As collegiate student-athletes, there are a lot of positives that sometimes go unrecognized. There are great performances that don’t show up in the stat sheet. Likewise, off the field work like community service are frequently unnoticed. Do relationships with our teammates, coaches and mentors fall in that same category?
This week on “The Warrior Voice” I had the time to catch up with Colby Stichter from men’s soccer, and Kayleigh Pokrivka from women's lacrosse. We discussed the impact and importance of building relationships with teammates, coaches and mentors. Frequently, people on the outside only see what happens on game-day. Win or lose, no one really knows what's going on inside of a team except for that team itself. On both sports teams I've been a part of at ESU (football & track), I’ve always found it advantageous to have a strong relationship with teammates, coaches, and even mentors I met along my journey. Because of my experiences, I wanted to get different perspectives from these 2 well driven athletes! When we think of the word relationship, a soulmate or significant other may immediately come to mind. To warrior student athletes, the word has more meaning to it. I started by asking each athlete what defines a good relationship? Colby started by saying, “I think of mutual respect and care for each other, where you can trust them while also wanting the best for them. So in my eyes a relationship with a friend, coach, or anybody consists of them wanting to see you succeed while doing what they can to help you along the way.” Kayleigh also added “A relationship to me would be a feeling or sense of closeness and trust with someone; Having that ability to confide with a certain level of trust”.” I was able to note how both athletes mentioned “trust”, which I believe is essential when building relationships! Furthermore, I asked how important they would say the overall building of relationships with teammates is? Both athletes mentioned many interesting factors that helped contribute to the positives of good relationships with our athletic peers. “Relationships with teammates are very important because they relate directly to how you play on the field. If you have a good relationship with your teammates, I believe you’re more likely to have a better season and better outcomes.”, Kayleigh stated. Colby went on to say “The relationships with teammates are huge! On the field, you need that sense of chemistry and connection on the field, because without that we would be playing on the soccer field as 11 guys and not 1 team. Forming relationships with my teammates helped me learn a lot from the upperclassmen to help me become better and more importantly, helped us become better as a team.”. I liked how Colby mentioned chemistry, which can be key to team success in my opinion. Colby also stated, “If a team works together, they are going to out perform a team that might be more individually talented than them.” Kayleigh added, “Building chemistry is an important aspect for team success because you need to have that trust in each other on the field.” Kayleigh also mentioned how her team built chemistry off the field with extracurricular activities like movies. Like myself, both athletes believe that chemistry is an essential tool to team success. Relationships I’ve built with teammates have affected me in numerous ways. Upperclassmen that served different leadership roles have had a positive effect on me based on the relationship I’ve built with them. I can proudly say I’ve gotten more involved on campus and come out of my comfort zone as a result of these relationships. I next asked Kayleigh and Colby how the relationships they’ve built with teammates influenced them? Kayleigh started by saying “I’ve made my best friends from having a strong relationship with my teammates and our strong relationships push me to work harder because I know they are counting on me and trust me as a teammate and as a person”. I noted how Kayleigh reverted to trust, which as mentioned earlier, is something that wants to be gained in a relationship with teammates. Colby went on to state, “The relationships I’ve built with teammates have carried an effect on me by creating the teammate I am today. I’ve had, and have teammates that helped me along the way and showed me the ropes. All this installed certain beliefs into me that I should help those coming up and make connections to continue to bring everyone together as a family.” Both athletes revealed positive effects from the relationships built with teammates, and I applaud them both Throughout our years of playing sports, we experience many different coaches. The games we play would not be the same without the coaches who help us become better each day. I have built a great relationship with my current football and track coaches at ESU, and these relationships have helped open doors for the future. Having that strong relationship with my coaches is a result of them helping me become a better person off the football field & track because they care about me as a young man. They understand that who I am off the field and track is more important than who I am in competition. When flipping the script to relationships with coaches, I first ask the importance of a relationship with coaches within the student-athlete? Colby started the conversation by mentioning finding the balance between coach and friend. “I think finding a good balanced relationship with your coach is important because you definitely want to be on the same page and trust to know you are being guided correctly.” I mentioned to Colby about this being important in terms of being coachable as well. Kayleigh also added “(The) relationship with your coach is incredibly important because you gain trust to know they are doing what's best for the team, and a good relationship ensures that that is happening! Coaches always know what's best in the long run and everything they do has a purpose and meaning so you have to have the level of trust to follow through.”. Both athletes also went on to talk about the effects that their coaches have had on them through the relationship they’ve built. “I’ve never had a woman coach till I got here at ESU, which kinda gave me someone who is feminine and successful as a coach to look up to in our sport.” Kayleigh stated. Colby then touched on an old high school coach who had an everlasting effect on him. “Back in high school when I was also a track athlete, I found that the relationship with my distance coach gave me the drive to fight for every teammate and coach I play with and play for. The effort he put into us instilled a reciprocated idea in me.” I related to Colby with the relationship I had with my old pop warner coach. Most of my wanting to give back has come from his ways and values that were carried on throughout his legacy back home in Philadelphia. I think both athletes certainly had interesting effects on relationships with coaches! I also asked Colby and Kayleigh about mentors and if they minded sharing who has had a great effect on them as a mentor. Colby is coming off of an ACL tear and spoke on his athletic trainer (Alex Davisson, an ESU athletic training graduate assistant from Delaware) who mentored him throughout the recovery process as well as his teammate who shares the same major as him. “I was redshirted this year, so during the fall she was there to guide me along the way, and I felt her being a mentor of keeping me in shape while pushing me to certain limits. With my teammate Riley Lougee being an education major as well, he really created a great relationship by helping and showing me the ropes with certain things academically.” Kayleigh added how she saw Dr. Matt Miltenberger as a mentor with strength and conditioning while at ESU. “I never lifted before I came to ESU, so following his program guided me in the right way for college sports. Over the summer he helped me extremely with getting my shoulder strength back to the strength I used to have and he’s always there if you need to talk!” Throughout the conversations I’ve had with these 2 well rounded student-athletes, it was interesting to hear a different perspective on relationships that were built while playing their respective sports. In conclusion, both athletes described their best memory at ESU where the relationship with a teammate, coach or mentor played a crucial role. Colby discussed the day he was finally cleared to practice, following his ACL surgery. “I came to practice about 10 mins late after my doctor appointment and I looked over smiling to my friend Eric and the rest of the team just knew. Everyone was hype and clapping that I had been cleared and to have them behind me throughout that whole recovery meant a lot.”. Colby Stichter is a redshirt sophomore midfielder majoring in Math and Spanish with a Secondary Education concentration. Colby made 7 game appearances his freshman season and is looking to make a huge comeback after successfully recovering from his ACL injury. Kayleigh concluded by telling about an experience her freshman year of how the team chemistry helped them soar as regional champions. “I remember wanting to work for our captains and seniors because they put so much effort into making sure we were all on the same page and that we trust each other. The feeling after that win was surreal because we knew we played our hearts out together and our chemistry was unmatched.” Kayleigh “KP” Pokrivka is a Junior defensive player majoring in Nursing. Kayleigh has had an exceptional career. As mentioned, she was a part of the 2018 Regional Champion team, achieving 1st Team All-Psac and IWLCA All-Atlantic Region 1st Team. I thank both Kayleigh and Colby for participating in “The Warrior Voice” this week and as always, I had a blast catching up with them. The relationships we build with teammates, coaches, and mentors can indeed have a positive impact on us and I hope these perspectives were touching to many! I hope everyone is still staying strong, safe, and healthy throughout the current pandemic. I thank everyone for the support throughout this platform, and of course, stay tuned for week 5!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorJamal Cooley Archives
April 2020
Categories |