If you pay attention to sports you at least know the name Geno Auriemma. No other coach has accomplished what he has done in the last 25 years, and in the sport of college women’s basketball, his success is unparalleled. Since 1985, Auriemma has been the head coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies women’s basketball team. In that time the Huskies have won eleven NCAA Division I national championships, the most in women’s college basketball history. At one point they won 90 consecutive games! He has been named the Naismith College Coach of the Year on eight occasions. He has also coached the United States Women’s National Basketball team to two World Championships and two Olympic gold medals. Without question, Geno Auriemma has done an incredible job teaching young women to play as a team at a very high level. The operative word here is “team.”
All of the sports that we offer at North Fayette Valley High School are team sports. A few of them have an individual component, but the foundation and focus of every sport is the team. Teaching students to play as a team and become good teammates is their primary responsibility. Unfortunately, in some instances that is difficult as students want to put themselves before the team. This is nothing new. It has been going on for a long time. However, coaches at all levels express that it is more pronounced today that it was in the past. At NFVHS we celebrate the team over the individual. Yes, there are students that excel as individuals in given sports, and we do honor them when they achieve high levels of success because they are members of our TigerHawk Family. But from my perspective, their success is a by-product of the efforts of the team.
We have been approached a few times about putting up posters of seniors each sports season, and the reason we do not do that is Team Before Me. There would be no problem putting up a team poster with all of the members of the team and celebrate them. In fact, we do have team and group photographs in our cafeteria.
For a number of years business and industry have told us that they need people that can work on a team. In many of our visits to various businesses, teamwork is obvious. For generations coaches have expressed how playing their sport prepares young people for life. One could argue that in some respects, but there is no question that being on a team, playing as a team, and being a good teammate does have value beyond the season. Coach Auriemma shares a few thoughts in the following videos.
Geno Auriemma: Parents, teach your kids to be teammates, not superstars
Being On A Team
