A common question I frequently receive from high school coaches revolves around the pursuit of sustained success. Coaches often find themselves having one or two exceptional seasons in a row, only to face the daunting task of rebuilding their team afterward. While planning for turnover becomes more challenging at higher levels such as professional or college sports, it remains a consistent reality at the high school level. Every four years, a coach will have an entirely new team, unless they learn to control what they can control.
As Mike Friday, coach of the USA Sevens Rugby Team, once said, "Give me the athletes, and I will teach them rugby." For me and my assistant coach, we had to develop both. Our biggest advantage? A growth mindset. Every single kid who showed up for the first day of rugby practice hadn't made it in their preferred sport, nor were they considered naturally gifted athletes. However, they possessed the most crucial element: the mindset to win.
With this in mind, I created a program that focused on developing the right mindset—a mindset for achievement, overcoming challenges, staying present in the moment, treating academics and community involvement as seriously as rugby, and recognizing that everything beyond their control, including the ball itself. Once the ball left their hands, it was subject to various variables. And what was the return on this investment?
We reached out to the community, utilized the internet, and made countless phone calls for support. As first-year coaches, we wanted to bring in the best resources. We leveraged our initial success to invite Olympic athletes to run training camps. We organized rugby day weekends with other high school teams to raise awareness and foster a sense of community. We made it a point to insert our team's name into every rugby conversation we could. These efforts caught the attention of a person named Sean Lindersmith, known as "Snacks."
Entering the second year, we had a defending state championship team that had tripled in size compared to the previous year. We became the team players considered joining, at least to give it a try. Furthermore, one of the most critical factors contributing to our success organically emerged: mentorship. Unbeknownst to me, as I sought knowledge and networked, I naturally formed mentor relationships with my assistant coach, who previously coached the Winona College Women's Team, and "Snacks," the organizer of the first All Blacks game against the US Eagles at Soldier Field in Chicago. (For those unfamiliar with rugby, the All Blacks are a rugby world powerhouse comparable to Curry's Warriors or Jordan's Bulls, maintaining their dominance for decades.)
This mentorship dynamic trickled down throughout the team. Returning players began forming mentor-mentee relationships with new players. Age was not a barrier; I witnessed sophomores mentoring seniors. Recognizing the positive impact, we decided to institutionalize mentorship as an essential aspect of our rugby team's culture. The results of this humility and mentorship?
Our high school sevens team began gaining recognition not only in Rochester but also across the state of Minnesota. As we grew, so did the demand for our team. I was called upon to coach the Minnesota Selects High School Team, which involved travel and time commitments. Our once-small rugby team was no longer so small, attracting around 40 players. It's essential to note that we were still a sevens team, meaning we could only field seven players at a time.
Despite these changes, we remained focused on the same workshops and growth mindset principles. This year, we introduced a mandatory mentorship model, requiring upperclassmen on the rugby team to partner with underclassmen. This approach taught the upperclassmen that their positions could only be sustained if the next player could fill them effectively. It emphasized the importance of leaving a legacy and ensuring that the team would continue to thrive after their departure. This fostered a sense of pride and connection in the underclassmen, making them feel valued and vital to the team. It allowed us to maintain a small-team mindset even as the team expanded. The outcome of this mentorship and small-team approach?
- 1. Small Team Mindset for Big Team Success: Treat your team as if it's small. Get to know your players on a deeper level, as if you had only seven of them. Invest energy in building connections and showing a genuine interest in their lives beyond the sport. If time is an issue, consider working with a smaller team.
- 2. Be Humble and Hungry: Acknowledge that everything you build upon isn't solely your own creation. Learn from those who have been there before or from the players themselves. Each year, strive to implement and learn something new from a community of mentors you actively seek out.
- 3. Invest in the Legacy: Foster a culture that believes in the long-term success of the team. Encourage every member to leave a lasting impact. This applies to both players and coaching staff.
- 4. Consistency in Execution: Now I don’t want this to be confused with not flexing and changing but an example of consistency was creating what we call “bookending” we had the exact same 10 minute team warm up and exact same 10 min team cool down. Every practice unchanged. I could point to any team mate and say “Let’s open it up” and they’d know exactly how to lead the team in warm up, I could then say another one “Empty the Tank” and they would know exactly how to cool down. Expectation is the key to trust, trust being a foundational block to a winning team.