Letter from your Area Coach Administrator

This might sound like a strange concept but - winning isn’t everything. If you were asked how important winning is, what would your response be? Most adults and coaches believe what football coach Vince Lombardi was supposed to have said - ”Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” What he actually said was “Winning isn’t everything, but striving to win is.” That is the true meaning of youth sports. By placing the emphasis on the athletes and their effort, winning is redefined in such a way that it comes within reach of all. The challenge for us is to redefine winning in terms of effort and to structure play to promote effort. Some changes lie in:

Creating balanced teams,
Helping players set achievable goals,
Teaching players to measure their success in terms of attaining such goals, and
Celebrating with and rewarding players who reach their goals.

First, we need to focus on motivation of the players. Young players want the competition to be fair and the outcome to be in question when the game starts. If these conditions cannot be met, most young players will likely complain about how much better the other team was, or how unfair the game was played. Remember, it is the adults that want to win by lopsided scores. Fairness is the essence of the game.

Meaningful and attainable goals are essential in their development and success. Individual goals are just as important if not more important than team goals. It allows each player to know exactly what needs to be accomplished. Each player should know they will be measured on their advancement to meet these goals. They also need to be measured on their effort to obtain these goals. This needs to be done in the most positive way. If the player’s effort was aimed at meeting this goal, then the player’s performance was a success. Finally, the player should be recognized for achieving his/her goal. This is important to keep the players motivated and striving to meet goals and be competitive.

Remember - winning isn’t everything . . . Striving to win is!

Let’s have a great season!

Scott Mejeur
Area B Coach Administrator