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‘the only thing worse than running is not having something to run for.’”
These players are exceedingly competitive and badly want to win. But it’s not their purpose. Instead, they remain focused on “playing for the name on the front of their jerseys,” a higher purpose that prioritizes sportsmanship and character development and “team over individual.”
Be Intentional About Everything
“If you don’t like what’s happening on your team, it’s your fault.”
“Intentionality may be the biggest part of our success.”
“I’m not looking for the best players. I’m looking for the right players.”
“team chemistry isn’t something that we just hope for,” says Coach McCarty. “It’s something that we work really hard at. It’s not easy, it’s not simple, and it doesn’t just happen.” Rather, Messiah has designed specific processes to build and protect relationships.
In short, they choreograph game day. For home games, that means routines and traditions to keep players focused and to connect them back to those alumni who came before them.
for the coaches it means investing in powerful habits that make them more effective leaders.
The winning isn’t what happens on the field. Ninety-five percent of it is what happens before we ever get to the field. Todd Balsbaugh
“playing to a standard.” Coach Brandt elaborates: “Playing to a standard is a higher calling than winning. The problem with making winning the highest calling is this: After you win, the question becomes where do we go from here?”
The lesson for leaders: Be patient. “It took years and years,”
Our goal is not really to win soccer games. But we work really hard at it, without question. Scott
We definitely want to win, but it doesn’t define us. Our worth as a person is not wrapped up in it.
“Our focus is not quite on soccer … We care about our relationships with each other. We care about our relationship with Christ… (We’re) playing for something more.”
“You play hard. You play all out all the time for the glory of God, because of what he’s given you.”
“approach competition as an act of worship,” an opportunity to steward the gifts that God has entrusted to them.
“We are playing a sport we love, with teammates we love, for a God we love.”
Acts 4:32: “All the believers were one in heart and mind.”
“playing for an audience of One,”
ambition that’s had staying power to this day. “I wrote on the board that we were going to be ‘the best place in the country to play college soccer.’ I didn’t say we’d be the best team, I said best place to play, which is controllable. The best guys, the best coaches, the best team chemistry, the best training methods, the best practices, the most positive group.”
for the newly-installed coach and offers this player perspective: “‘The best place to play’ means you love the guys you’re playing with. It means you develop deep relationships that go well beyond soccer. It means you have awesome team chemistry where what the team needs is more important than what you need—and you fully buy-in to that. It means you fight for game time but you don’t hold that against your teammate—that you’re not mad when you’re subbed out, but instead, you’re excited for the guy who came in for you. And it means we have each other’s back.”
create an environment, one where people grow and thrive and gratefully represent the One who sent them there.
Prepared for life.
seniors clean up the balls and cones and even hand out water to the guys. During breaks in practice, says All-American Nick Thompson, the seniors jog over first so they can serve the others. Now Nick’s doing the same thing as an Assistant Coach at NC State, confusing the team a bit, he chuckles, but modeling the way.
Both sets of coaches maintain standards like “sit in the front row of all classes (or, if there are no seats there, sit in the middle of the second row), never wear a baseball cap, participate in class and develop a relationship with your teacher that is based first on a student and later as an athlete.”
educate men and women toward maturity of intellect, character and Christian faith in preparation for lives of service, leadership and reconciliation in church and society.”
sportsmanship should never be sacrificed for the cause of winning a game—even if it’s a championship.
“One of the goals of our soccer team is to be good role models of Christian sportsmanship.
Coach John Wooden thought so, including it in his basic, three-part formula for success: conditioning, fundamentals, unity.7 The first two elements are self-explanatory and, relatively speaking, easily achieved; the third is both elusive and extraordinary, a significant distinctive of the best teams in and out of athletics.
“Playing for God’s glory does not help Messiah win, but it does give its teams a unity of purpose.”
“Does that mean we accept or condone the behavior?” Frey asks rhetorically. “No. That’s a completely different discussion.” But the point here is that for Messiah Soccer, the purpose is in place, the direction is clear, the standard is obvious, and players are held accountable to it. And because they’ve recruited athletes who are going to fit the culture (Discipline 3), people can just gently remind one another of those standards to reduce the malignant conflicts and power struggles that undermine so many
teams. ______________________
“Selflessness means the team comes first. There is no place for selfishness, egotism, or envy.” Notice, this is core value number one.
Winning: “Never the Purpose but Always the Point”
Christians on the athletic field are often viewed as soft. We don’t treat our task that way. Jesus didn’t just go around hugging school children. He was also on a mission.
The Women’s Team 1. The team comes first. There is no place for selfishness, egotism, or envy. 2. We have complete control over our physical preparation and take responsibility for it. 3. We choose to be positive. 4. There are no unimportant details. We do things a certain way for a reason. “Little things make big things happen.” 5. We mean no offense and take no offense with each other. 6. Team Spirit: An eagerness to sacrifice personal interests or glory for the welfare of all. 7. Success: Giving of your best at all times, no matter the circumstances. 8. We work hard. 9. Do the right thing,
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Be Intentional About Everything
Intentionality may be the biggest part of our success.
“I will study and get ready, and perhaps my chance will come.”
Intentionality in everything, including the little things, makes the big things more possible.
And some are downright rare, like managing the mindset of reserve players, ensuring their readiness through reminders that they matter, and even tracking down inspirational stories to energize them.
“If You Don’t Like What’s Happening on
Your Team, It’s Your Fault”
“If you don’t like what’s happening on your team, it’s your fault.”
As the leader, you have the power—all the power you need, in fact—so use it to create the team and the culture you really want.
Don’t whine about uninspired team members, or a culture of mediocrity, or people who won’t follow, or your anemic pipeline of recruits. Those things, like almost everything else, are controllable.
“We are all products of the choices we make every second of every day.” He then shares a longstanding adage: “If you want to know why your life is the way it is today, look at what you did yesterday. If you want to know what your life will be like tomorrow, look at what you are doing today.”
“how prepared as a coach we are for practice.”
every little action matters.”
