Coaching

Getting the most from your team captains

Blake Respini explains the responsibilities of a team captain and how he goes about selecting his school's cross-country captain

For years the captains of the cross country team I coached were simply popular runners chosen by team mates who sometimes lead cheers and occasionally organized social events. They were usually great kids and some were even great role models, but others offered little in the way of true leadership.

Leadership

As the size of our teams grew over the years, I realized that the role of the captains had to grow if our program was going to reach its potential. I had been expecting the captains to know how to exert leadership without clearly articulating what was expected of them or helping them develop the skills they needed.

I began to rectify this by creating a job description so that the team would know what they are voting for and the potential candidates would know what both their coaches and the team would expect of them. The job description also gave me a tool to use when I sat down with the captains to discuss what they hoped to accomplish, what they would specifically do, and what skills they would need to do these things. While the specific list of responsibilities will vary from program to program depending on the sport and one's needs, many are the same regardless of the sport. For any sport, a statement articulating what one wants from their captains gives coaches a tool for helping them lead the team thus bringing important benefits to any program.

Responsibilities

The following is the list of our captain's responsibilities:

Generate Team Spirit

Organize a least one social event outside of practice
Lead the team cheers at meets
Provide end of the year awards to all team mates
Other: locker notes, pep talks, fun runs, ice cream treats, team lunches, whatever you can think of to motivate the team members

Lead warm-ups, stretches, and cool downs

Lead team in daily stretching and dynamics, making sure the team does them effectively, efficiently, and together
Gather entire team at meets for warm up and cool down at meets
Be a model when it comes to warming up and cooling down

Be a role model for all team members

Be on time everyday with all necessary equipment
Help coaches focus the team during team meetings
Attend all team events
Bring disciplined work habits to practice daily
Maintain a summer journal and the mileage chart information
Be knowledgeable about the sport, training, and equipment

Organize summer running

Pick a time and location
Make sure at least one team member is there for every run
Phone team members and encourage them to run and attend

Know and support your team mates

Know everyone's name by the 2nd week of practice
Show interest in all runners' progress
Be approachable
Cheer on team at workouts and races and encourage others to do so

Be a team spokesman

Be a conduit between the coaches and team concerning team issues
Help articulate team goals for the team

Selecting the Captain

I have always allowed the team to vote for captains in order to have their input, but I tell them that I will make the final selection in the case of a divided vote and I will chose individual or vice captains depending on the individuals and team dynamics. The vote takes place during our final meeting in the fall immediately after our season concludes. I allow seniors the vote as their maturity and perspective often gives them the best judgment and perspective on who will be effective captains and also offers them a chance to extend their legacy to the program.

Choosing the captains in the fall also allows for me to meet with them in the winter to plan for the forthcoming season. We carefully go over their responsibilities and discuss how they hope to fulfil them, what aspects will come naturally and what skills they will need to work on developing.

Article Reference

This article first appeared in:

RESPINI, B. (2006) Getting the most from your team captains. Brian Mackenzie's Successful Coaching, (ISSN 1745-7513/ 29 / February), p. 4-5

Page Reference

The reference for this page is:

RESPINI, B. (2006) Getting the most from your team captains [WWW] Available from: http://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/scni29a3.htm [Accessed

About the Author

Blake Respini has taught history and coached boys and girls cross country at Lick-Wilmerding High School from 1984 until 2004. His teams are a DV power-house in the BCL and NCS and are regular qualifiers to the California State Championships.

Associated Pages

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