|
|
|
Prep Coach Lead Article COACHING – BEYOND THE X’S AND O’S State Champions have been named in all of the fall sports. While the schools who have reached their ultimate goal celebrate others look back and try to figure out what they could have improved on or done differently. Those who cheer for their towns teams will engage in their own evaluation of what each sports Coach did or did not do in this past season. Sadly there will be coaches who will be asked to step aside while at the same time others will be declared to be great at what they do. The evaluations that are used to determine the future of a coach is usually very short sited and very incomplete. A coach is much more that the person in charge of the X’s and O’s. A coach is a very valuable asset to every school and community because of all they do that is beyond the X’s and O’s. Coaches are expected to be leaders beyond the gyms and fields. Coaches almost always answer the call to lead. Make a list of all the coaches in your school and under each of their names list all of the other calls to leadership the coaches answer to. The roles of leadership filled by coaches most often include leadership positions on faculty committees, curriculum committees as well as leading student groups in various school non athletic activities. The leadership talents of coaches go far beyond the boundaries of the schools they are employed in. Coaches can be observed in leadership roles in their communities and churches. Coaches give time to numerous volunteer projects that are often difficult to find volunteers for. There are coaches who serve on city councils, county commissions, volunteer fire fighters and various other city and county needs. The value of a coach’s presence in a community should never be taken for granted and the leadership they bring to the positions they help fill should never be underestimated. After you have completed your list of all of the “other things” coaches do, cross out the coach’s name over the top and ask who would do all these “other things” if the coach was not there. In most schools and communities would experience a tremendous void if the coaches were not there doing all the other things beyond the X’s and O’s, Coaches are all part of much bigger family by belonging to their state coaches association. Collectively these associations reach out to their peers and athletes in numerous ways. The many ways that sport associations reach out to others generally goes unpublicized. Coaches usually want it that way. The many ways that coaches reach out to others is just another example of what makes coaches more than just X and O people. The MSHSCA awards $9,000 in scholarships annually. Many of the Sport Associations award additional scholarships bringing the total to nearly $15,000 annually. The Boys and Girls Basketball Coaches Associations are involved in the Coaches against Cancer program and last year raised over $80,000 to help fight cancer. Most of the Sport Associations have budgeted money to be able to help out when coaches or their families go through challenges that confront us all whether it be a natural disaster or a personal tragedy. Coaches show their concerns and compassion in many ways. There is no doubt that coaches do live in glass houses. The sad truth, however, is that in the end coaches only seemed to be judged and evaluated on their wins and losses. Granted coaches are employed to coach and there are expectations placed on them to bring success to the schools they are employed by. It is important to remember that coaches provide so much more to their athletes, schools and communities than just the X’s and O’s. Called to coach is indeed a special calling. It is not meant for the X and O only person. It is a call reserved for those who do really make a difference in the lives of their athletes, their schools and their communities. To all of our Minnesota Coaches: Thank you for all you do – thank your for truly making a difference! |
|
If you have suggestions for this web site Contact the Webmaster
Copyright © MSHSCA. All rights reserved.
|
