My sophomore year of high
school I tried out for the school’s
basketball team—along with 120 other boys! At the first practice we were
divided into two groups based on our junior high coaches’ assessments. I was
placed in the “lets-cut-them-quickly” group. By the end of the first week of
practice, I was one of two boys left from that group! And by the end of the
season I was playing on the "A" team. I have Assistant Coach Ben Newcomb to
thank for my survival and promotion. He alone saw and encouraged the talent
that I had. Though he yelled and threw clip boards and kicked chairs—mostly in
response to my errors!—I loved him because he believed in me and pushed me to become
a better player. His coaching nurtured a passion for basketball and, more
importantly, a confidence that if I worked hard I could accomplish an important
goal.
But I also had negative
experiences with coaches. When I was in fourth grade I tried out for a Little
League team. On the day that cuts were announced, I was one of the boys cut. As
I dejectedly climbed on my bike, the coach asked if I would lead calisthenics.
I agreed, hoping I was being given a second chance. When we were done, I
stood around not knowing what to do next. But the coach said, “That’s all,
Schock, you can leave now.” I felt humiliated in front of the other boys. Had
the coach intended that? I don’t know.
Former NFL star Joe Ehrmann
has written: “One of the great myths is that sports build character.
They can and they should. . . . But sports don’t build character unless a coach
possesses character and intentionally teaches it.” Your children’s coaches can
have a profound impact on your child’s development. In my next post I will look at what a parent can do to help that influence be a positive one.
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