Coaches are expected to be leaders

In the modern day reality, coaches are held in higher esteem than many other leaders of society.  Whether this is earned or anointed, it makes little difference, because coaches truly have to be, are expected to be, leaders.

Too often, coaches are remembered for successes measured by wins and losses. That is the public face that those outside educational athletics seem to need to define success. The reality is not the playing field, the competitive court’s wins and losses, but what the young men and women take with them as they go through life.

As a leader, coaches play a crucial role in teaching life lessons to our competitive youth who choose to participate in interscholastic sports. These life lessons take place in locations outside the typical classroom like a weight room, the gymnasium, practice areas, and of course, the playing fields and courts.

Coaches are positioned to have a dramatic and positive influence on our students that go well beyond the playing field. As a membership, the CHSAA has established core expectations for the values that are imparted by our coaching professionals. There are minimum standards that coaches must meet, but those standards are designed to elevate that coach to a higher level where she/he can provide the necessary life lessons.

Coaches strive to teach and model the proper techniques that will enable their players and teams to be successful in an educational setting. Wins and losses are nice, but what that student takes from her/his participation is of paramount importance.

A colleague of mine often asks this question, “If we are teaching our students lessons that last a lifetime, are we as coaches positioning ourselves as lifelong teachers?”

The CHSAA Coaching Advisory Committee is focused on doing just that for every coach in Colorado.