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Saturday, September 24, 2022

Lessons Shared at the Hall of Fame

Coaches develop relationships over a lifetime. When asked about his players, Coach Amos Alonzo Stagg answered, "Ask me in twenty years. I'll be able to answer better." 

I attended the Melrose Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Dinner and Ceremony. How had relationships turned out? What lessons were shared? 

I helped coach a couple of basketball athletes years ago. Meg Shea made her bones in field hockey as a league high scorer in both high school and college. Now she's Associate Head Coach of Field Hockey at UNH. I know NOTHING about field hockey, but she is doing well. She credited much of her success to her family and to her partner. Gratitude counts. 


Colleen Hanscom (above) played both basketball and volleyball at high levels and is doing well with family and life. I had a tiny role in coaching her in a few summer games and broadcast both sports when she played. I've previously shared some of her father's fundraising magic. She stressed how she remains close to teammates from over a decade ago. Relationships matter.  

Football Class of 1999 Captain Patrick Kent shared thoughts about how their team went undefeated only to lose an ill-fated coin flip to go to the State Championship. The team was celebrated for its sportsmanship and maturity. He recounted that the seeds of success were planted late in the 1997 season, a 2-8-1 campaign. Coach Morris told them, "great things can happen" with commitment. The team competed to get to and succeed in the weight room and beat teams by an average of twenty-one points. Commitment and sportsmanship matter. 

Former Athletic Director Sonny Lane emphasized this was a WE award not a ME award. He's already in the New England Basketball Hall of Fame. He thanked the student-athletes and coaches that he worked with as AD. He was emotional discussing all that his wife had sacrificed in missed family meals and activities over the years. The team surrounding you, both personally and professionally, matters. 

None of the inductees came to sing their praises. All freely shared credit with family, teammates, coaches, and the community that made their success possible. When you make it about others, others can help you make it. 

Summary: 
- Legacies are complex stuff. 
- Gratitude matters. 
- Relationships matter.
- Commitment matters.
- Sportsmanship matters.
- The personal and professional team surrounding you matter. 

Lagniappe. 

Lagniappe 2. We can always learn something, even from an OG. Training techniques cross domains:

  • Advantage-disadvantage
  • Competition
  • Constraints 
  • Experience 
  • Introduce the unexpected

 

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