Getting Buy-in from Coaches to Education-Based Concept

In order for a high school athletics program to effectively and successfully operate within the education-based concept, an athletic administrator has to embrace the philosophical approach, create a foundational structure and provide guidance and leadership. While the athletic director can be – and perhaps should be – considered the “general” leading this objective, the ultimate success is also dependent upon the coaches, or the lieutenants, buying in and supporting the effort. An athletic administrator cannot ultimately create the ideal environment for the student-athletes alone – he or she needs help.

To get started, Kevin Murphy, director of athletics at Washington Township High School (Sewell, New Jersey), opens his preseason coaches meeting with, “I don’t care if you are 0-20 or 20-0 this season, just do what is right by our student-athletes and help them gain lifelong qualities and values. Success is not determined by the scoreboard.” Amen! Murphy also pointed out that this is essentially the same message that he has used for the past 25 years, and his staff is familiar with this approach.

There may also be situations in which the athletic administrator moves into a new setting with established coaches. Doug Marchetti, athletic director at Norwalk (Connecticut) High School, said “to implement an education-based model when you are the ‘new kid on the block,’ you need to be patient, nurture your staff along, and serve as a role model for the expectations of your coaches. You need to demonstrate the purpose and value of the concept.”

After 37 years in one district, Wendy Malich, director of athletics and activities for the Peninsula School District in Gig Harbor, Washington, moved into a new environment, and she is currently facing this situation.

“In my former school district, we did not have a large club culture and most of our coaches were teachers,” Malich said. “Our community knew we were there to educate student-athletes with respect to sportsmanship, citizenship and academics. In my new setting, a few of our coaches are in it to win at all costs, and I am trying to establish a baseline or starting point. Then we can move onto coach education and the purpose and value of education- based athletics.”

Travis Seese, athletic director at Athens Drive High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, added, “I meet individually with the head coaches of every sport and share my expectations for their role. It is not centered on wins and losses, but rather the positive experiences that each student-athlete will have within the program. Once I get an initial feel for each coach, I follow up with a discussion of what is involved in education-based athletics and how they can specifically support this mission.”

Once an athletic administrator is established in a setting, the task of getting coaches to embrace the education-based concept takes a different turn. When vacancies occur in your staff, your responsibility is to hire individuals to fill the open positions, and this means that you can, and should, specifically look for individuals who will fit into this philosophical approach.

Paul Szymanski, activities administrator for Watertown-Mayer Public Schools in Watertown, Minnesota, points out that several prospective coaches come from the club or travel team world, and they may be totally unfamiliar with the concept, the rules, guidelines, and parameters they must operate within.

“It is vital in the interview to explore how this individual would meet the needs and characteristics of your athletes as opposed to only dealing with the ‘select’ ones on a travel team,” Szymanski said, “In addition, I always ask if and how they would be willing to alter practice sessions for a student’s academic recovery or success. Lastly, I ask the candidate to give me examples of how to measure success beyond their final record for the season.”

Despite the great efforts and approaches taken by athletic administrators to get their coaching staff to embrace the education- based concept, a few may deviate. This is where mentoring comes into play in an effort to reel them back into the fold.

“Mentoring coaches is a 365-day commitment, and it is especially important to keep them on track with this philosophical approach,” Murphy said. “Our language is deliberate. All students who participate in our athletic program are student-athletes and never players or athletes. The emphasis is always on the “student,” and this means that there have to be educational outcomes in our program.”

“I frequently visit practice sessions and games,” Marchetti said. “If I see behaviors that are not in line with our mission and expectations, I will inject a ‘friendly reminder’ of what is expected. A more detailed, pointed discussion may occur if there is no change or improvement, and I often use other coaches who successfully employ the proper approach as models. On occasion, we also have encouraged our coaches who excel in the area of helping young people to develop lifelong values to share their approach and what works for them with others who need ‘enlightenment.’”

In order to get coaches to embrace the education-based concept, it can be helpful to emphasize some aspects of it. One example is the participation of teams in community service projects.

“Taking care of your school community is a priority for our teams, and giving back to others is a standard for each of our programs,” Murphy noted. “We try to make this point that matters for all of our coaches – it becomes part of our legacy.”

“We are fortunate that our coaches really see and understand the value of community service projects,” Seese said. “Other teams often hear the kids talk about how much fun they had and what they gained from the experience, and they go back to their coach and ask why they cannot do something similar. It has become a very encompassing aspect of our program.”

Marchetti added that “by utilizing the power of social media with photos, write-ups, and using “shout-outs” on the daily announcements, it creates a healthy competition among our teams to get involved. As a result, the buy-in from our coaches and teams has been fantastic. If you can get coaches to see the real, actual benefits of education-based athletics, it is much easier for them to embrace the concept.”

As with any aspect of athletics, a coach or two may occasionally stray from the philosophical approach of education-based athletics. All five athletic administrators agreed that a “counseling session” or two would take place. In these one-on-one meetings, the expectations are reviewed, and the mission of the program is reemphasized.

“Many experienced coaches may know better but perhaps lose focus,” Malich said. “I spend time observing practice sessions in addition to games, and if something is out of kilter, I will schedule a meeting with the coach to discuss the issue at hand. Whether it involves sportsmanship, creating a competitive environment without capitalizing on competitive inequity, or how to more effectively communicate with parents. This means interceding as soon as possible, mentoring, and guiding the coach back to the mission of the program.”

As difficult as it may be, Seese explained, “If a coach is unwilling to get on board, you may ultimately have to move in a different direction. The growth and development of student-athletes has to be the major focus, and you may have to find an individual who aligns better with these values.”

“Embracing education-based athletics is not always easy and not for everyone, but you need someone who believes that it is about using the experience for student-athletes to grow and develop into the best person possible involving life, hope and dreams,” Murphy said.

In addition, Marchetti said he always reminds individual coaches that winning records are not the determining factor in their evaluations.

“Student-athletes and teams that demonstrated positive growth, represented the school in an exemplary fashion, gave back to the community, and accomplished great things in the classroom are the marks of success,” Marchetti said. “We retain coaches who understand our values and mission.”

While getting coaches to buy into the education-based concept may not always be easy, it is absolutely essential in order to provide the best environment and learning outcomes for young people. The process takes time and effort, and as Kevin Murphy summarized, summarized, “It requires a 24-7 focus.”