Good Sports
Character Lessons for Life
by
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Moments before the game began, the coaches gathered the team at the bench and spoke quickly. “It’s just a practice game, guys,” said the first coach. “Stay focused on your fundamentals. Try to run the plays but don’t worry if you make a mistake. If you are open – shoot the ball. Everyone is a scorer on this team. Everyone will be playing a lot. Hustle on defense. We will be substituting fresh players into the game every few minutes.”
The second coach reminded the team to play aggressive defense. And then he added, “On offense, look for the open player. We know that you all want to win this game. But we don’t care whether you win or not. Try to win – yes! But play together like a team. That’s what we expect from you and that’s what we will talk about after the game.”
Five of the boys club players walked out onto the court. So did the taller sixth grade team with the sharp looking green uniforms. Only one of the boys club players looked as tall as the players on the opposing team. The volunteer referee gathered the teams around the center circle and looked around at both teams positioning on the court for the jump-ball. He paused a moment and pointed to the foot of one of the players. Then he put the whistle in his mouth as the boy moved his foot off of the black line.
Standing in front of the boys club bench, one of the coaches stepped towards the other coach and said, “This should be interesting. We know our players are good, but do they?” With a chuckle the other coach responded, “They’re nervous. But that should smooth out. I’m just hoping that they play together as a team today. If they do, those big boys in the shiny green uniforms are in for a bit of a surprise.”
The boys club did play together that day. Sam missed his first three shots, then hit most of the rest. Luke showed his hustle. Mike demonstrated his fundamentals and made his shots too. Nathan showed his heart and played with passion. Paul played tentatively at first, then learned he was skilled enough to compete too. All of the boys club players tried to do the things they were asked by the coach. When they seemed confused, they were pulled from the game, instructed and immediately substituted back into the game so that they did not have negative feelings about being instructed. They slapped hands after good plays. They listened to their coaches as they competed against the taller team. The green team played hard also, but with a little too much emotion – the wrong kind of emotion. They had walked out onto the court expecting to win against the scruffy looking boys club. Frustration, and eventually fear that they would lose, prevented them from playing their best. The boys club, on the other hand, played with steady teamwork as they out-hustled and out-scored their opponents.
At the end of the game, the two teams passed each other and slapped hands. The boys club returned to their bench for a quick discussion of the game. Resisting the temptation to do all the talking, the coaches asked questions. “Was that fun? Did you believe before the game that you would win? What did you do better than the other team today? What surprised them? What surprised you? Which team played together the best today?” The boys answered the questions with serious looks on their faces, but they couldn’t hide their satisfaction with themselves. Yes, they had won and they knew it, but the coaches didn’t congratulate them on winning. They talked instead about the many things that the boys did right out there on the court on that day – and a few things they didn’t.
At the end of the post-game teaching moment, the coaches asked the boys club to put their hands together in the middle of their circle. Before going home for the day the boys were instructed to shake each others’ hand and then shake the hand of each coach. Teaching spirit and camaraderie, coach said, “Nice effort today team. You played together and it was noticeable on the court. On the count of three, we are going to yell something. Any suggestions?” Sam replied, “Let’s yell teamwork.” And so they did.
Every game that year was a “practice” game. The boys club wore their practice uniforms all year long. They never did buy shiny uniforms or warm-up sweats. The coaches would jokingly tease them about being too rough and unrefined to deserve “real” uniforms. The boys adopted their rough-tough image and wore their uniforms with pride.
The following year they reunited to play together again. By now they had a reputation of being mean and ferocious defensive players. They
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About the Book
Ask successful people, from any occupation, to share their secret, you’ll likely hear a variety of answers – determination, competitiveness, tenacity, courage and character – to name a few. No secret formulas or shortcuts, successful people learned to occupy their time meaningfully, pursuing work and play with a purpose.
Good Sports tells the stories of children who showed up for their first sports practice with hope and playful purpose. It was the adults who helped the young athletes by sharing time, skills, vision and encouragement – adults who chose to get involved. They brought perspective and meaning to every practice and competition. As the players matured, they returned each year with renewed enthusiasm because participation was fun and personally rewarding. Their stories inspire.
“Mark Gensic has written a book which should be of significance to any
and every aspiring young coach.”
RALPH LINDEMAN
Head Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Coach, U.S. Air Force Academy
Coaching
Past-President, NCAA Division I Track Coaches Association
About the Author
Mark Gensic is an engineer responsible for the city’s water resources design department. In college, he played basketball, volleyball and soccer (MVP). Father of five children, Gensic is interested in the character development of young people and the lessons to be learned from youth sports. He has officiated volleyball, founded a youth basketball club and conducted workshops in parenting. Gensic also coached YMCA and AAU basketball, school track & field and participated in the US Olympic Training Center Elite Youth camp.
Gensic’s passion to be a positive influence in the lives of today’s youth is reflected in the success of his own children. Four sons received and accepted appointments to the United States Air Force Academy. The fifth played college basketball and is currently a teacher and coach. All five excelled as team leaders because of their character.
Gensic lives in