"Paychecks" means keeping our finger on the pulse of our team. Monitor their connection and togetherness.
Complex physical and emotional changes during adolescence get magnified by competition - in school and out, among peers for acceptance, status, and recognition.
In Madeleine Blais' In These Girls Hope Is a Muscle, the twin stars and edgy egos of the team, Jamila Wideman and Jen Pariseau turn conflict into collaboration for the good of the team. It wasn't easy. "Most adolescents tend to one or the other of two emotional styles, surly insurrection or, as in the case of Jen, brooding self-definition."
Adolescents struggle with self-regulation, how they manage thoughts, feelings, and relationships. Years ago a strong area girls' high school team was eliminated early in the post-season when the team fractured over internal dissent..."stealing" a boyfriend.
Competition for shots, roles, minutes, and publicity frays friendships and relationships with coaches. It sounds crazy, but it happens even in middle school.
Women's college basketball is famous for mistrust and distrust. Fewer than forty percent strongly agreed with the statement, "my head coach can be trusted." Players likened their status to "crabs in a bucket" looking to escape.
The core of Coach John Wooden's "Pyramid of Success" includes CONDITION, SKILL, and TEAM SPIRIT.
The adage of "there is no "I" in team" neglects the reality that there is ME. Anson Dorrance's locker room sign for UNC soccer addresses that. "Excellence is our only agenda."
Setting expectations about the triad of teamwork, improvement, and accountability are all well and good, but individual agendas can defeat team spirit and group goals. We need to stay watchful and realize that our best intentions may not be enough.
Lagniappe: UNC (Dean Smith) 1-4 Breakdown drill against defense
Lagniappe 2: The coach has accountability.
