Watching the Olympics can be an eye-opening experience for the viewer; everything from the opening ceremonies (I hope everyone caught the simulation of whales swimming in the floor), to watching the bobsleds speed down the course in excess of 90 mph, to watching the figure skaters spin in circles so quickly that their faces become mere blurs (without the end result being them skating off like a contestant in a bat spin race). We are introduced to the best athletes in the world and get to see them perform at levels that quite frankly I will never be able to achieve in anything.
Not only do we get to see the incredible results of their dedication to their sports, but often times NBC provides us with segments that allow us a glimpse at what their training regiment is like, and interestingly for me, how they interact with their coaches, both in training and during the competition.
Given my love of snowboarding, it is no surprise that I was thrilled at the amount of coverage given to the U.S. snowboarding team, especially my personal favorite Shaun White. In fact, the coverage was so extensive that NBC was intent on catching his every move during the final event, leading to the now infamous exchange between Shaun White and his coach right before his final halfpipe run.
White had already clinched the gold medal with his first run, however he wanted to soak up the experience by using his second run to perform for the crowd. NBC captured White and his coach deciding what tricks he should perform, however instead of telling him what to do, his coach asked him instead “What do you want to do?” (to which White jokingly replied he wanted to ride down the middle). This simple question has the potential to be overlooked because of the coach’s use of a few swear words in the surrounding conversation, however I think it is important to remember because of what it implies about the relationship with White and his coach, as well as the coach’s coaching technique.
The coach allowed White complete ownership over his routine in the most important competition of his life. This shows that even in the highest level of competition that a person could ever be in, allowing the player Ownership is still essential. It seemed to be very much a relationship of equals at least, and at best (and probably more likely) a relationship of friends. I think this is important to see that even Olympians need the kind of coach that will work with them, as a team, and allow them to set their own goals.
If it’s any indicator of what giving an athlete a share in Ownership can do, White proceeded to land a trick never before attempted in Olympic competition, the infamous Double McTwist. Oh yeah, and he scored a 48.4 out of 50, too.
Allie Castro, ND 2010
Social Foundations of Coaching
