Being a Captain Being a Leader 1. Your attitude is contagious. Is yours worth catching? I remember from my sophomore year (my first year on the Varsity team), I looked up to my captains so much. I was new to the team and so I tried to follow their example. As a captain, your attitude is extremely contagious. If you approach an issue, practice, or performance with a negative attitude, expect the rest of the team to follow suit. This doesnt mean you have to be a happy-go-lucky-sing-kum-by-yah person all the time, but a little optimism never hurt. Be realistic, but be hopeful. 2. Dont be a hypocrite. Once you accept the role of captain, you also accept a role as an authority figure. Sometimes, you will have to face a situation when you have to talk to a team member about behaviors that violate team rules and culture, such as tardiness or missed practices or attitudes. But will she take you seriously if youve been late to every practice yourself, question the teams philosophy, have a poor attitude. LEAD BY EXAMPLE! 3.Being the captain of a team can be a very visible role. You are not only a leader on your team, but a leader in the student body and the community. As a team captain, I visited elementary schools numerous times and also attended various community events. Whenever I did anything like that, whenever I wore my team t-shirt, whenever I identified myself as being captain, I became an ambassador for the team. Strive to present yourself in a way that would make your coach, your principal, etc. proud of you. Balance 1. Its sometimes difficult to be both a team member and a team captain. The roles obviously go hand in hand, but its not easy. Often my coach would tell my co-captain and I confidential information. It was extremely hard at times to keep this information to ourselves. Team members would complain about various decisions and want to know how a decision was made, however we couldnt tell as it would violate the trust that our coach put in us. Sometimes you need to blend your two roles, however at other times, you need to mentally separate them. 2. Have you ever heard the expression working for the Common Good? It is basically a principle that states that you want to do whats best for the most people. This is a vital quality on a team.. Be Irreplaceable for Your Coach 1. Support him or her. Im sure you your coach will have discussions regarding decisions on the team. However, its important that when it comes down towards relating information and decisions to the team, that you both be on the same page. 2. Anticipate her needs. Dont make her ask you to do stuff all the time. When you take the lead, others will follow. 3. Go above and beyond. As you will come to find out, being captain is not isolated to just practice times. After practice I often stayed discussing issues and doing stuff with my coach. It might be mundane stuff, like cleaning up our mess in the gym or it might be serious stuff, like questioning the dedication of a team member. This relates to the previous point. Dont just walk out the door with the rest of the team after practice is done. Ask your coach if she needs needs anything. You can dictate the atmosphere for the team. Captains can make or break a good thing.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 19:23:06 +0000
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