One more story from "On Court"
Now that the school year is finished and I am thinking about the highlights, this past spring season coaching the Varsity Girls Tennis Team stands out in my mind. Just like in my previous post (Part 3), I can't help but apply my learning about Mindsets to our season, and think about how it relates to by role as a Tech Coach. Some of what I have been thinking about also stems from reading one of my player's CAS reflections after the season, and her takeaways from playing on the team this year, compared to previous ones.
This year, I had the opportunity to shift over to being the Head Coach for the Varsity Girls when the long-time coach stepped down. I have not worked with the girls team before, so we started the season with a team meeting so I could get to know the players who were trying out, and so we could talk about what they wanted to set as goals for the season. It was a long conversation, but the girls had a central theme running through everything - they wanted to feel like a team, look like a team, and act like a team. Part of this feeling came from last year where they went to the one and only tournament without proper uniforms, and played in boys soccer jerseys which were big, baggy and had numbers on the back. Very unladylike and not inspiring at all. At the end of that initial team meeting, we agreed on a few things which included: having proper uniforms, building our team spirit and identity, and supporting each other on and off the court. This was perfect for me, as these are all things which I try to instill in the sports teams that I coach. Little did I know that it would lead to endless hours of searching online for women's tennis dresses both locally and abroad, which would eventually impact the cookies on my laptop so that now all of the Google Ads and FB side panels are filled with pictures of the latest tennis dresses . . . ugghhhh!
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| ASW Varsity Girls Tennis Team 2015 - they wanted tennis dresses to look like a team, so we got them! |
Fast forward to the end of the season and the CEESA HS Girls Tennis Tournament which we hosted here in Warsaw. We had students, parents, teachers, and even some Board members and the new Director drop by to watch some tennis and see how it was going. I think this was significant as we hosted the tournament off campus at a private tennis club, so people had to trek across town to see them play. And they played fantastically, winning 3 of the 4 individual events plus taking the CEESA Team Championship for the first time in 6 years.
Now, you might think that getting tennis dresses for the girls is insignificant but it wasn't - it was huge! The other coaches and players at the tournament all commented on how great they looked on the first day. My girls were all talking about how they felt like a team for the first time in years - it was all about the dresses (BTW - no other teams were wearing tennis dresses or even proper women's tennis clothing, and some coaches lamented that they could never get their girls into dresses, let alone skirts - we had a new outfit for day 2 ;-).
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| CEESA Varsity Girls Tennis Champions 2015 - sporting their day 2 attire of hot pink tops with black skirts! |
When the tournament was over and we were wrapping up the season, the girls talked about a number of things which made it very special for them. I was surprised at what they came up with too. They were happy about winning the championship of course, but it was all of the other stuff which stuck in their minds. It was the team spirit that we had cultivated through the practices and out on display at the tournament that stuck with them. From team warm-ups, to wearing uniforms, to team meetings, to doing team cheers (nobody does that in tennis, but I do), to supporting one another on and off the court. One of my players even reflected on how "together" we are as a team even though it is a mainly individual sport, which she has never felt before in 5 years of playing on the school tennis team. The same player also commented on how much she grew and improved this year, both with her skill level but more importantly with the mental part of the game. What she wrote about was how her mindset changed over the season, and how looking back, it made all of the difference when she was on court at the tournament.
So what did I learn from this, and how does it apply to being a tech coach? It all has to do with team building. Building an effective team has to be an intentional process, and the little things count. Details matter, having common goals and listening to your team is important - done right, this is how you can shift everyone into a Growth Mindset, to bring them together as a group. Having a growth minded team working together and challenging one another, can lead to great achievements and breakthroughs - sometimes far beyond expectations. I am really proud of the girls and what they achieved on court, but even more so with how they came together as a team and what they learned about themselves. One of my players summed it up in her CAS reflection, with something I was constantly saying throughout the tournament - "One point at a time." She really has taken this to heart, meaning to never give up, learn from your mistakes, and look to the future for the next opportunity . . . all sure signs of the Growth Mindset.
