit older) It’s not given to them; it has to be earned, but everyone has the chance. 

We award two MVP trophies after each XC and track meet. They are old, broken trophies, and the kids get to keep them until the next meet. The coaches base the selections on things like being a supportive teammate, great effort, or a dramatic cut in time specific to that athlete. We also have the seniors come up with “Core Values” and they pick a Core Values MVP based on teacher nominations. You don’t have to be a gifted athlete to win either of these, but we have found that we get more out of the gifted athletes in performance and leadership. Everyone is pushed to be better as a leader, person, and athlete. Watching kids compete to be the best teammate is a cool thing to see. 

Find a way to celebrate everything you can. Not in the spirit of every kid deserves a medal, but in the spirit that if something good happens, why not celebrate it? I share our MVPs and core values with our parents and teachers. I share with the team and parents the positives that happen throughout the season, big or small. Kids who wouldn’t normally get any attention or public praise have the same opportunity to be recognized.

Let me be clear, the above does not mean you should be soft on your kids; tough love is still needed. Celebrating everything you can doesn’t mean ignoring the negative. Like I said in the first article, it doesn’t have to be all cupcakes and rainbows. In fact, holding them accountable is vitally important. What we have found is focusing on those “IT” things, those intangible characteristics of leadership, character, and perseverance, directly lead to success. Kids become more invested, give more effort, become tougher, and we often find diamonds in the ruff when winning at “IT” becomes as important as winning. Quite simply, better people+better culture=better results, no matter what your talent. Next issue we will look at what culture is and is not.