Take in the following scenario: 50 friends get to leave the snow and 10 degree weather of South Bend, Indiana, and fly to the sunshine and 70 degree weather of Orlando, Florida. The group will be going to dinners, staying together in a nice hotel, and going to Disney World.
Now add to the scenario the fact that the group is actually a college lacrosse team, and that the reason for the trip is to compete against the USA national team, at Disney World, in a game that would be broadcast on ESPNU. The team trip to Disney World wasn't to experience the magic of Disney, but to practice and play. Can you imagine the challenge a coach would face in trying to keep his team focused in the face of so many monumental distractions?
I was lucky enough to be a member of a team that got to take this trip this past weekend. We left the snow behind us Friday morning, arriving in Orlando in the afternoon. Because I knew I would be writing this blog on the experience, I tried to pay more attention than normal to the exact details of the methods my coaches would use to keep our team focused on the purpose of the trip. Well, I didn't have to wait long, as we went directly from the airport to the practice field. As we bused past the exits to various Disney attractions, it was evident that the members of the team would much rather be going to any one of them than to the practice field. As we pulled up to the entrance to the Disney sports complex, the challenge of keeping our team focused truly dawned on me. I know that I, personally, had never been to Disney before and was a little overwhelmed at everything going on; I also really wanted to go see more at the other locations, but that was an empty wish. However, when our team was dressed and ready to go on the practice field, focus had to turn to the various drills at hand.
Unfortunately, it is not that easy for a team to go from a bus trip to a plane ride back onto a bus directly to practice, and our team's performance reflected this difficulty. Dropped passes and mental mistakes were more numerous than the normal well-executed plays we normally make as a team. Our coaches were obviously not happy, and had to get that fact across to the team.
At the end of practice, in our huddle, our coach rounded up the dilemma facing each of us players and offered us a very simple solution. While we were indeed in Florida, and in the nice weather, and at Disney, we were there for a very specific reason: to get better as a lacrosse team. This didn't mean that we couldn't have a good time and enjoy both ourselves and our surroundings, but we had a job to do. When we set foot on the field, we were to be both physically and mentally present and focused. When we played, we were to give our performance our complete effort. When we were away from the field and back at our hotel, then we could enjoy ourselves, but only in ways that wouldn't inhibit our ability to carry out our responsibility of giving complete focus to our sport.
The next day we continued our mission to get better as a lacrosse team by having a morning practice, followed by a few hour break of free time at the hotel before another practice. As you can probably guess, convincing a group of college kids from snow-bound Notre Dame not to go swimming and lay out in the sun during the day while they were in Florida during their free time was not an easy thing to do. But rather than lay down a law, our coach simply told us to use our better judgement and think about how our actions would affect our team. This seemed to have a powerful effect, as while a large portion of our team went straight from the first practice to the side of the pool, it was evident that our coach's words, and our goal as a team were not forgotten. Players relaxed in the sun, and jumped in the outdoor pool before sending texts reminding friends back in the snow of the weather they were enjoying, but then they headed back to the shade to relax and refresh for the next practice. Our coach had managed to overcome this incredible distraction simply by reminding us as players of our responsibility to each other to be able to give our all.
On Sunday, the day of the game, our team was tested in our ability to remain focused on the task at hand of becoming a better lacrosse team. Our game came and went, and as the clock ticked down we would not be on top on the scoreboard, but as the game had progressed our level of play as a team had risen, and we reached the goal our coach had presented us with. After the game, our coach acknowledged our ability to stay focused and improve as the game went on. His simple reminders had kept the idea of our personal responsibility to our teammates in our mind throughout the weekend, yet still allowed us to have a fun experience in Florida.
While writing, I am currently on the plane back to Chicago. I dread the return to the cold and snow, and I am positive that I am not alone in this. However, I also know that there are 50 other guys on this same flight who know that our coaches are already planning on how to ensure that, as a team, our focus is returning with us from Disney and is now on the next step in our team's season.

Jake Marmul
Social Foundations of Coaching
ND 2011