Key 4: Be Willing to Pivot, Adapt, and Change

Gulp - this pains me to say this, but I started coaching before anyone had email.  Phone trees were the method of communication, as well as printed out calendars. Beyond communication methods, so much has changed.  Parents are different and cheerleaders are different than they used to be.

I feel like there is so much more to compete against.  Now with all star cheer as well as so many more options for students, it makes it challenging to have the entire team together.

Rather than fight it, I have had to learn how to pivot, adapt and change. 

As it pertains to communication, my calendar is digital and I send out a weekly email for the team and the parents.  My captains typically send out reminder texts the day before games and competitions.  

I don’t know if it is because of the pandemic and everyone was on lockdown, or if it is something else, but it seems as coaches we are juggling a lot of vacations in the last two years.  This makes it difficult to decide on camp.  It also makes it difficult to keep them around over Fall Break and Thanksgiving week, even though both are in the middle of competition season. Usually vacations when we are in season are not excused, but I have found that giving my team time off during breaks, even though we are in the middle of competition season has helped with rest and renewal. I also have adjusted my calendar and my team knows that we have a limited number of days to be ready for games and competitions. It has actually made our practices more productive.

At one time, I did not allow my athletes to check their phones on breaks, but now I don’t mind.  They come back when I ask them to come back and they don’t take advantage of their phone privilege.  

I could go on with examples, but the main point is to be willing to pivot, adapt and change when necessary.  If I stayed in my old ways and did not adapt with technology and even the changes in our society, I don’t think I would be a successful coach.  Just because you have always done something a certain way, you don’t have to always keep it that way.  Do what is best for the team!