Shilts – From Student To Teacher
There is something special about a player that goes out of her comfort zone, embraces the journey, and applies what she has learned to help her teammates. I’m particularly proud of Tomahawk’s Taylor Shilts (2019 – Setter/Right Side) because I had the opportunity to coach her during the 2017 16’s club season. Shilts came to us with a ton of potential and a raw, but solid, base from which to build. One thing that was holding her back was this hard core idea of perfection.
She was hard on herself and overly critical of her own each and every move. The frustration showed, and as a coach, it was concerning because no one ever knows if a player is showing frustration towards teammates, herself, you as a coach, OR if she just has a negative attitude. Many athletes use perfectionism to drive themselves to be better and thrive on the challenge of being better than their previous try. The tough part is that not many understand that failure and mistakes are a HEALTHY part of that process. You don’t learn or gain experience without some failure.
Throughout our season together, we talked a lot about healthy expectations and focusing on the process. We also determined what things we could control and what things we couldn’t and how we react when something happens that is out of our control. We made sure to push everyone out of their comfort zones and work on being better overall players instead of over specializing and limiting how future coaches could use them. None of the information was entirely new to her, but sometimes you hear an idea presented in a different way and it turns on a light bulb. We had that moment with Taylor when we talked about how we speak to our teammates versus how we talk to ourselves.
Taylor made tremendous gains over the next few months, and her mother said she saw Taylor working on her self-talk and reaction to mistakes not only in volleyball, but in her competitive piano training and school. A base was formed, and she continued to build off that with the help of her parents. I hadn’t been able to see her play again until late October, almost 2 years later. Unfortunately, it was her final high school match, but there wasn’t a moment during that match that I wasn’t impressed and proud of how she had grown, not only in skill but emotional maturity, confidence, and leadership. I saw one of her teammates (an underclassman) react to a play that didn’t quite go as she’d like and it was similar to how Taylor would have reacted a couple years ago. I then saw Taylor talk to her in a calm manner (which is impressive in the chaos that is typically the playoffs). The “student” had become the “teacher”, and I was reminded of why I coach.
Sometimes after a tough season or parent/player experience, coaches will question why they put in the long hours for low (or no) pay. I have been so lucky to receive positive feedback from some players and parents. It always seems to come just when I need it the most, and no one will ever know how much I appreciated it. My goal is simple; “make a positive impact.” This is what brings me back to giving everything I have to continue to grow as a coach and give a piece of my heart to my players through the sport of volleyball.
As many teams’ seasons come to an end, I encourage players and parents to reach out and let your coaches know how they helped you and how much you appreciate it. We all know we won’t always agree on decisions concerning playing time, position, etc, BUT if you learned ANYTHING, let them know because the goal is the same among all parties, to nurture strong young women through the amazing sport of volleyball.