I recently returned home from watching my daughter and her team (AR Hoops) play in the Mid-America Youth Basketball (MAYB) Nationals held in Oklahoma City, OK. I wish I could report we won the National Championship but we did not. However, the AR Hoops did make the Elite 8 out of 56 teams from 7 states and I will add the team that beat us by 4 went on to win the National Title. So, I'm proud of my daughter and her team for they way they competed and did their best.
My purpose of this blog is not to discuss the outcome of a basketball tournament but to talk about kids. I recently heard Mark Scharenbroich speak at an Arkansas Administrators Conference where he disclosed three powerful actions: acknowledgement, honoring, and connecting. I had the opportunity to experience these actions at the MAYB Nationals. Coaches had built relationships with their players by first acknowledging them for who they are and by their abilities, then they honored the players for their determination, hard work, and competitiveness regardless of the outcome of the game, and finally connected with them by getting to know them and their families on a personal level. This is a model that all coaches, teachers, educators, and administrators need to follow. Kids need to feel like they belong to something because if not they will feel like they are on the outside looking in instead of on the inside looking out. You could definitely see teams made up of kids that belonged and were all in sync with one another. These expectations were modeled by the coaches and assistant coaches and must be at all times because kids will respond to the behavior that is modeled for them.
Mr. Scharenboich also spoke about the importance of keeping your tank full, because if you're running on empty you will no longer have the ability to fill up those around you. Wow, what a powerful message! How many times have we failed kids because our tank was empty? It is up to us, the adults, parents, mentors, coaches, teachers, and administrators to embrace this journey with a spark as this will determine how the school year will go.
I plan to order Mark Scharenbroich's book: ¨Nice Bike: Making Meaningful Connections on the Road of Life¨, to learn more about his philosophy on improving engagement, teamwork, and high performance, both personally and professionally. For more information: http://www.nicebike.com/
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