Many people ask me as Colorado Academy Director of Athletics how I define success in athletics. Perhaps being a loaded question, my response usually is along the lines of, “Success is different for different people.” I know some will view this as being non-committal and avoiding the true question. The bottom line is, I like to win.

 

There is a score kept in all the interscholastic, CHSAA-sanctioned, games in which CA plays, and there are so many valuable life lessons learned in the competitive arena where a score is kept, whether winning or losing. But here is where I make a distinction.

 

The difference between showing up and playing vs. preparing to compete and getting after it is critical. National Hockey League coach Ken Hitchcock says, “Players who play bring skill; players who compete bring everything.” I couldn’t agree more.

 

Some of our faculty and coaches talked informally about what word or words we would like to define our department. What words come to mind when opponents step on the field to play against a Mustang team? Long-time PE teacher and coach Bob Ulrich, PE teacher and soccer coach Sean Stedeford, and I all agreed that we would like teams and opposing coaches to know that all CA teams have purposefully and rigorously planned and prepared for the contest, and that all CA athletes know how to compete.

 

I believe knowing how to compete in athletics is extremely beneficial for students as part of the overall education they receive at CA. Sure there is value in participating, challenging oneself in a new venture, and pushing oneself within the chosen sport, all of which are necessary preliminary choices, but the most valuable lesson is learning toughness, commitment, perseverance, and teamwork as the group sets goals and deals with opponents trying to achieve their own definition of success.

 

Jay Martin, Head Men’s Soccer Coach at Ohio Wesleyan University, who also leads the NCAA in career wins with more than 640, suggests that in soccer, “There is too much playing in American soccer and not enough competing.” I am confident that this sentiment can be transferred to other youth and high school sports. Competing is more than just playing the sport; competing includes leadership, trust, pride, losing gracefully, winning graciously, and working hard. It means doing your best, contributing to the team instead of just participating; it means making the most out of the athletic experience.

 

It has been said that education is a “messy business.” In CA athletics, my goal for Mustang athletes is as Martin says, “Teaching athletes to compete, fight, work hard and have the will to win.” The habits of a winner’s mind are developed by working diligently and continuously with focus and with well-intended coaches who know the value of competing in athletics. In Stanford University Carol Dweck’s, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, she says, “Children who are taught to focus on effort and getting better (and not the outcome) learn to work hard and solve the problem.”

 

This philosophy helps build winners without focusing on the winning. Influencing students to revel in the hard work and be confident in their efforts pays dividends that last a lifetime, something that does not always become apparent in the short term, but we can all be proud of in the long term.

 

As we continue our winter sports season, I encourage people to come out and witness some of the learning that takes place in the gymnasium or at the pool. Check the athletics tab on the CA website for the next CA contest. Go Mustangs!