For the past few years I have been sharing with coaches and parents the idea of providing our student-athletes with a championship experience. I try to frame the concept in terms of the fact that half of the teams in our state will have a losing record a the end of the season and there will be only one champion from our league and only one state champion. Not every athlete can have a championship season, but I believe they can have a championship experience.
What is a championship experience? There are two equally important components of this concept. The first is doing all of the things that are necessary and developmentally appropriate to maximize the potential of the athlete or team. What I will refer to as the “Competitive Experience” includes but is not limited to:
- Systematic approach to strength, quickness, agility and conditioning.
- Developmentally appropriate skills and techniques.
- A progression of teaching.
- Systematic approach to the tactical/technical aspects of a particular sport based on factors such as available personnel, the strengths and deficiencies of the best competition, etc.
- Proper planning and organization.
- Effective communication.
Regardless of one’s talent or that of their opponents, the foundation and framework of success must be addressed. As Vince Lombardi said, “The will to win is not nearly so important as the will to prepare to win.”
Most competitive coaches and athletes understand that in order to be successful, one must put in the time, effort and energy that a particular discipline demands. However, many neglect to approach the second aspect of the championship experience with the same intentionality that we apply to the technical/tactical aspects of our respective sports. That is, in order to provide the championship experience we must also do the things necessary for our athletes to become the best people that they can be. The “Transformational Experience” as I’ll refer to it includes but is not limited to:
- Character
- Social and emotional learning
- Leadership
- Relationships
- Reinforcement of Academic Objectives
The transformational experience begins with making every single student-athlete feel that they are valued independent from what their contribution to the team is. This is easier said than done I’m afraid, but breaking down how we attempt to demonstrate that to our student-athletes and parents will help bring the same intentionality to the transformational experience as we have with the competitive experience.
When I share the idea of the Championship Experience with parents and coaches, I do so as a challenge to myself and with the intention of creating accountability partners. I ask parents and coaches how we can better demonstrate how much we value our tennis athletes the same way we may do for our football and basketball programs. We may not have the ability to create an atmosphere at a swim meet that replicates that of “Friday Night Lights” but asking how we can demonstrate that our swimmers’ hard work and dedication is valued and appreciated is an important step toward creating a transformation experience.
I have been sharing this idea with parents and coaches for the past two years and there have been a few parents who have used it as a way to bring up issues that they were concerned with. This has had a few positive aspects for me. When parents or coaches come to me wanting to discuss concerns for our athletes’ experience, rather than be defensive or trying to minimize their concerns I have tried to embrace their concerns and address them with whatever means I have within my control. This Southwest Airlines “Yes and. . .” approach has both strengthen my relationship with coaches and parents and forced me to improve our programs in positive if not unexpected ways.
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