Bullying is not solved with ‘one and done’ approach

       

            The film Bully, opening in theaters today, addresses an issue that is verging on an epidemic with more than 18 million young people reportedly being bullied in the United States this year alone.

Before the motion picture has even hit the big screen, it already is inspiring a wide array of opinions ranging from educators to Lady Gaga. And all too often the suggested solution to bullying will be a “one and done” event, an ineffective approach, according to a University of Notre Dame psychologist.

“Bringing in a one-time motivational speaker to raise awareness will not resolve this issue and is a waste of money,” says F. Clark Power, a professor of liberal studies and psychology who specializes in moral education and development. “Even worse, this approach will salve the conscience without solving the problem.”

Power believes the only real solution involves commitment and consistency to change the culture over time. That is why Dr. Power has a history of commitment to the bullying issue, showcasing his approach to the issue in the research that developed the Play Like a Champion Today™ program he founded several years ago. Through his research he has concluded the only real solution is to focus on changing the culture; not the bully’s behavior or the victim’s responses exclusively.

“The key to change is to focus on the bystanders and get them to own the bullying issue themselves by becoming involved. Often fear of being bullied themselves is the barrier to becoming involved. And the only way to create involvement is to create understanding that the bully is not the problem of just the victim alone, but the problem of all.”

Over the years, research first focused on the victim – producing no significant solution. Next the pathology of the bully was studied – again with no measurable change resulting. Research has shown that real change only occurs when you work with the kids themselves in a group to change that group’s culture. For example, working with kids in a safe group environment with hypothetical dilemmas allows each member to feel what it is like to be both the victim and the bystander. Once kids are comfortable in this environment, we can move them to solve bullying issues in their “real life” through development of shared group norms.

Power has worked in the area of moral development and culture for the majority of his academic career. Approximately 10 years ago he formed the Play Like A Champion Educational Series for youth and high school sports. This program is a forum for coaches, athletic administrators and parents to address issues such as bullying and character development within a team.

“In many ways schools can learn from good sports and coaches practical and sustained methods to solve the bullying issue. Coaches working with their teams to look out for each other rarely have sustained bullying issues because the team will rally around a victim and shut the bullying down.”

Power and his team are currently concluding a research project within the South Bend Community School Corporation on moral development, with early findings validating the team culture approach to bullying as being sustainable both in the arena and in life.  

Muffet Teaches Athletes to GROW

Notre Dame Social Foundations of Coaching student, Kelsey Taylor blogs...

Coaching is a much more complex task than many perceive it to be.  Particularly when it comes to coaching a high caliber team at the collegiate level.  Muffet McGraw however, has seemed to find her niche as one of the most successful and renowned college women’s basketball coaches in history.  As McGraw enters the NCAA tournament this week as a number one seed, one should take note of how well she demonstrates the aspects that Play Like a Champion coaching guide preaches.

Muffet not only boasts of having an overall winning percentage of .733 in her 25 years coaching at Notre Dame, but she additionally has been nominated for the Naismith Coach of the Year award among many others, and has prepared all of her current and prior players to not only be athletically talented but excel in the real world as well.  She is also well known for her extraordinarily high basketball IQ, and her demeanor in which she presents herself on and off the court.

This is why when analyzing the GROW standards that were discussed in the Play Like a Champion coaching handbook, I immediately envisioned Muffet McGraw.  It is clear that she has clear goals for herself, the team as a whole, and her individual players.  More importantly, she also possesses the mastery of basketball to achieve them with the talent she is able to recruit.  As far as relationships go, McGraw is known as one of the most personable coaches, and prides herself in finding the perfect pieces to fit into her puzzle of a team.  She treats them as her very own family and requires that they do the same.  McGraw clearly nurtures ownership through the opportunities she presents her players on and off the court.  This demonstrates that McGraw fully understands the impact that ownership can have on a team once each individual buys into their role.  Finally, it is evident that in addition to the prior three qualities Muffet places a high value on winning, yet promotes it in the right manner. 

With her noteworthy career winning percentage, and the quality of the players she has produced in tandem with her impeccable reputation, it is clear that Muffet McGraw is an idealistic coach and overall person.  Her assistant coach Jonathan Tsipis supports this by claiming "Coach McGraw has continually been challenging the players and understanding what buttons to push and when to push forward and when to step back a little bit ... it's just been an amazing job."  It would be quite difficult to argue for a more qualified coach who strongly embodies all of the GROW model criteria to achieve such a high level of success.  

PLC's Work in Uganda

In May of this year, 12 Notre Dame students, accompanied by Notre Dame Athletics and Play Like a Champion Today™ staff will be going to Uganda for a trip geared at promoting youth sports in the country. To learn more about the trip read here.

Uganda has been in the news a lot these days. The Kony 2012 video, showing the horrors of the life of children in Northern Uganda recently went viral. Earlier this week, a story came out about a mystifying “nodding disease” in the same region that crippling thousands of children with epileptic-like symptoms (read here).

In light of these news stories, a trip to promote youth sports might be seen as a little strange. The safety of the American students and the worthiness of the trip might be called into question. However, this trip is a worthy endeavor for a number of reasons, and here’s just a few:

1.      There is a clear link between human development and sports. Sports provide physical benefits to those who participate, increasing their mental health as well as their cardio-vascular well-being. Although AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis often dominate the health challenges in developing countries, heart disease is still the number one cause of health problems and death in the developing world. Sports also promote a good quality of life, by creating a shared space for people to flourish together without stigma that might be caused by gender, religion, ethnicity, or medical issues. This is all in addition to a host of social, economic, and educational benefits gained by incorporating sports into human development that you can read about here.

2.      The University of Notre Dame is complementing work that is already in progress in Uganda. Having worked in Uganda for a year and a half, I learned that nothing can be done by well-intentioned outsiders without support and ownership from domestic stakeholders in Uganda. PLC’s trip is meant to assist in the development of the Physical education curriculum in the country, and to support research being done by professors at Ugandan Martyrs University about physical education’s role on the development of children.

3.      The Notre Dame students will never be the same. The word “Africa” can stir up a number of images in our heads. Wildlife on the savannah, tribal warriors in traditional dress, war, and injustice are some of the images of the continent that end up in the US. But even a short visit such as this one will show our students that there is so much more to Uganda than what we read and see. It is a safe place of incredible joy and astounding beauty. It is a troubled place where most people are very poor and unstable. It is a country that is working hard to combat those problems in the realms of education, economics, and human rights. And Uganda is home to some of the kindest, friendliest people on the planet, eager to welcome visitors into their culture. The trip will challenge our students to examine their own values, possessions, and lifestyles. It will open their eyes to the positive role that youth sports and the Play Like a Champion Today™ model can play in promoting good child development both down the street and across the globe. 

We are very much looking forward to this endeavor, and partnering with Ugandans in villages, in higher education, and in government departments. We have seen the good work that the Play Like a Champion Today™ model can do in our country, and we are looking forward to using its core values of integrity, inclusion, and character development to touch people’s lives around the world!

Coach Dad

Social  Foundations of Coaching student, Joe Sorice blogs....

As the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament unfolds, we are always intrigued by the storylines as much as the match-ups.  This year, we have two coaches whose teams were marred by an ugly fight (Xavier and Cincinnati) but ultimately overcame the difficulties to rebuild the teams into tournament contenders.  We also have Shaka Smart, the VCU coach who wants to remain at the mid-major school and forge upsets against the larger counterparts as opposed to joining their ranks (for the time being…).  And even more interesting, we had a father coaching his son to a victory in the tournament.  Creighton’s coach Greg McDermott and star forward Doug McDermott won their first round game together over Alabama.  There are many other storylines and tales of overcoming adversity in the tournament that we can relate to, and I hope they can match the experiences from my days with the round ball and beyond. 

            No, I did not even come close to qualifying for the tournament, or play organizational basketball beyond my sophomore year of high school.  Instead I’m looking back at the time when my father coached my grade school team in basketball from second through eighth grade.  We were a misfit team to say the least, as we were designated the “B-Team” from fourth grade onward.  The other team in the school had the two best players, who would go on to be the only players from either team to play varsity for the high school team.  My dad, instead of throwing up his hands at this, rallied the team around “the little things leading to big things.”  He insisted that our fundamentals would be necessary for us to win, and only as a team working as a finely tuned machine would that happen.  Our plays were organized chaos – all five players on the court should be expected to shoot and score at anytime on the court.  Our point guard could run the same play and we could execute it with a completely new angle of attack or cut to keep the defense at bay.  This type of autonomy allowed us as players to become creative within our roles and take pride in our set plays that involved everyone moving with and without the ball.  We trusted each other to be where they needed to be, and my dad rarely called plays from the bench during the game.  Our team had faith in ourselves. 

            We never lost a holiday tournament to the “A-Team,” albeit one year came down to our center sinking a half-court heave to win the game.  Other contests against our A-Team were decidedly in our favor.  They insisted on detailed set plays that seemed more mechanical than fluid, whereas we took joy in cutting to an open spot or setting a pick for our teammate.  Out of that rag-tag group, two players have since started coaching football at the freshmen level, no doubt making practices fun like my dad did.  The autonomy he afforded us allowed us to take ownership of our actions and our team, and it developed into leaders and coaches.  For that, I can’t thank him enough.

            In full circle, my dad and I attended the NCAA play-in tournament game last year between VCU and Southern Cal.  We watched a scrappy, undersized squad led by an energetic coach who looked like he and his team were drinking in every moment.  My dad turned to me and before he said a word, I beat him to it.  “Looks familiar, doesn’t it?  I wouldn’t bet against VCU.”  My dad replied and still boasts to this day, “Yeah, I think they could beat Georgetown after seeing them in person.”  One Final Four later, my dad had the understatement of the year.  Here’s to hoping that players who have been blessed by excellent coaching will carry on the torch of ministry through coaching, with that light that crosses generations and brings us closer.

The importance of a Coach

Social Foundations of Coach Student, Maria Skorcz writes...

Many of the coaching principles we have studied this past semester are aimed at youth sports, but they can also be applied at higher levels to keep the athletes focused and continually improving on and off the field.  Good coaching is especially important during March Madness, as the media is constantly making judgments and assumptions about teams.  A team needs good leadership to help the athletes stay focused on the team goals as rumors swirl around the team.  It is very easy to get wrapped up in the hype of the team rankings, game match ups, and potential championships, but it can be disheartening when a good, deserving team is left out or projected to lose in the first round.  If a coach has spent the season preparing his team to face whatever challenges come their way, the team will be prepared to either accept a loss or an underdog position.  The best way for a coach to do this is by helping his players adopt individual and team goals throughout the season and celebrate achieving them.  The team should be taught to measure success by its own goals and standards, rather than falling back on media critiques and criticisms. 

How Sweet it is!

Last night, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish advanced to the Sweet 16 of the Women’s NCAA Championship Tournament with a victory over the University of California by a score of 73-62. Congratulations Irish! Keep up the great work!

March is a wonderful time for college basketball, and players and fans alike get to enjoy the pageantry and madness of the championships. It is a time to celebrate the hard work of all 64 teams who earn a spot in the tournament. Their consistent high level of play, performed with grace and integrity, has landed them on one of sport’s grandest stages, and as spectators, we enjoy watching athletes who excel on the court and in the classroom. Although only one can emerge from the month of mayhem on top, Play Like a Champion Today ™ salutes the efforts of all the teams who have made it this far. We wish the best to all those teams who have already been eliminated, and thank them for playing with determination, passion, and class.

Thank you all you athletes and coaches for being good role models for our children, and good luck in the coming weeks! GO IRISH!

Novosel Knows What it Takes

(c) University of Notre Dame

The Notre Dame Women's Basketball Team Defeated the Lady Flames of Liberty yesterday 74-43 in opening round action in the NCAA Championship. The Irish success should come as no surprise, knowning they are led by star senior guard, Natalie Novosel. She comments on Playing Like a Champion...

A popular saying that circulates through the sporting community is that ‘sports build character’; but a more appropriate saying is that ‘sports reveals character’. A champion has three very important qualities innate to their character that enables them to ‘Play like a Champion’. First, they put the team’s success before their own individual successes. For example, if a player in basketball is not having a very good shooting night, instead of sulking and getting frustrated, they can find other ways to contribute and help their team such as rebounding and defending. This requires an athlete to be self-less.

Another important quality of a champion is that they are leaders both on and off the playing field. If a champion is not a very good leader by example off the court, how are they going to be a leader for their team on the court? Leadership begins in the classroom and being responsible in their daily lives because they are representing a team and their program. Once champions are leaders off the court, it carries over into their leadership on the court, and teammates will be compelled to follow them.

One last quality of many that champions exemplify is that they are approachable and able to relate to their own teammates in order to build their trust in them as a leader and the team as a whole. It is very important for a championship team to trust in each other. The way to best build trust is for everyone to get to know their teammates better so that they can begin to understand where each person comes from. Once an understanding is met, people begin to let their guard down and are willing to let people in and a sense of trust and chemistry is built on the team. This will in turn help the overall success of the team and help all of them to become champions individually and collectively.

Bad News from the Backyard

As I write from an office at the beautiful University of Notre Dame, situated in America’s Heartland, in a state known as much for its warm people as it is its basketball, I read of an incident where a parent violently attacked a coach of a Catholic School just up the road in Michigan City, IN (read more here).

Sometimes we convince ourselves that this sort of thing “would never happen in MY area.” We comfort ourselves with certain qualifiers that we sometimes think exempt us from the dangers. “That sort of behavior wouldn’t happen in a RELIGIOUS league.”  The reality is that no town, no league, no team, is impervious to the horror stories of toxic parenting, coaching, and player behavior that we hear about in the media every day. The news is frightening, harmful, and we will see the detriments of it as our youth grow up if we don’t change something NOW.

“We never thought this would happen!” “How do we stop it?” “If there was only something we could do!”

Well, there is.

Leagues around the country are turning a corner in creating a healthy, enjoyable environment for children to play sports. Partnering with Play Like a Champion Today ™, they are getting together as a community to talk about these issues, and with the help of experts in the fields of athletics and child development, they are learning ways of bringing back fun, valuable skills, and life lessons back to our youth. The first step is recognizing the values that they are trying to impart by bringing our youth into sporting. With EVERYONE on board, they are learning and discussing the proper roles of parents and coaching in instilling those values. And finally, they are holding each other accountable, and growing as a community dedicated to raising the next generation to be good, healthy, moral people.

If I looked out to my back yard and saw hazardous material, I would do something about it…quickly. Let’s do something about the hazards in our communities, and let’s do it NOW!

Houston, We Have a Problem

It is hard enough to hear about stories of interscholastic sporting events that turn sour, either in damage to property or in physical violence. But when division, prejudice, and ignorance prevent a sporting event from occurring in the first place, the offense is even more outrageous. News out of Houston reports the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) has denied membership to an Islamic School after a probe in which the school was basically asked to defend its religion (read the full story here).

While schools are wonderful places for learning in community, they can also serve to highlight differences: neighborhood, ethnicity, religion, and socio-economic status. The beauty of interscholastic sports is that they create a safe, engaging, fun environment for children to interact with other young people whom they might not otherwise ever socialize.

Are we afraid? Afraid that when our daughter goes out on the softball field, she might admire the effort of someone of a different faith? Afraid that when our nephew jumps in the pool that he might be pushed to swim faster than he has ever swum by someone who prays in a different building? Afraid that when the next generation is on the soccer field, they might see their opponents as equals, rather than “other,” “bad,” or “wrong”?

At Play Like a Champion Today ™, we whole-heartedly endorse that there is a place for faith in sports, but we believe that faith is meant to be a place of unity, understanding, and peace, rather than of exclusion. It is a shame that an institution such as TAPPS would put differences above commonalities when determining the status of the school that applied for membership.

In a time when we are aware of the healing that our world needs, we know that hope for our future lies in our children. Let us not show them an example of division, but of love, companionship, and peace. And let us do that in the classroom, on the field, and in the boardroom.

Rethinking Sports: What Bounties Tell Youth

The recent news of bounty programs (informal arrangements where players get paid cash for injuring opposing players) in the National Football League have certainly been unsettling for a host of moral, legal, and humane reasons, but it is certainly not a surprise to parties inside or outside the league. Our national underdog demeanor, combined with our entrepreneurial mindset have enabled bounty programs like this to exist without a check, aside from an occasional suspension or fine being levied.

As terrifying as the hits we see NFL players take on Sundays are, the broader impact that bounty programs have on our country’s youth is what frightens so many. When our children watch professional sports, and they see the hardest hitters be rewarded with Pro-Bowl Selections, and now learning of their monetary benefits, it is not hard to imagine the pressure they feel to perform with the same kind of intensity. Unfortunately, we don’t have to look very far to see young people’s lives being irreparably damaged by physical injuries, and by overly aggressive behavioral problems in their personal lives. We know there is an inherent danger in contact sports (and that it is a part of the appeal of the sport), but as parents, coaches, athletes, and fans, we must be thoughtful in drawing the line between healthy aggression and physical danger.

We are at a point in the history of our country where there is enough negative attention mounting against the physical detriments of contact sports to justify action against programs that would encourage more damage. We can choose to continue to allow these types of bounty programs to exist in the name of “manliness,” or we can do some pragmatic soul-searching within our culture to see what sort of values we want to bring out of sport. In the arena of sport, how can we bring out the American underdog spirit, but also bring out the ideals of justice, camaraderie, and health?

Play Like a Champion, as always, believes that people need to be educated on these issues. First and foremost, these bounty programs need to be stopped, and awareness of their existence needs to be heightened and exposed. More thoughtfully though, we need to explore the values that we are trying to promote in sports, both at the youth and professional level. Are we trying to promote personal growth, teamwork, fairness, and fun, or are we trying to merely put on a show, where the strongest, fastest, and toughest are rewarded for their barbaric acts in the name of high entertainment value?

Hustling to the Tournament

            When I was younger, I participated in gymnastics.   The beginning reason of my enrollment of the gymnastics was so that I learned a sense of self -discipline.  I was rather tall for my age, and very lanky for the sport.  I absolutely loved my first two years, but as I got taller, I began to get worse and worse at gymnastics.  I knew I wasn’t as good as the other girls, but my parents encouraged me to stick with it and said that I was pretty good at it.  I then decided when I reached the age of eight, I decided to try to pursue in a more team dependent sport.  When I moved to Mississippi, I joined my very first competitive basketball league.  It was my very first time playing a competitive sport, and I was playing against girls two years older than me.  Before every game my parents would tell me not to worry about the score, but to just go out there and work hard.  I was in second grade playing against third and fourth graders.  Although I was one of the tallest girls on the court, I was petrified the first couple of games.  These girls were so aggressive, and they knew what they were doing and how to shoot shots.  I knew basically nothing, where I came from we were definitely not as competitive as all these girls, and on top of that I knew almost nothing about basketball besides the fundamentals that I learned in pre-school.  After the first couple of games I wanted to quit, and I didn’t like it.  My parents told me that this was a good sport for me because I was very athletic and tall, and most basketball players were tall.  They started rewarding me for little hustle things that I would do on the court, like rebounding or diving for the ball, they would take me to waffle house after the games.  Eventually I became a really physical player and one of the players known for doing the dirty work.  At the end of the year banquet they have for all the teams, each coach announced awards given out for best offensive player, best defensive player, and most valuable player on the team.  I won the most valuable player award, and my parents had to explain to me what that meant, because on that particular day I was a little upset they did not give out a hustle award.  My parents told me that my award was basically like the hustle award, which made me feel better.  After that I had this strong desire to practice and get better at this sport.  I immediately fell in love with the sport of basketball and stuck with it all the way up to where I am now in college.  If the past has taught me anything it is definitely that once you find a certain sport that you love to play, you have to stick with it.  Now, even as a college athlete I know that my playing days are numbered, and when it comes to senior year and we are in the NCAA tournament, I will literally be playing as if each game could be my last.

Ariel Braker, ND Women's Basketball, Class of 2014

Social Foundations of Coaching Course

Our world: On loan from our Grandchildren

A Massachusetts hockey dad was ejected from a girls high school hockey game for shining a laser in the eyes of the opposing goalie (for details check out: http://abcnews.go.com/US/massachusetts-dad-accused-aimed-laser-pointer-high-school/story?id=15868651).

Our society has come very far. We have landed on the moon. Multiple times. We drove around on the moon. We even brought some of the moon back. And that was 30 years before anyone owned an iPod. Yet some elements of our society are still so primitive in nature, and last week's incident in the Bay State was just the latest in a stream of toxic youth sports news that illustrates how far we still have to go.

As a society, we pursue sports as a good. We marvel at athletes' ability to demonstrate physical prowess in a fun environment. A teacher of mine once said he always reads the front page of the sports page before the front page of the newspaper because the former is typically celebrating the achievements of humanity rather than the latter highlighting our shortcomings. We also appreciate the physical health benefits gained from increased activity on personal and societal levels. We also value how sports can be the vehicle for the values of inclusion, friendship, fun, and determination to enter into our lives.

Furthermore, as parents, we seek sports to be an avenue on which we can show our children virtues that we know are important for raising good people: honor, justice, fortitude, courage, prudence, and temperance. From experience, we know that sports can be an excellent "classroom" for the lessons that are vital to children's development as quality members of society.

And as administrators, we are stewards of the purity and goodness in the world of sports. Recently having returned from Uganda, I recall an African Proverb that is translated "We did not inherit this world from our ancestors. We are borrowing it from our grandchildren." It is our duty as stewards of this world, knowing how much good can be gained from youth sports, to create an environment that is above all safe for our children to pursue the values and virtues of sport. Not only should there be mechanisms in place to punish perpetrators of these pure arenas of sport, but there is a growing need in our country for a means of preventing them from perpetrating in the first place.

We must pursue fun, achievement, and safety with equal measure. And to achieve that we need to educate administrators, parents, coaches, athletes, and even officials of why it is we, as a society, choose that sport is something that is worthwhile in the holistic development of our youth. As sad, pathetic, and reprehensible as an event like this is, it is preventable. Play Like a Champion workshops seek to educate all parties in why youth and high school sports are so important to our future. Too often, incidents like this hockey game create an environment where our failures as a society are highlighted, but Play Like a Champion seeks to demonstrate that sports was and STILL IS a means of showcasing the flourishing of humanity!

A True Colt

Play Like a Champion has been proud to watch the evolution of an athlete over the last 14 years in Indianapolis: Peyton Manning. It is a sad day for the people of Indy, having to watch the painful end to what has been nearly a year speculation about the future of one of the National Football League's great quarterbacks and people. 

Peyton Manning has been released by the Indianapolis Colts, following a series of surgeries to fix an injury to his neck and back.

Manning was the type of champion that Play Like a Champion stands for. Manning is a hard worker, a good selfless teammate, and an active and charitable member of his community. Even though a large contributing factor of his release was the large bonus payment he was due to receive tomorrow, Manning's history showed that his focus was not becoming the highest player in football, but rather insisting that his team be able to afford other quality players. Manning's charitable efforts in the city of Indianapolis include the support of the Peyton Manning Children's Hosital as well as the Peyback Foundation, which supports disadvantaged children in urban areas.

A colt is an animal that is small in size, and ability. It walks humbly in the shadow of its elders, and works hard, eventually growing into a strong animal. Although he is a giant in stature, pedigree, and achievement, Indianapolis is going to miss this hardworking humble horse.

Bounty Program=Bad News

            Recent news of a bounty program in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints, Washington Redskins, and possibly other teams is simply bad news. First, it makes playing the sport of football dangerous—more dangerous than it already is. An emphasis on concussions has been a major focus of the NFL in both research and rule-making groups, as studies have shown the negative medical effects experienced by many retired NFL players. To put all of the time and money into researching head injuries, and trying to make the game safer, and then to see where players go around the rules to devise programs where big hits and intentionally injuring players is rewarded basically thwarts all of the NFL’s efforts.

            Secondly, rewarding players for intentionally harming others goes against ethics, and comes close—at least in my mind—to breaking the law given charges for assault, etc. People can be arrested for fights in bars, but we applaud injury-causing hits and display them on Sunday Night Football on national television. Something is wrong with this picture.

            Third and finally, the NFL is viewed with honor, almost held to a sacred place in the minds of many families across the US. Young children cheer for their favorite players, and the Super Bowl might as well be a national holiday. What type of example does this give to youth when NFL players are being rewarded though financial payments for causing injuries?

Lindsey McAlarnen
Social Foundations of Coaching
Spring 2012

LEAD … for God’s Sake.

During the busyness of spring baseball last year at Notre Dame, I was encouraged to read a book by Todd Gongwer called Lead… for God’s Sake.  I met Todd at a Notre Dame Christian Athlete event and was even more inspire after to pick up his book and begin reading. Without giving too much away, the main character of the book is a young high school basketball coach Steve Rocker who despite all his successful coaching careers is now lost in finding the cure to his team’s failures on the court. Coach Rocker is also a husband and father struggling to balance his time and energy between his team and family.

As Coach Rocker continues to lose games and his players’ interest, he surprises himself as he finds help from the high school’s school janitor Joe Taylor. Joe helps Coach Rockers discover the fundamental answers to a meaningful life.  As Gongwer explains "if you’ve ever asked yourself WHY you do what you do, or what your PURPOSE is in leadership, or in life- this book is for you!”.  As lives intersect throughout the book, Gongwer brilliantly creates a parable that merges together inspiring lessons of leadership in the midst of a relatable and heartwarming story.  Coaches Lou Holtz and Urban Meyer are a few who have read the book and their commentaries can be found on the cover or in the book’s introduction. Lou Holtz writes “This is a book I could not put down until I finished it. Every parent, coach, manager, and leader should read it. I wish I had read it 30 years ago.” Trust me when I say this book has the power to transform you in every area of life. I am sure it will teach you like it taught me to LEAD… for God’s Sake.

-          Kaleen DeFilippis

Social Foundations of Coaching Spring 2012