Coaching girls: The role of team captains

The intent of this post is to present my perspective of the role of team captains at the high school level. First, I will  recount my own personal experience as a captain, and then I will expound  on the value of captains for the success and cohesiveness of a team from a coach’s perspective. Basically, in my opinion, being a captain is a really big deal.

Personally, as a player, I was the team captain for 5 out of 12 seasons in high school, and I was the women’s lacrosse captain for both my junior and senior seasons in college. However, I will always remember my first experience as a captain as one of my best leadership experiences ever. I was thrilled when my high school teammates elected me as the co-captain of the freshmen girls’ lacrosse team. I remember when my co-captain and I told our coach, Miss Nagle, that we wanted to honor our teammates for their efforts during the games. We created the team “effort award,” to be announced after each game, as a means to recognize players for outstanding performances.

When I think back on it now, I have to smile because I love the fact that we, as 14-year-old captains, weren’t all that interested in rewarding the high scorer, or the most valuable player, but instead, we were intent upon rewarding good, solid effort. After each game, Miss Nagle would give us her opinions about the possible effort award winner, but then she’d allow us to make the final call andmake the announcement to the team. In retrospect, I think it is fantastic that Miss Nagle supported our idea, she remembered to give us “air time” after each game to make our announcements, and she allowed us to facilitate the process instead of taking over. She recognized the potential leadership opportunity and she wisely let us run with it.

I know that my experience as a captain of the freshmen lacrosse team, as well as my other experiences as a team captain, have shaped my current attitude towards captains now that I am a coach. I truly believe that captains are critically important to the success of a team. But captains need guidance and support in assuming this leadership role. Therefore, I also believe that coaches must be clear in articulating their expections and in supporting the role of captain. Knowing how to effectively utilize the team captains is an important factor in setting  up the captains, and the team, for a successful experience.

When do you choose captains? As a coach, I always make sure that my teams vote for next year’s captains at the end of the current season. From a coach’s perspective, think about how much occurs during the off-season. Fitness training, making announcements at school meetings, recruiting new players, generating excitement about the sport- these messages coming from a captain help to reinforce the coach’s message. From a captain’s perspective, having the off-season to adjust to the role can help them be more effective in season.  Also, it provides clarity. I’ve found that players are uncomfortable when the captaincy is “up in the air.” They want to know who is in charge. So be sure to let your team vote for captains at the end of each season. It makes a huge difference!

Nurture and support the role of the captain- before the season begins. It’s not always easy for captains to step into the role of leading their peers. Therefore, the coach should meet with the captains multiple times during the off-season to “touch base,” build trust and rapport, clarify expectations, and reinforce the important role of the captain. At every preseason meeting with the team, the coach needs to make a point of introducing the captains to the rest of the group, encourage players to seek the captains out if they have questions, and, give the captains concrete opportunities to actually lead. Perhaps the captains take attendance at team meetings. Maybe they can organize fitness sessions or they can help with recruiting potential players. Giving captains opportunities to try on and test out their leadership role prior to the season will enable them to feel more comfortable and natural in the role during the competitive playing season.

Foster and encourage the captain’s role as the liaison between the players and the coach. During the season, the coach should attempt to connect with the captains on a daily basis. I’ve found that simply asking the captains to stay after practice for a few minutes and ask them “on a scale of 1-10, how did today’s practice go?” is helpful in eliciting their feedback. The reality is, inevitably, there are always issues that pop up over the course of a season. If the players are unhappy, their discontent eventually manifests itself on the playing field. Some player/team issues may fly under the coach’s radar. But no matter how busy or overwhelmed a coach might be feeling, they must remember to tap into the valuable liaison resource.  The coach must be willing to listen to the captains and then work together to find solutions and strategies to address the problems.

Empower the captains to “nip problems in the bud.” One effective method of addressing smaller problems before they become bigger is to empower the captains to help diffuse tension.  Team meetings, both with and without the coach present, can give the captains an opportunity to facilitate discussion and get their teammates back on track. Not only do these forums send a message to the team that their feelings matter, it also demonstrates that the coaches trust the captains to be a part of the solution.

Let’s be honest, though, the concept of player-only meetings can be scary for some coaches. However, in my opinion, the positive effect of giving the players a forum to talk  and be heard should outweigh the coaches’ sense of security or control. Of course, coaches can set ground rules by reminding the captains that such players-only meetings should be productive and not “bitch-sessions.” However, in my experience, giving the team an opportunity to talk, and having the captains there to faciliate and listen, is usually a very beneficial and positive experience for all.

Good captains= good season. This season, I’ve heard positive feedback from players and parents about the team dynamic. This team is composed of a great group of kids and they genuinely seem to like and respect each other. I give a lot of credit to the captains for this positive tone and good team spirit. The captains aren’t loud or flashy, but they are dedicated team players, thoughtful and kind, and very respectful and inclusive. No power trips with these two girls. They are role models for the rest of the team. And as a result of their leadership, the team is cohesive and we’ve experienced competitive success. These girls are wonderful examples of why, in my opinion, the role of team captains should never be underestimated.

For more information on the subject of cultivating team leadership, I recommend reading Jeff Janssen’s (2004) book: ”The Team Captain’s Leadership Manual: The Complete Guide to Developing Team Leaders Whom Coaches Respect and Teammates Trust.”

Promoting Females in Sport Professions

The other day, I was looking at my alma mater’s website and was struck by the fact that the majority of athletic department positions have been filled
by males. It appears that two-thirds of the head coaching jobs (I counted 14 out of the 21 intercollegiate teams total) are now being led by male coaches, including 6 male coaches of sports that could be coached by females (such as volleyball, soccer, swimming, track, x-country). I recognize that some of the head coaching positions are, for a lack of a better term, co-ed (such as cross-country, tennis, swimming & diving, track & field). However, even in these “co-ed” examples, only the tennis program is led by a female. In addition, in terms of administrative positions, it looks like females hold only 3 out of the 11 possible jobs, including the SWA (which should be, at least by definition, a woman). Which means that nearly three-quarters of the top positions in the athletic department are held by men.

In addition, at the prep school where I am currently coaching, there are two female head coaches out of 16 interscholastic programs. To take one season as an example, during the winter, all five head coaching positions were held by males. However, the assistant coaches of the girls’ soccer, girls’ basketball and co-ed swimming and diving were female. Does anyone wonder if athletes internalize these coaching gender roles? What is the message, for example, when the three girl’s teams in the winter are led by men, but supported by women? Perhaps the message being sent is that behind every good man there is a woman! But also, it makes me wonder- were there any qualified women out there to lead the girls’ programs?

Whenever asked, athletic directors and search committees will assure you that they are focused on hiring the best candidate possible. However, even an intentionally “gender blind” hiring process can put women at a disadvantage. For example, women may have more gaps in their resumes due to having children and family responsibilities. So when you compare a male resume with a female resume, it may appear as though the male has accomplished more than the female. Also, there are fewer coaching opportunities available to women overall. With few exceptions, females mostly coach women’s sports, whereas men can coach either men’s or women’s sports. This is why you don’t see women coaching men’s soccer, but a male coaching women’s soccer is quite common.

Here’s the thing. I honestly believe that there are good, capable female coaches out there who are desperately trying to break into the coaching ranks as well as athletic adminstration. One roadblock for women, I think, is that the system doesn’t seem to support females entering or staying in the profession. The hours and time commitment in college athletics (and increasingly, high school) are not always conducive to juggling multiple roles, so women may be detered from athletic professions to begin with. Also, the search process must spread beyond the old boys network. Put job postings on sport organization websites. Advertise to the local women’s leagues. Talk to other female coaches. There are strong candidates out there if committees are willing to search.

I believe our female athletes benefit when they have more female coaches and adminstrators. Girls need to see, with real examples, that women can get hired and lead athletic programs just as well as men can. While not every female athlete is going to pursue a career in athletics, they still need to have positive examples of leadership, achievement and work-life balance. Promoting females in sport professions will provide examples for young girls to follow.

For more information about females in sport professions, I recommend reading Vivian Acosta and Linda Carpenter’s “Women in Intercollegiate Sport: A Longitudinal, National Study.” http://www.acostacarpenter.org/

The 2008 update on women’s intercollegiate athletics includes information on participation opportunities for female athletes, women’s sports teams, and employment opportunities for coaches, athletics directors and administrators, athletic trainers and sports information directors. Personally, I’ve been following the results for at least 12 years now. I think it is the single most comprehensive source for statistics on females in sports.

What NOT to do when coaching girls: Talk about Weight or Body Issues

What NOT to do when coaching girls #3.

When I was playing NCAA Division III soccer in the late nineties, my male soccer coach required that the entire team have their body fat percentage measured with skin calipers in the athletic training room. He assured us that the numbers were private and that only the athletic trainer, coaches and the athlete would know. However, any sense of confidentiality was blown by the fact that players whose body fat was above 22% were required to meet at the field at 6:00am and run for 45 minutes. This was dubbed the “fat club.”

I am blessed with thin genes but some of my teammates were not so fortunate. As women in our thirties now, we still talk about the impact those body fat tests had on us so many years ago. Some women laugh about it. Some are pretty embarrassed. All of us seem to intuitively understand that it was not the most effective way for our coach to handle fitness testing. However, to this day, our soccer coach probably has no clue that his body fat testing regime and the fat club running group could have been detrimental to women’s body image and self-esteem.

While most coaches probably wouldn’t engage in body fat testing now (I hope not), there are other subtle things that coaches can say or do that can impact a girls’ body image for better or for worse. Saying “you would be faster if you lost 10 pounds” may be the physical reality, but emotionally, the girl has just received another message that her body is not good enough the way it is. Girls are inundated daily with images and messages that they are too fat, too short, not pretty enough.

As I’ve stated before, girls listen and they are coachable. So if their coach says they should lose weight, they are motivated to do it. And then they receive approval. Which can begin an ugly cycle of weight loss, affirmation, and motivation to lose even more weight. An innocent remark can have major consequences.

So as a coach, if you are truly concerned with a player’s weight, say something to their parents, or mention it to the athletic trainer. Also, you can send an email to the school counselor or nurse. But in my opinion, when coaches  attempt to talk to players about body issues or weight loss, there is room for miscommunication and the effect is potentially harmful. Instead, as coaches, we should strive to create an environment that creates a “safe haven” from negative messages about the female body. Sport and fitness activities should be, ideally, a place where girls can actually feel good about themselves and their bodies.

What NOT to do when coaching girls: Ignore them

What NOT to do when coaching girls #2.

I’ve noticed that with few exceptions, the girls on the teams I’ve coached are high-achieving kids who want to do well and aim to please. As a result, these players are often very coachable. Give them feedback, and they’ll listen. I imagine that other high school girls’ coaches have similar types of athletes on their teams. Which is why I am troubled whenever I witness instances when a team has lost a game, and their coach leaves the field without talking to the players. Or, a player is subbed out of the game and the coach doesn’t even acknowledge them as they run off the field and take their place on the bench.

However, on the flip side, these coaches will linger after wins and soak up the praise for guiding the team to victory. Similarly, I’ve seen coaches high-five and pat their players on the back when they score goals, and heap on the praise when the results are positive. Because let’s face it, when a team looks good, the coach looks good, too.

But as the old saying goes, actions speak louder than words. Words spoken by a coach may sound good, such as when he or she claims to care about the team and states that the success of a season doesn’t come down to the win-loss record. However, the coach’s actions may demonstrate a different reality altogether.

My concern is not necessarily about the coach’s desire for glory or the appeal of being associated with winning teams, but rather, I’m troubled by the inconsistent messages that are being sent to our players, parents and fans. Basically, it appears as though the coach is only willing to associate with the team after wins and pay attention to the players when they perform well. But after a loss, the coach seems to want nothing to do with them. 

This tendancy to avoid the players after a loss or a poor individual performance seems to run counter to our job as educators and coaches. Because in my opinion, these “low points” are the moments when athletes need their coaches the most. A coach must be able to present the big picture and help the team and/or players to bounce back after disappointing situations, remember whose needs are being met, and put the game into perspective.

Therefore, no matter how frustrated I feel as a coach, I try to put the player’s needs first. For example, when I was coaching lacrosse in Connecticut, my team suffered a heart-breaking loss to an opponent that we had never lost to before. It was frustrating because my team blew our halftime lead, we played down to the level of our opponents, and one of our top players had a melt-down in the second half and I ended up benching her.  As the coach, I wanted to scream at the refs, ignore my team, and go hide in the equipment shed. But I knew that if I indulged my personal needs as a coach over the needs of the team, the players would stew over the loss for the rest of the weekend. The drama of the loss would take on a life of it’s own. And then we’d have to deal with bigger team issues during Monday’s practice.

So I remember holding a brief team meeting right after that heart-breaking game, saying that I knew they felt bad and acknowledging that I did, too. But we needed to support each other and avoid pointing fingers. While we never liked to lose, at least we still had 5 more games left on the schedule. Tomorrow was a new day, Monday a new practice, and Wednesday we had another game and a chance to redeem ourselves. I felt better knowing that I took care of the kids and the needs of the team first. I believe that team meeting helped the girls to see the bigger picture. We were able to put that game behind us and focus on preparing for the next opponent.

While coaching in a game yesterday, I experienced an example of keeping the game in perspective. One of our defenders was having a hard time marking the opponents top attacker. I eventually decided to sub her since she really appeared to be struggling. She came off the field, made a bee-line to the far end of the bench, and proceeded to start crying. I considered just leaving her alone and focusing on the players on the field. I mean, this was a tournament game- very important.

However, the educator in me realized that I needed to touch base and make sure she was ok. I went over, sat next to her on the bench, and when I looked at her, I realized she had gotten a fat lip at some point in the game. Just then I remembered that she was going to the prom later that night. I asked if she was crying because she was in pain or if there was another reason. She said that she was just frustrated with her play and yes, she was in pain. So I took the very simple step of walking her over to the ice cooler and preparing a bag of ice for her. I told her that if she held the ice to her lip for 20 minutes, the swelling would decrease. She stopped crying, sat with her teammates on the bench with the ice pressed against her face, and soon after, she told me she felt better and she was ready to go back into the game. 

It took probably one minute of my time, but by attending to her needs, even when she wasn’t playing well, I was able to let her know that I cared about her as a person. The potentially dramatic situation on the bench was averted, and she eventually re-entered the game. I admit, these conversations are not always fun for a coach. However, making a point to touch base with a player who is down and out can help diffuse a small problem that, if left unattended, could morph into a larger issue. A simple “are you ok?” goes a long way to clear the air and can put the situation into perspective for both the player and the coach.

What NOT to do when coaching girls: Scream and Yell

I’ve been coaching girls’ sports for 12 years now. I’ve coached at the middle school, high school, collegiate division III, and collegiate club levels. There certain differences among my former teams, such as geographic location, public vs. private, age, physical and emotional maturity, and commitment level.

However, there are some similarities among the various teams, as well. In a series of blog postings, I will share some “do’s and don’ts” that I learned over my years of coaching girls. I hope my ideas will help coaches understand that coaching girls requires a different approach. Bear in mind that I am not coaching professional athletes or Olympians. For the most part, I have coached athletes during their teenage years, and sports are only one aspect of their very busy lives. But it is my sincere hope that for my athletes, their sport experiences are meaningful, valuable and positive parts of their life.

What NOT to do #1: Scream and yell at them when they make mistakes. I’m currently the assistant varsity lacrosse coach for a high school team. There are 21 players on the squad and I can think of one girl- maybe- who can handle it when a coach gets in her face. She’ll respond by thinking “I’ll show you” and will go out and score a goal. However, the remaining 20 girls on the team would shut down emotionally if we yelled at them after a mistake. They are smart kids, they know they should catch the ball and throw it accurately. But they are still learning, and as a result, they make some errors. They feel bad enough as it is, and then they have a coach yelling at them not to drop the ball. Negative feedback seems to just compound their frustration and their dismay at not performing well.

Don’t get me wrong, I have been known to yell from the sideline. Specifically, I tend to yell instructions or point out a common mistake that many players are making “get low to pick up the ground balls” for instance. But I try to avoid singling one player out exclusively.  Instead, what has worked for me is to keep a dry-erase board on the sideline, and when issues occur during the game, I write a note as a reminder to talk about it later with the players in the situation.

Then, when I have a chance, I will pull them aside privately- when they get subbed out, or during halftime- and ask them what happened in that situation, what they think went wrong, and ask what they can do in the future to correct it. It turns out that more often than not, the player knows what she did wrong and has a pretty good idea what she could do to correct it. This is where the coaching opportunity presents itself and I’ll give my feedback and coaching points. By making it a conversation, instead of me just yelling at them, I believe that the girls are much more receptive to my coaching feedback and actually learn from their mistakes.

“I didn’t think I could do it, but I did!”

One of my best moments in coaching girls’ lacrosse occurred a few weeks ago. It was a big game. We were playing against Bowie, one of our local Texas Girls High School Lacrosse League (TGHSLL) rivals. During the warm-ups, our senior co-captain and starting goalie Lauren told me that her shoulder was hurting. My heart skipped a beat, considering that she  plays every minute of every game. She is a very good goalie, and her teammates trust her. I asked if she thought she could still play, and she bravely answered yes, she wanted to keep warming up and see if the pain subsided. Let me remind you, this was a big game.

The game started and God bless her, but Lauren couldn’t make a save if her life depended on it. I mean, the other team was taking shots that ordinarily, Lauren could save in her sleep. Yet, on that night, she was hurt and therefore, she was letting them in. Clearly she was in pain. So 10 minutes into the game, I turned to our back-up goalie Jess and told her that we needed to get her ready to go into the game. I might as well said that I was going to toss her into a pit with venomous rattlesnakes because she had a complete and utter look of terror on her face. She asked me: ”Really?! Now!?” I didn’t hesitate. “Absolutely. Now. You are ready.” So poor frightened Jess, who hadn’t seen a moment of varsity lacrosse action this season, grabbed her helmet and stick and dutifully followed me to the extra cage we have to the side of the field. I brought a substitute player along with me, so she could warm up Jess while I kept an eye on Lauren and determined if we really, truly needed to make this goalie change.

As I watched poor Lauren wince as she unsuccessfully attempted to stop yet another shot by the relentless Bowie attackers, I knew that Jess’ time had come. After a few minutes of warm-up, I told the other player that we were all set and sent her back to the bench. Then I calmly said to Jess “That was a great warm up. You need to step up and rise to the occasion. If you don’t feel confident, fake it. Fake it ’til you make it.” She nodded and stepped into the subsitution box. After another goal was scored, we had the opportunity to sub. My stomach flipped as Jess ran onto to the field and Lauren staggered off. I hoped that this was a temporary switch, that Lauren would get checked out by the trainer, the trainer would work her magic, and Lauren would run back onto the field as if nothing had happened.

However, when I brought Lauren over to be examined, the trainer said that it didn’t look good, maybe a pinched nerve? Definitely out for the game, maybe several games, in fact. At that point, I left Lauren with the trainer and focused all of my positive energy on Jess. I thought, if we can just keep it out of our defensive end for the rest of the game, we’ll be ok. But another part of me believed that Jess could in fact rise to the occassion. And as her coach, I had to act as though I had all of the confidence in the world in her abilities.

At halftime, we were losing 10-5. The other players didn’t even attempt to conceal their worries about not having the starting goalie in the game. I told the team that Jess was prepared and ready and they needed to support her. Miraculously, after the second half started, the momentum changed. Our team began to win the draw, and thus, established possession. Our midfielders and attackers settled down and started to score off of fast breaks and transition. All of the sudden, we had taken Bowie out of their groove. By midway through the second half, the score was tied and our offense was on fire. It seemed as though every time our attack shot, we scored.

But don’t think for a second that the offense was the only reason that we clawed our way back into the game. Oh no. The defensive unit and Jess came up big for us. In fact, Jess made several huge saves. As regulation time progressed, we established a lead and then held Bowie at bay while they attempted some last ditch efforts to rally near the end. As the final seconds ticked off the clock and the scoreboard read 17-15 in our favor, I remember feeling chills run down my spine. We rallied from a five-goal deficit, without our starting goalie, and finished victorious. I was so proud.

The buzzer sounded and our girls jumped and screamed in jubilation. I ran straight past the celebrating field players and sprinted towards my little hero, Jess. I gave her a big hug and she said “I didn’t think I could do it, but I did!” I shouted that I knew she could do it- fake it ’til you make it, right? But then we were swallowed by the entire team, as they diverted their midfield celebration to come down to the goal and congratulate the true hero of the game. I removed myself from the cheering throng and thought, this is the reason I coach. Jess rose to the occasion and not only exceeded all expectations, but saved the game for us. I will remember that moment for a long time. And hopefully, Jess will too.