TriAptitude Coaching

Hi friends. Let’s talk about what excites most people about entering into a sport whether it be triathlon and more individualized focused sports or team sports.  For many, it’s the challenge and goal inherent within training for a race or training for a season.  For others, it is a means of taking care of their mental and physical health. Still yet, for a lot of us, it is a way for us to meet new people, create friendships through sport and have the opportunity to build others up on and off the race course or sport field.  Most of the time, it is a combination of all of these things which draw new athletes into   sports every day.  But, what keeps people involved?  What makes these women and men want to keep training day after day, week after week, month after month…..??  What sustains them in an otherwise challenging experience?  Let’s talk about that.

 

 

I am going to talk from the perspective of a coach, athlete and a mother of sons who all play team sports.  I know for my sons – who each play a different team sport – they enjoy their team mates and the camaraderie they feel as part of a group working together to hit a goal.  Teamwork.  As a coach, I love working with groups of athletes. I love the kinship I feel when I have several athletes bonding together over workouts and encouraging each other in all the positive ways.  This is one of the reasons I became a Girls on the Run coach.  My teams focus not only on an athletic goal but also on social and emotional development.  How to be a strong, independent, kind and empathetic person who supports others and encourages the best from peers and team mates on all levels whether it be on the playing field, the track, the classroom or the playground. There are no “mean girl” attitudes allowed. We build each other up. That is what we do.  There is no room for doing anything except that. Women support women. Girls learn to support girls.  My young men bond over soccer passes and weight training and lacrosse drills with their peers.  Coaches lead by example.  Working toward a common and positive goal together forges strong friendships.

My experience in sport has been almost without exception a hugely positive one.  The teams of which I have been a part have had incredible women on them who have made it a priority to support, care and encourage each other on to success.  And, in the sport of triathlon, which is fundamentally an individually focused event, the emotional impact of being a part of something bigger than yourself means a lot.  It lifts you up. Women empowering women.  That has been my experience through my relationship as an athlete and coach with Mile High Multisport and also during my years with the Betty Design team.  But, every once in awhile, you run into a situation which tears you down a bit emotionally and usually it comes from outside yourself. The saddest moments are when those situations involve other athletes or coaches who have forgotten what it means to encourage and build others up but instead they knock others down. It happens more often than it should and it dullens the shine of our sport. It casts a shadow over the hard work and accomplishments of athletes and friends.

How do we continue to foster and promote positivity in our sport?  How do we support not only athletes on our own teams but also athletes in general – yes, even when they are on an opposing team or if they are an athlete we are competing against??  As adults, the hope is that we are all mature enough to make good and caring decisions to be impactful in an uplifting way to others.  As children, we look up to our coaches to help show us what this means so that we can learn these lessons of sportsmanship.  As a coach in several sports and also an athlete in many, I take my role in this really seriously.  I think because I am a sensitive (and emotional ) woman, I especially feel this responsibility because I know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of a “mean girl” attitude. It has happened to me as a child and it has happened to me as an adult.  It hurts. It makes you feel weak.  And, it can tear down self-confidence which has taken a long time to be built. I see it every day in the life of my middle school and high school sons.  I see it on social media platforms. And, I see it in the world of triathlon. Although, my experiences there have been far more positive with the incredible friendships I have made and the outstanding women in the sport.  Are there the exceptions?  Of course. But, by and far, I have met and been in the lives of the amazing, strong, beautiful and brilliant women of the sport.  The ones who have made a powerful and positive impact on my life.

My hope as a coach is that I have the same impact on others.  I hope that I can help my younger athletes learn to believe in their own personal strength and amazing abilities. I want to encourage my team mates in triathlon not only on the race course but also in life to believe that they can achieve anything they set their minds to doing. As a mother, my responsibilities feel even greater.  I am working hard to raise young men who value strength in women, who respect others, who are kind and compassionate and loving.  I want my young men to recognize those in need – whether it be physical or emotional- and be the ones to reach out and help.  I want them to lead by example and I hope that I am helping them do so by setting the standards high. There is no room for tearing others down. In my world, I only have time for those who make a priority of building others up.

I’d love to hear your experiences and how you view this topic.  If you are someone in need of support and encouragement, please reach out to me.  Have a wonderful day everyone. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog!