Left - Baile Winslow 2011 State Champion. Middle – Coach Ryan Best. - Right - Jordan Chael -2011 Regional and League Champion from the 2011 Season

“They usually put the team first because they make such close friendships.“

Ryan Best

Head Golf Coach

St Thomas Aquinas

Kansas High School Division 5A Girls Golf State Champions

2002  2007  2008  2009  2010  2011

Kansas High School Division 5A Boys Golf State Champions

2007  2008  2011

Coach Best played basketball and golf for Benedictine University in Kansas.  He earned a Masters Degree from the University of Saint Mary.  He started teaching and coaching at his high school alma mater but left to become a professional golf instructor.  He missed teaching and coaching and decided to return.  St Thomas Aquinas

"Team 09" - Kansas 5A State Champions for the 3rd year in a row.

High School had a Theology teaching position and a coaching opportunity.  Coach Best applied and took the job in 1997.  His initial coaching position was in both basketball and boy’s golf.  He took over the girl’s golf

program in 1999.

WillofaChampion:  Do you have a purpose or a mission statement for your student-athletes?

Coach Best:  Absolutely.  We have three goals that I would consider our mission.  The first goal is to have fun.  There is no reason for them to join the team if they don’t enjoy it.  The second are individual goals.  Our athletes set goals right down to the individual practices.  The third are team goals.  We talk about our team goals throughout the season.  They write their goals down.  If they accomplish their goals we congratulate them and if they don’t we talk about why not.  We work to align the individual and team goals.  I work to understand their talent and ability while striving to motivate and inspire them to achieve their personal goals.

WillofaChampion:  Was St Thomas’s golf program this successful prior to your arrival?

Ali Kruse (2010) - (70, -2 under) individual Kansas 5A State champion and leading member of the record setting 2010 team championship (Team score 303) for the 4th year in a row. The 2010 Saints placed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd individually.

Coach Best:  Yes.  The girls had won two state championships prior to my arrival.  When we took over I inherited five very good seniors.  Then we had a girl that eventually played for the University of Kansas.  So from 2002 on the program just kept stepping up.  The players have passed along the tradition and expectations.  The boys are different in that there are a lot more players and therefore a lot more competitors.  On top of that, Kansas is one of only four states in which the state championship golf meet is only one day.  With four or five good teams it can be a real roll of the dice who will win in just one day.  Our boys finished state runners-up two or three times in a row prior to my arrival.  We took second again my first year.  We ended up placing second five times in a row.  So the programs expectations were set.  We are fortunate to be in a school that has high expectations in all sports.  Our athletes gain confidence just knowing they’re expected to do well.  So I tried to not mess up what was here and build on it.  Try to find the strength of the players and keep it rolling.

WillofaChampion:  So to maintain a winning culture you sought to build upon the foundation that had already been laid?

"OP Champs" - Saint Thomas Aquinas wins the overall Varsity and JV competition at the city championship in 2011

Coach Best:  Exactly.  At first you think you don’t want to mess this up because this team has a history of doing well.  You know you will get good players.  Especially as you have more success, players that are good will come to your school to play for you.  You don’t want to let them down.  What are their strengths to build upon?  You look for kids with good character so you avoid bad apples that can ruin a season.  If your leaders have good character then the younger ones will know that tradition and keep it going.  I have been accused of being too tough.  But you have to make it clear you won’t tolerate infractions.  I tell players they can follow the rules and play or do their own thing and not play.  In all my years I’ve only had to dismiss two players.

WillofaChampion:  Some think of golf as an individual sport.  Do you work to intentionally build a team first attitude amongst your golfers?

Coach Best:  That is a good question.  We lost five seniors from the 2010 team so having that team-first attitude going into this season was a big concern.  We start with discussing how to take care of the little things; which then naturally leads to focusing on goals.  They develop both personal and team goals.  We check their goals weekly to make sure they’re working to get better.  This makes the team better.  But we have had players that emphasize their personal goals seemingly over team goals.  You hope to always have players that are team oriented first, then concerned with their own game second, but that is not always the case.  Most players are happy if the team does well even if they do not.  They usually put the team first because they make such close friendships.

WillofaChampion:  How do you develop physical and mental discipline in your golfers?

Gianna Misenhelter winning the 5A Kansas State Championship for the 3rd time in a row

Coach Best:  We need to improve on the physical part.  Golfers don’t traditionally do any strength training though that is changing with the Tiger Woods era.  Our players do train on their own.  Some have a trainer or go to the gym.  We focus on getting rest and eating right.  But we don’t do a lot with physical discipline.  The mental part is different.  I have read numerous books myself.  I have a computer file full of things for them to read.  Every Friday we go through thirty minutes to an hour of golf psychology.  We cover various things all related to the mental game.  We discuss mental aspects such as how to think through each shot to how to fight through a bad round.

WillofaChampion:  Do you mind sharing some of the books?

"AlexandGianna" - left - Gianna Misenhelter (2009) now plays for Kansas State University and was the 3 time Kansas 5A State Champion in 2007 (undefeated), 2008, and 2009. Right - Alexa Osbourn (2009) now plays for Savannah School of Art and Design.

Coach Best:  Sure, I really like books by Dr. Rotella.  Golf is not a game of perfect (Rotella) is a great one.

Some of these books have religious ties to golf.

Golf in the Spirit: and lessons for the journey (Peck),

Wooden on Leadership (John Wooden),

And most recently – Seven Days in Utopia; golf’s sacred journey (Cook)

WillofaChampion:  Does discussing God and religious aspects of life give you an edge over public school coaches uncomfortable doing that?

Coach Best:  I feel like the answer is yes.  The problem is I have never been in the public school system.  I have been in the parochial schools all my life.  So I don’t know I can address the struggles public school coaches have.  But we pray before tournaments.  Our girls have developed a community of faith as a team.  I do think that is an advantage.  We are able to tie all things golf into all things spiritual into all things character.  I really believe being able to use faith, and talk about faith throughout coaching is a major key to our success.  I feel at its core, the game of golf has a very spiritual feel to it.

WillofaChampion:  Do you do anything to intentionally develop leadership skills in your players?

"Joe" - Now playing for Iowa - Joseph Winslow was a 3 time individual 5A State Champion in 2011 (*66, -6 under), 2009 (*66, -4 under), 2008 (*68, -2 under).

Coach Best:  First that I do expect them to step-up and be leaders.  We discuss what a leader looks like.  I have never done captains.  I don’t believe that title means anything without the action.  If you’re going to be a captain then become one by leading this team with your actions not a title.  I also want kids to grow into a leadership role.  A golfer may not take a leadership role if we have already chosen captains.  If you’re called to lead, then do it.  I am open to taking our team to a camp where we can work on developing leadership skills.  We talk about leadership quite a bit every week, but we have not attended a camp of any kind yet.

WillofaChampion:  What things are you looking for so that when a player steps up you know he or she is a leader?

Coach Best:  Being one of the best communicators on the team,  being so sincerely positive it is contagious, vocal in order to help teammates remember important activities or events, constantly looking to help others, and being one of the hardest workers.  There are exceptions.  For example, what if you have a quieter leader that is

Jordan Chael (2012)

always the first one to practice and the last to leave, works hard, gets great grades, and does everything you ask, they can lead in more than one way.  I let them know I appreciate them and they are leaders.  Whether they know it or not, the others notice.

WillofaChampion:  You mentioned that one of your jobs is to motivate your players.  Why do you think it is your job to do that?

Coach Best:  My experience with high school kids is that even the most motivated player is going to have a bad day or even week.  He or she can be down for any reason.  They may need a check-in or a swift kick in the butt or something.  I don’t know who else that would come from other than the coach.  People may think kids should motivate themselves.  That is ideal.  But I don’t know if any coach can say that every player on his team is self-motivated.  Now on the other hand some kids are just lazy so no matter what I do to motivate him or her it won’t affect them.  That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try.  I have many basic motivational quotes such as, “if it is to be, it is up to me.” My high school coach gave us lots of quotes.  I would read them and it motivated me.  My players have told me they will read them before a tournament.  I am a pretty laid back person, but if I was never excited for their success, or winning a tournament I think it would be hypocritical.  I believe you have to lead by example.  If you want them to be motivated you need to lead by example.  Kids are motivated; they won’t work hard if they’re not motivated.

WillofaChampion:  What component have we not discussed that is critical to a championship program?

Coach Best:  Persevering.  Not giving up.  You will have issues.  Whether it is parents or issues on the team don’t let someone else turn your attitude around.  You will have people disagree with you.  It is easy to quit.  Persevere.  If you believe in what you are doing, then keep your convictions and you’ll find that people will start to put their faith in you.  Players, parents, and the whole community will begin to believe in your system and philosophy.

Interview:  August 2011

The individual must sacrifice for the team

We had a passion for the game with a desire to practice.

Dave Pishkur

Head Baseball Coach

Andrean High School

Indiana High School 3A State Champions

2005  2009  2010

Runners-up 2004

WillofaChampion:  Do you have a purpose, mission, or vision statement?

Coach Pishkur:  The players develop a covenant.  The commitments in the covenant revolve around spirituality, academics, community service, and baseball.  They start with the previous year’s list and reflect on the previous teams’ commitments.  But they work to make it their own.  They do this with the idea of becoming a complete athlete.  We hold them accountable to the covenant.

WillofaChampion:  What did you do to create and maintain a culture of winning?

Coach Pishkur:  I was blessed our first year.  I took over a team that was 9-9.  Andrean didn’t have a tradition in baseball.  We were a football school, basketball school, hockey school, just about any sport but baseball school.  Fortunately, when I took over we had athletic kids.  All they needed was a little encouragement and direction.  We had players like Dan Dakich, Bill Mueller, and Jim Bistrow – just a great group of guys with the same competitive nature I had.  We had a passion for the game with a desire to practice.  We won 21 games and the sectional tournament.  That was the foundation upon which we built.  That first year started our winning culture.  Those players bought into what we did.  The bottom line is you need a coach and players with tremendous work ethic and a passion to compete.

WillofaChampion:  What have you done to cultivate a team-first attitude amongst your players?

Coach Pishkur:  I am a Bo Schembechler guy.  I go back to his 1969 season and Bo’s mantra: The team, the team, the team.  The individual must sacrifice for the team.  Bunting is a sacrifice.  To illustrate sacrifice we will talk about the ultimate sacrifice of all man-kind which was Jesus sacrificing himself on the cross.  We’re sacrificing our at bat for the sake of the team.  We also emphasize what our team does.  We hustle.  All nine guys hustle on and off the field because that is how our team gets on and off the field.  Before practice there is an activity we do called “The Game”.  It is a benchmark for who is competitive and who can handle pressure.  But it serves to make us a better team.  The team always supersedes the individual.  Obviously we like kids to get individual accolades and awards because that helps them and the program.  But the bottom line is what we do as a team.  I don’t know if what we do is different than others but we definitely adhere to Bo Schembechler’s mantra.

WillofaChampion:  How do you instill mental and physical discipline in your players?

Coach Pishkur:  Everything we do requires discipline.  For example, if practice starts at 3:00 then be there by 3:00.  If you’re a second late there will be a consequence.  We hang practice schedules in the dugout that explain each player’s role and responsibility for practice including where and when.  Players have responsibilities for working the field before and after games.  After a game the pitchers have ten foul poles.  The infield rakes and runs.  Everything we do has to be first class: practice, video analysis, raking the mounds or infield, it must all be first class.  Physically we’re going to outwork our opponents.  If we’re not better than them then we’re going to out work them.  Our weight training program has to be first class to outwork our opponents.  Everything we do is for the sake of the program and it is important.

WillofaChampion:  What do you expect from the captains or leaders of your team?

Coach Pishkur:  As I get older the captains responsibility increases – especially with communication.  The captains must be leaders.  Before a game we will go down the left field line and I address the team.  Then it is the captain’s job to do the prayer and talk about whatever they want.  I really don’t know what they say.  I am assuming that whatever one guy did, it is being passed down year to year.  After games, and practices, the captains meet with the players and give a little 30 second review of what we did well and what we need to work on tomorrow.  Sometimes I have them give my message to the team.    I expect captains to take ownership.  For example, if we have to dig out second base, I won’t call the whole team, I call the captains.  They have a lot of responsibilities without a lot of fringe benefits.  They become another coach at a different level.  They get my message across to their teammates without me saying it.  They talk everyday whether it be at weight-lifting, practice, or the end of a game.

WillofaChampion:  Do you develop the leadership you’re looking for or is it more about finding the right person or both?

Coach Pishkur:  Both.  Families pay $6800 to send their child to Andrean.  So they’re invested.  Many players come ready to lead by example.  We get great kids in our program.  But we’re still developing and teaching leadership and life skills.  We do community outreach like “Challenger Baseball”.  It is for kids that are physically or mentally unable to play baseball.  For just one day a year these kids come on the field with our players and talk with them, or play catch, some may swing a bat.  They just interact for an hour.  We did a fundraiser for an alumnus that passed away from cancer.  Baseball is important and we want to win.  But there is a lot more to life and we must remember that.

WillofaChampion:  Do you run camps or anything for young kids that might eventually join your program?

Coach Pishkur:  We have a summer camp that is an Andrean camp.  We invite 8 year olds to incoming freshmen.  In the winter-time the US Baseball Academy runs a six week camp here and they take care of everything.  We supply the coaches but they do everything else.  Between the two we interact with about 230 kids that have some interest in baseball.

WillofaChampion:  You mentioned earlier that players need a passion to compete.  Some people think you can’t motivate the unmotivated.  But there is also the fact that once even Michael Jordan didn’t want to play basketball.  How do you handle motivating the kids that want to play but need the encouragement?

Coach Pishkur:  We do a lot of stories with examples.  One play-off game Michael Jordan had a 103 degree fever.  Most guys would not have played.  Michael did and scored 63 points.  We talk about Ted Williams who was hitting .401 the last day of the season.  His manager tells him he doesn’t have to play that day to ensure he hits .400.  Ted refuses because that isn’t how he wants to go out.  He plays and goes 6 for 8 on the day and finishes the season .406.  We show our players three rounds of the Mahammad Ali and Joe Frazier fight.  We watch as those guys just go after each other competing, competing, competing.  We schedule opponents that others won’t schedule.  We play bigger schools.  We go to Illinois to play five or six good catholic schools.  We play at Notre Dame, Benedictine, UIC, when you’re in that environment it is hard to not compete.  Even in practice we monitor things to keep kids competing.  We hold contest like every time you touch the ball you get a point whether you catch it or not.  Kids dive to just touch the ball to get a point.  We do similar creative contests with batting practices just to motivate them to do their best.  You get one or two to buy-into these contests and then the others will jump in.  Anything I can do that will measure competition is important.  But it is also important to show the Michael Jordan success stories.  They can emulate those guys.  We probably will use Jose Reyes when we do the Ted Williams story this year.  Jose was the batting crown leader for the National League this past year.  The last game of the year he sat out so he would win the batting crown.  Well that is totally opposite of what Ted Williams did.  We will ask them who they want to emulate Jose Reyes or a Ted Williams.  How do you want to be remembered and who do you emulate?  We give them stories and quotes to peak their interest to get them to work harder.  We also point out players that really worked hard that day or that week.  We may give them a shirt.  We did that last year.  We gave the guy that worked the hardest a shirt.  Some kids just wanted to wear that shirt for a day so they worked hard for it.

WillofaChampion:  Anything we haven’t discussed you think is critical to developing a state championship caliber program?

Coach Pishkur:  Coaches need good kids and to surround themselves with great coaches.  Then give those coaches the autonomy they need.  Take ownership of your baseball field.  If you have a bad looking baseball field you have a bad baseball program.  If you have a good looking maintained baseball field that says something about the quality of your program.  It is hard to maintain a field.  You usually have no one helping you.  We cut our own grass.  We drag and edge our field.  The only thing maintenance does on our field is stripe the foul lines.  We do everything else.  That is part of ownership.  To be a good program, to be a state championship team, that is important.  Players have to understand they must build on what they inherited.  They may not have gone through tough times like not having a field.  The field was already there for them.  They have to upgrade that field.  Then they have to upgrade their success on the field.  If they weren’t the first state champion could they be the fourth state champion but be the first team that is ranked nationally?  Can they be the first to play the toughest schedule with the best record?  You must challenge them all the time and be relentless with them.  Unfortunately players today cannot be multisport athletes.  I tell them to play as many sports as they can their freshmen year so they realize that for themselves.  If they play two sports, that isn’t so bad if one is football.  Football isn’t that bad because all you have to do in the off-season is train.  But basketball and baseball is tough.  You have to be able to do things all year.  We do stuff all year.  We want to give them the opportunity to get better through-out the year. If they’re playing another sport some guy is concentrating on their spot and when that season comes he will be the better player.

Coach Pishkur was working at a sporting goods store when the athletic director of his alma mater, Andrean High School, called and asked him if he would coach girls’ volleyball.  Dave had just graduated from college, Purdue University Calumet, and wanted to coach baseball.  But he took the job to get his foot in the door.  Two weeks later he was asked to coach freshman basketball.  He still wanted baseball but accepted.  A month later the AD called and asked him to coach the JV baseball team.  Coach Pishkur was delighted.  He coached all three sports that first year.  He continued with volleyball another six years.  After one year of JV he became the head baseball coach in 1980 and has been there ever since.

Interview:  December, 2011

Picture source from WikiWorldBook.com

“You cannot take short cuts…”

Larry Ries

Head Boys Golf Coach

Hunterdon Central High School

New Jersey Regional and Group IV State Champions

1981  1982  1983  1984  1990  1991  1992  1995  2009  2010  2011

Tournament Of Champions Winner 1992  2010

WillofaChampion:  What factors go into a player desiring to become a champion and then actually becoming a champion?

Coach Ries:  Many factors go into a player wanting and becoming a champion.

I talk to my players a lot about what it takes to play well.  More than “just think about”.  They have to grasp the golf concepts.  The old philosophy that you can “lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink it”.  It is so true.  You cannot take short cuts in the game of golf.  You have to touch all bases.

WillofaChampion:  What do you mean by “bases”.

"NEVER GIVE UP! When they give up is about the only time I will get upset with a player." - Coach Ries

Coach Ries:  The major items that we stress.  We stress factors that are key to success.  For example we stress that in the short game we chip around the green; fifty yards on in.  This is the most important part of the game to lower your score.  A good chipper becomes a good putter.  Good high school players’ average ten to twelve greens in regulation.  You need to make saves on the six to eight misses.

We stress being able to play under pressure.  This is extremely important in golf.  We have playoff matches to make our team, playoffs to make match play team, playoffs for tournaments, the Rider Cup challenge, and we compete head to head.  These are some of the pressure situations golfers will face at Hunterdon Central.  All players know, freshmen or senior, that if you are good enough to win the challenges, you will play in that competition.

We stress course management.  Today’s players hit the ball so far that they attempt to “overpower” a golf course.  This gets them into trouble.  We discuss golf courses, especially tournament play, and how to play them.  Strategy is very important, especially against the old courses with narrow fairways.

We stress goals.  I want the player to improve during the season.  But when they enter a match or tournament I want them to try to shoot their average.  If their hot, their hot.  If not, grind it out.  Many matches have been won and lost by one or two strokes.

NEVER GIVE UP!  When they give up is about the only time I will get upset with a player.

Lastly, we stress discipline on and off the course.  They may not be able to play like a professional, but they can act and dress like a professional.

Coach Ries has been the head coach at Hunterdon for 31 years.  He was also the soccer coach for 29 years.  He was the New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2010 and National High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2011.

Interview:  January 2012

Adam Kedge photo courtesy of Albuquerque Academy

One of the things that all programs need is momentum.  Momentum needs to come from a leader or a group of leaders that can be coaches, parents, veterans, or team captains that have a love and passion for the program. 

Adam Kedge

Head Boys Cross Country and Track and Field Coach

Albuquerque Academy

New Mexico High School AAAA Boys Cross Country State Champions

2010  2009  2008  2006  2005  2004  2002  2001  2000  1999  1998

New Mexico High School AAAA Boys Track and Field State Champions

2010  2009  2007  2006  2005  2004  2003  2002  1999

Awarded New Mexico Coach of the Year 10 times

Awarded the NHSCA National Cross-Country Coach of the Year for 2010

Adam Kedge has been a runner since he was a child.  He ran through-out primary and secondary school and at the University of New Mexico.  He studied education so he could become a teacher and coach.  He has been involved in running for over 35 years.  He turns 47 next month.  He started coaching in a public school out of college.  But the opportunity to work at Albuquerque Academy in 1995 became available and Coach Kedge took the position.  He has been there ever since.

WillofaChampion.com:  Do you have a formal or informal mission, vision, or purpose statement?

Coach Kedge in action

Coach Kedge:  A little bit of both.  One of our backbones at Albuquerque Academy – and I say “Our” because our coaches share this mission with the school and families that we work for – is that we want to make sure our kids feel valued.  That is a core principle of our program.  We want kids involved in sports because it is fun and because they feel valued.

WillofaChampion.com:  What have you done to develop and maintain a culture of winning? 

Coach Kedge:  We stress the concept that being part of a team means everyone is equally important.  Our program is not just about the varsity or an elite few.  We don’t stress developing elite athletes, we stress developing elite teams.  Following the mission of the school we want kids to experience a feeling of value from hard work; that through diligence and consistency they can do great things whether in the classroom or on the athletic field.  As coaches we assure that our youth get the attention and instruction required to develop into the athlete they desire to be.  Much of our teaching is directed to the 8^th, 9^th, and 10^th graders.  By the time they become juniors or seniors we expect them to perform.  They should have learned what to do on varsity when they were on the junior varsity or C squad.

WillofaChampion:  In both cross country and track and field, what do you do to develop a team-first attitude amongst your runners?

Coach Kedge:  We don’t stress individual accomplishments.  We keep track of team accomplishments.  We want our kids to work together.  We don’t want them to do individual work-outs or training that is specialized for one individual over another.  I do think individual training in all athletics is very important.  But it has its price.  If you train as a team and work as a team then you will develop synergy or a bond as a team; that is when you will accomplish great achievements.

WillofaChampion:  Will you give an example of what might typically be an individual work-out you’ve turned into a team work-out?

Coach Kedge:  We have kids rely on each other for pace, volume, and intensity.  Runners can’t do the same volume or pace because of age or grade appropriateness.  Our training is structured so we’re all doing similar things at the same time.  We sometimes work in small groups based on: ability, motivation, desire, or health.  The boundary lines for varsity and junior varsity are not just fast and semi-fast or young and old.  Those are too vague.  We mix up our grouping to allow for a smooth transition from one training group to another.  This allows for the kids to feel like they belong when they do make it up to the varsity.

WillofaChampion:  How do you base grouping on motivation?

Coach Kedge:  Cross Country is different than basketball or soccer where you have a small number of people on a team and you’re working to develop a bond between them.  I view Cross Country as a participatory sport where we get kids of all abilities, different motivation levels, and involved in other activities.  We want cross country and track to involve kids that may not be driven to be champions; yet still serve the highly motivated runner that wants to excel at the state and national level and pursue a college scholarship.  Our sport is different from other sports that may have extensive preseason programs with challenging try-outs that cut players so they have an elite team that functions as a small group.  We will take a team of thirty, forty, or even one hundred runners if we can get them out and try to serve each of them.  We will attempt to give them the attention, the love, and the top of the line coaching they need to achieve their lofty goals.

WillofaChampion:  How do you develop physical and mental discipline amongst your athletes?

Albuquerque Academy team gathers around coach

Coach Kedge:  We keep it basic.  Part of it is an attitude; an attitude by the coach, the program, and the school.  We develop physically and mentally because we ground everything in hard work.  It doesn’t matter what sport you’re in.  It doesn’t even matter if it is a sport.  If you’re willing to consistently work hard and persist in doing what must be done to succeed in any endeavor: academically, professionally, authoring a book, you will succeed.  Not everyone has the ability to be super elite and fast.  But if you ground your program in hard work then you’re going to have success over the long term.  Mental discipline comes from long range planning, desire, and persistence.

WillofaChampion:  What do you expect from the leadership or captains of your team?

Coach Kedge:  First and foremost I expect Citizenship.  I expect them to be good family members, good students on campus, and I expect them to make wise decisions.  Then I expect leadership during the hours that I am not with my kids.  That is when they can be great leaders for their peers through example and making wise choices in tough situations.  Leadership in a two hour practice or an all day meet does not compare to the leadership needed when adults are not around or present.  As leaders I expect them to be good citizens, good family members, good peers, to be kind, and warm hearted.  I know these things don’t seem to fit athletics but they are at the core of everything we do as people.

WillofaChampion:  How do you develop that kind of leadership in your athletes?

Coach Kedge:  We want to empower our young kids.  We start with listening to them.  We want to hear what is good and bad, what works for them and doesn’t.  Then we want to give them the opportunity to both succeed and fail.  We want them free to learn from failure.  Athletics in general is not only about winning.  You (WillofaChampion.com organization) have talked to many very successful coaches and players.  Most of those successful people have experienced far more failure than success.  So we want our kids to succeed and fail.  How our athletes respond in both those situations develops their maturity and helps them become better individuals.

WillofaChampion:  How do you ensure your athletes experience both success and failure?

Coach Kedge:  First and foremost we want them to recognize that athletics is a place where they can take risks.  Where they can try their best and not be ashamed when others are simply better than they are; or when others have a better day than they did.  From there we stress how important it is for them to learn from previous competitions and evaluate how to change things in order to assure future success.  Putting a plan into place in order to bounce back the next week, the next game, or the next competition is at the core of athletics.  What we’re looking for from our kids is to wake each day with a renewed spirit.  It all starts with giving them support and the love they need.  We don’t put them in positions where we want to see them fail.  We put them in positions where they can risk failure in order to succeed.  If they don’t do it here then they won’t do it in life.  They won’t do it when they’re applying for the big job or when asking the Homecoming Queen out for a date.  We want them to apply for the job that no one thinks they can get and ask the girl out everyone thinks will say no.  We’re looking to develop confident, risk taking, young adults that have intentions to take over the world and a clear plan on how they are going to get there.

WillofaChampion:  Do you have coaches or mentors that guide you?

Coach Kedge:  I was first trained and learned from the people that coached me as a boy.  I also learned what I didn’t want to do from some of these sameformer teachers and coaches.  Now I look to the coaches a lot of others do such as Mike Krzyzewski and others.  At the high school level I look to one of the most famed high school cross country coaches in the US in any time period:  Joe Newton.  Our sport has many good coaches nationally and locally.  For example one of our in-state rivals is coached by a good friend of mine.  Those coaches and that team, despite being our main competition inspire me to get better; to try and either keep up with them or stay one step ahead.  It isn’t very often you hear a coach say these are our rivals and they are our best friends.  It carries over into our programs.  Our kids want to kick them in the teeth when the gun goes off but as soon as they cross the finish line they are the best of buds.  You can have the best of both worlds.  You can have a tough competitor that brings out the best in you and he or she are your best friend.  We have that in our state with a couple of the top programs.  It makes for a friendly, highly competitive, healthy atmosphere where all kids benefit.

WillofaChampion:  Do your runners do any camps or anything like that for kids that may join your program?

Coach Kedge:  We certainly do.  We have our upper level kids work with our lower level kids.  We have a middle school program that is coached by one of our high school assistant coaches.  Those small things are two examples of how we try to keep continuity in our program.  We also attempt to get out to the running community by having a presence at age-group meets in order to promote our sport.  On the other end of the spectrum we attempt to keep our alumni involved looking after and bringing along the high school aged kids by working with them on what it is like to be a college level runner.

WillofaChampion:  What have we not discussed that you believe is critical to developing and/or maintaining a championship caliber program?

Coach Kedge:  One of the things that all programs need is momentum.  Momentum needs to come from a leader or a group of leaders that can be coaches, parents, veterans, or team captains that have a love and passion for the program.  Success in sports is less about knowing a lot of technical things about football or basketball or running.  If so any physiologist or biomechanical expert would be an excellent coach.  It is about keeping kids enthusiastic about what they’re doing; keeping a burning fire in the pit of their stomach, keeping them focused on a dream or reaching for the highest star.  All long term successful programs have tapped into a magic formula of maintaining enthusiasm and momentum.  It comes from having everyone involved in the program; coaches, athletes, families, and faculty members share in a common goal of athletics being something far larger than simply winning and losing.

WillofaChampion:  Do you mind sharing one special thing you do to keep the kids motivated when they’re not motivating themselves?

Coach Kedge:  Part of it is I try to lead by example to work extremely hard.  I try to wake early and get to meets and practices before anyone else.  I am the last one to leave.  As the leader I need to be calm in the time of setbacks.  In addition, we stress a forward thinking attitude, encouraging kids to dust off and move on to the next week or next meet.  As adults if we continually show the kids how much we care about them they will feed off of our enthusiasm and dedication.  That goes further than you could ever imagine – coach is at practice a half hour before it starts and waits to leave until the last kid is picked up by his mom and dad at the end of an afternoon.  If you’re enthusiastic about what you do, then it will carry over to other people.  I am fortunate enough that it has carried over to my assistant coaches and our staff.  The kids and their families have seen it too.  A true definition of a team; we’re all in this together through good times and bad.  That more than anything can be incredibly motivating.

Coach Kedge was the 2011 National High School Coaches Association Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year.

Interview:  December, 2011

Rod Walker University of New Hampshire Wildcats

You need to put in the extra work.  You have to want it.  The guys that don’t want it don’t stick it out. – Rod Walker

Rod Walker

University of New Hampshire

Football Walk-on

Defensive Back

2011- Starter, Full Scholarship, 55 tackles

2010 – Played in 13 games, CAA Academic All-Conference Team, 17 tackles

2009 – Played in 7 games, 10 tackles

2008 – Limited action, 3 tackles

2007 – Redshirt season

Rod is originally from New Hampshire.  He wanted to stay in state and attend a university with reputable academics and a good football program.  When he graduated from Portsmouth High School he didn’t have top colleges recruiting him.  He mainly considered division III schools.  But the University of New Hampshire fit exactly what Rod wanted for his post-secondary experience.  He and the coaches talked and he joined UNH as a recruited walk-on.

WillofaChampion:  Why do you think you were not offered a scholarship coming out of high school?

Photo courtesy of Ryan Szepan

Rod:  Good question.  I think partially because I intended to stay in state and play for UNH one way or another.  The other part might be that my high school is sometimes over looked by recruiters.

WillofaChampion:  You chose UNH mainly because it was in-state, good academics, and solid football?

Rod:  Yes.  It has the major I wanted.  Plus, I had some things to prove in football.

WillofaChampion:  What has been one of your greatest challenges as a walk-on?

Rod:  Sticking with it when I was so deep on the depth chart.  There were three or four very good veteran players in front of me.  I put everything I could into improving.  I spent a lot of time in the weight room and training on and off the field.  I wanted to be ready when it was my turn.

WillofaChampion:  Did you have to spend extra-time running, lifting, and training compared to the scholarship players?

Rod:  Yes.  I was very motivated.  I worked out hard in the off-season.  I got stronger.  Coach McDonnell (Head Football Coach University of New Hampshire) emphasizes that everything you do is part of your evaluation in our program.  I took that to heart.  I did everything I could to show them I can play.

WillofaChampion:  Do you have to be more mentally tough as a walk-on compared to a scholarship player?

Rod:  Based on my experience – yes.  When the scholarship freshman arrives he has a little different mentality than the walk-on freshman.  A walk-on has to earn things, nothing is given to him.

WillofaChampion:  How did your teammates receive you when you walked-on?

photo courtesy of Michelle Bronner

Rod:  Whether you’re a walk-on or scholarship player the freshmen all get treated the same.  We make it a point in our program to treat everyone like they’re family.  I felt at home.  That is part of the reason I stayed.  The older guys taught us things and made us feel comfortable.  They were good leaders.

WillofaChampion:  How did your coaches receive you compared to other freshmen players?

Rod:  We all got to play scout team a lot.  The coaches did spend a little more time with the scholarship players.  But I understand that because their invested in the scholarship player.

WillofaChampion:  What success or successes are you most proud?

Rod:  I am most proud of:  sticking it out through the tough times, earning a scholarship so I could help my family financially, and earning progressively more playing time until I became a starter.

WillofaChampion:  Why do you think you’ve made it when other walk-ons do not?

Rod:  Our program isn’t for everyone.  The guys that fit stick it out.  They have self-motivation.  Our team does motivate one another but you need it on your own.  You need to put in the extra work.  You have to want it.  The guys that don’t want it don’t stick it out.

WillofaChampion:  When you went through challenging times with whom did you talk?

Rod:  My family and my teammates.  My teammates were going through it with me.  I would talk with them about struggles and we’d help each other.

WillofaChampion:  How did you find out you received a scholarship?

Rod:  It wasn’t a momentous occasion.  It was during the spring.  Coach McDonnell called me into his office after practice and informed me I’d earned a partial scholarship.  If fall camp went well I would receive a full scholarship.  During fall camp I earned the starting Weak-Safety position.  All starters get a full scholarship.  I made it.

WillofaChampion:  What was it like telling your parents?

Rod:  My mother was very happy because she knew why I was working so hard.  I am thankful I could help her financially.  It isn’t easy for a single parent.

WillofaChampion:  What impact has following your dream and earning it had on the rest of your life?

Rod:  This program has taught me a lot of great values; especially self-motivation and persevering.  Those are attributes I can apply to life, my job, and career.  You have to want it bad enough.

WillofaChampion:  What advice do you have for other athletes considering walking-on?

Rod:  Follow your dream and put in the extra effort so it will come true.  Don’t let anyone get you down.  Learn from others.  Keep improving and don’t stop trying.

Rod majored in Economics.  He will graduate this December.

Interview:  December, 2011

Coach Kevin Kiernan

…I think that is the biggest part of building a winner; that you have something you can always trust, always return to, and always depend on…

Kevin Kiernan

Head Girls Basketball Coach

Mater Dei High School

USA Today National Champions 2010 2011

USA Today National Coach of the Year 2010

California High School Division 1AA State Champions 2011

California High School Division II State Champions 2010

Troy High School

California High School Division II State Champions  2003  2005  2006

Russell Athletic/WBCA – Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year 2006

WillofaChampion:  You won state championships at both Troy High School and Mater Dei.  What have been the differences in the two programs?

Coach Kiernan during a game

Coach Kiernan:  Troy is a public school and Mater Dei is private so there are inherent differences.  With Troy we started from scratch.  There wasn’t much tradition in regards to winning championships.  We had to build the tradition over time.  By the time I left there we had won five CIF titles and three state championships.  (California is separated into a southern and northern section in which the CIF is the governing body.  If you win your section then you move on to the state championship) Mater Dei has been different.  They’re a very athletic school.  Coming here was like going to the next level because of tangibles such as facilities and support.  Troy was a strong California team that went to a couple national tournaments and did well.  Mater Dei is a strong national team that has done well.

WillofaChampion:  Do you have a mission, vision, or purpose statement for your team?

Coach Kiernan:  We develop a new theme every year because each team is different.  We always start with defense.  We are a full-court press team because we want to put a lot of pressure on the ball.  We start 75% of our practices with defense.  We hang our hat on defense.  Offensively things will change based on our personnel.  We consider the level of maturity and leadership style.  We develop a theme that suits the team offensively within the parameter of what we do defensively.

WillofaChampion:  What was the theme of your 2011 national championship team?

Coach Kiernan:  Last year the theme was “Sisterhood”.  The challenge for us at Mater Dei isn’t finding or developing talent.  We have four girls from last season playing division one college basketball this year.  Our challenge is chemistry – getting the girls on the same page and playing together and happy or content.  The past few years our themes have been unselfishness and working together.  We want our girls to see the big picture; that when we play well everyone gets noticed.  We don’t want them worried about individual statistics.

WillofaChampion:  Besides the theme what else have you done to cultivate a team first attitude amongst your players?

Coach Kiernan:  That is the hardest thing at Mater Dei.  That is another reason why we believe in defense first.  Because if you’re a good defensive team, that means you work well as a unit.  You can’t be a good defensive team and have selfish players.  You will be done.  So we approach a team first attitude from a defensive aspect.  If we’re playing good defense then we’re playing together.  That solves a lot of our problems.  We are very proactive in developing a team first attitude.  We have a lot of meanings.  We do team bonding activities.  I have individual meetings before and after each season.  We are honest and tell girls where we think they are and what their role may look like for the up-coming season.  Sometimes I may leave it open if I’m really not sure.  But we try to avoid surprises so there are no misunderstandings.

WillofaChampion:  How did you create a culture of winning?  Especially at Troy since they didn’t have the tradition of Mater Dei.

Coach Kiernan:  Dedication and hard work.  Those kids practiced so hard.  They were very ambitious.  They wanted to take it to the next level.  We were fortunate to have kids with high ambition and big goals.  Once you achieve some success, every year builds off of it.  The next group of players doesn’t want to be the team that let’s down the tradition.  Once you’ve got that, it is a little easier to keep it going because the players have bought-in.  The new kids coming in learn from the seniors what and how to do things.  Once you have that leadership it snowballs.  It makes our job a lot easier.

WillofaChampion:  At Mater Dei you just maintained that culture of winning?  Did you have to do anything special?

Coach Kiernan:  One of the reasons I came in was because they weren’t having much success the past few years.  The guys have been a national power the past twenty or thirty years.  But the girls were on and off.  They had won a state title before we got here.  But the past few years had been dry.  So we came in with the same defensive intensity we had at Troy.  We started with hard work.  The talent level here is really high.  It is good at Troy.  But Mater Dei has kids playing at the UConn and Tennessee level.  That made some things easier.  The basketball skill level wasn’t our problem.  The biggest problem was getting them on the same page.  Now the issue is dealing with expectations.  We have won back-to-back national titles so the expectations are really high.  Dealing with the by-products of winning are our challenges.  But the facility and support we get at Mater Dei is unparalleled. We are in a position where we can be successful.

WillofaChampion:  Do you mind expanding on the challenges or by-products of winning?

Coach Kiernan:  Since we’ve won two national and state titles, people may take winning for granted.  That we’re going to win since we have before.  Players may take short-cuts instead of being fully committed to the road to success.  We have talented kids that we don’t see a lot in the summer.  They’re on international basketball teams, Olympic teams, and high level club teams.  Those are great things for the kids.  But our team doesn’t get much done in the summer.  So our kids have to work on their own or with their summer teams.  No shortcuts.  Our parent’s expectations are really high and can be present different types of challenges.

WillofaChampion:  How do you instill physical and mental discipline in your athletes?

Coach Kiernan:  Through defensive conditioning.  We run as hard as we can in practice.  We scrimmage a lot.  70% of our practices are defensive work.  We do a lot of fundamental work.  We practice game like situations.  We try to improve areas where we’re not very good.  We try to instill a work ethic.  We did that at Troy too.  Those girls really bought into the idea that hard work will take them somewhere.  Some girls are so talented they know they will be fairly successful even if they don’t work real hard.  So we stay on them and try to motivate them to do their best.  We want them to develop that fantastic potential.

WillofaChampion:  What do you expect from the captains or leaders of your team?

Coach Kiernan:  We want them to help their youngest teammates.  In girls’ basketball it is easier for a freshman girl to play at a higher level than a freshman boy.  Girls are just a little more ahead of the game.  I have four freshmen on varsity right now.  Their basketball skills are very good.  But emotionally they are still 14 year olds playing with 17 and 18 year olds.  We really want our captains to bridge that gap.  We want the seniors to help the freshman get through practices and understand what we do to be successful.  We want more of a team chemistry leadership than on the floor leadership.

WillofaChampion:  Do you work to develop those leadership skills in your players.

Coach Kiernan:  We actively search for it.  Some kids are better suited for it than others.  We try to identify that as early as we can and work with those kids.  Some people have it and some don’t.  Some kids are great players and they lead by example.  Some are just great teammates and do the right things.  So part of the process is identifying and encouraging it.

WillofaChampion:  Do you run a camp or anything to reach out to young girls that may join Mater Dei in the future?

Coach Kiernan:  We run summer camps.  We call it The Camp of Champions.  We ran it at Troy and now at Mater Dei.  It is for grades three through eight and only for girls.  We get about ninety to a hundred each week.  We cannot actively recruit kids. But we see a lot of kids and it has gone well.  We get to expose them to what and who we are.

WillofaChampion:  What else comes to your mind that is critical to building a state championship caliber program that we haven’t discussed?

Coach Kiernan:  If I was going to speak somewhere I would tell everyone; whether they’re just trying to improve their record, win league, or win state – you have to go in with a clear vision of how you want to do things.  Then you have to stick with it.  We come as a defense first staff.  We never change that.  The kids know that, they can hang their hat on that.  We’re going to do this well no matter what.  No matter what our talent level is, our effort level on defense is going to be fantastic, we’re going to work hard, we’re going to be in every game because defense will keep you in every game, and we will build off that.  As we get more talented and players get better we still have that foundation as our base.  That is the philosophy of our team and that is what we want to get done.  We never stray from it.  I think that is the biggest part of building a winner; that you have something you can always trust, always return to, and always depend on.  Offense may change every year, personal will change every year, but our base will never change.  Players may never say this but they know the hard work is worth it because we are good at defense.  After they graduate they can always come back and say they were a great defensive team.  They can always come back to that.

Interview:  November 2011

Photo courtesy of Don Liebig, ASUCLA

Not being recruited by a top school sends the message that you’re not good enough.  Even though I knew I was; it still requires a lot of mental strength to believe you can succeed.  You need the mental strength to go out and do it.

Shawn Singh

UCLA Men’s Soccer

2011: Played in 19 games starting 17.  Bruins are 14-4-1 and 9-0-0 in the PAC 12

2010:  2^nd Team All-PAC 10, Honorable Mention All-PAC 10 Academic team, started 19 of 20 games

2009:  Starter in 15 out of 17 games

Shawn Singh attended Garces Memorial Catholic High School in Bakersfield, California.  He believed he could play at a higher level based on his performance against good competition.  But he didn’t get heavily recruited out of high school.  He was accepted to UCLA.  He enrolled and didn’t play his freshman year.  He missed soccer.  He worked hard to get in shape and made the team as a walk-on.

WillofaChampion:  Why do you think you weren’t heavily recruited out of high school?

Shawn:  Bakersfield is geographically isolated from the top teams.  So I didn’t get the exposure from big tournaments where coaches scout.  My coaches and others told me I had a lot of potential.  But I wasn’t at the level I needed to be in order to get recruited to a top school.

WillofaChampion:  What was one of your greatest challenges as a Walk-on?

Photo courtesy of Jeff Sipsey

Shawn:  Earning the respect of my teammates.  Veterans can be skeptical of new players.  So you have to earn their respect.  I was able to do that fairly quickly.

WillofaChampion:  How did you earn their respect quickly?

Shawn:  By competing and demonstrating I was at a similar level.

WillofaChampion:  Did you have to spend extra time practicing, running, or working-out compared to the scholarship players?

Shawn:  Not when I was part of the team.  We did everything together.  Before becoming a Bruin I worked with my closest friend from back home.  For a month or so prior to my try-out we were doing double and triple days; running, technical work, and lifting.

WillofaChampion:  Do you think a walk-on has to be mentally tougher than a scholarship player? Referring to when you first joined the team, are there more obstacles for a walk-on?

Shawn:  I think it is more challenging for a walk-on.  Not being recruited by a top school sends the message that you’re not good enough.  Even though I knew I was; it still requires a lot of mental strength to believe you can succeed.  You need the mental strength to go out and do it.

WillofaChampion:  How did your teammates receive you?

Shawn:  The players I thought would not be very welcoming, the older better players, were very welcoming.  That surprised me.  There was tension with those I competed with for a spot; but not anymore.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Sipsey

WillofaChampion:  How did your coaches receive you?

Shawn:  Almost surprisingly well.  I played in a league a lot of college players join.  I was able to make a name for myself.  Eric Wynalda, former US National team player, the goal scoring leader before Landon Donovan, talked to Jorge Salcedo (UCLA Head Coach) about me.  So Coach Salcedo and the other coaches recognized me and welcomed me to try out.

WillofaChampion:  Why do you think you’ve made it when other walk-ons do not?

Shawn:  I have a strong mentality when it comes to difficult times.  My father passed-away when I was a senior; so I’ve been able to over-come obstacles.  When I experience setbacks I learn from them and persevere.

WillofaChampion:  When you go through challenging times, who do you speak with to encourage you?

Shawn:  Family.  My best friend from back home; we’re really close.  We can talk about anything.  He really understands me.  I call him if I need to talk and he gives me support.

WillofaChampion:  What impact has following your dream and earning it had on the rest of your life?

Shawn:  In high school I didn’t think I could start at UCLA.  Now I know I can persevere if I work hard and stay mentally strong.  That success has had a huge impact on my life and development.  If I focus and work hard while maintaining discipline I will succeed.

WillofaChampion:  What advice do you have for other athletes considering walking-on?

Shawn:  Don’t let anyone distract you from your dreams.  Don’t listen when they say you can’t pursue your dream.  If you have the will and ambition to pursue your dream nothing will hold you back.

Shawn is majoring in economics.

Interview:  November 2011

Nicolas Jean-Baptiste. Photo courtesy of Baylor Athletics

You have to spend your first season earning the respect and trust of your teammates and coaches.  You have to prove you can play so they trust you on the field.

Nicolas Jean-Baptiste

Baylor University

Football Walk-on Defensive Linemen

2011: Starting Nose Tackle

2010: Earned starting defensive tackle position in 4^th game.  31 Total tackles for the year

2009:  Played in 12 games.  Earned 2^nd Letter.  Awarded a Scholarship

2008:  Played in 12 games. Earned 1^st Letter. Spring 2009 Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll

2007:  Red-shirt Walk-on

Nicolas Jean-Baptiste, Nic, graduated from Strake Jesuit College Prep without any scholarship offers.  Some smaller schools were interested in him, but he believed he could play division one football.  Baylor University was recruiting a teammate of Nic’s.  When a Baylor coach came to see film of that player, he saw Nic also.  Baylor’s coaches also saw Nic at a summer camp playing defensive line.  They invited Nic to walk-on.

WillofaChampion:  Why do you think you weren’t offered a scholarship coming out of high school?

Photo courtesy of Baylor Athletics

Nic:  My junior year I suffered an ankle sprain early in the season.  I didn’t recover until the playoffs.  That was too late to attract attention.  I went to camps that summer, but I was playing offensive line.  I wasn’t that big so I didn’t get much of a look.  My dad suggested I try defensive line.  So at the Baylor camp I played defensive line.  That is when I met coach and he invited me to walk-on.

WillofaChampion:  What was one of your greatest challenges as a walk-on?

Nic:  Sometimes you don’t get as much respect as a scholarship player.  It is a longer road to playing time.  They give  the first opportunities to scholarship players.  A walk-on just has to be patient and when you get your turn, take advantage of it.

WillofaChampion:  Did you have to spend extra time working-out, running, or practicing compared to scholarship players?

Nic:  Yes, especially the spring of my freshman year.  I had to work hard on cardio exercises.  I lost a little weight.  I spent extra time lifting.  I increased my upper body strength. I just wanted to gain an edge.

Photo courtesy of Baylor Athletics

WillofaChampion:  Do you have to be mentally tougher as a walk-on compared to a scholarship player?

Nic:  I feel like you do.  You have to spend your first season earning the respect and trust of your teammates and coaches.  You have to prove you can play so they trust you on the field.

WillofaChampion:  How do you develop that trust?

Nic:  It starts at practice.  You earn trust through practicing hard and performing.  The next step is scrimmages.  Once your teammates see you perform well in scrimmages then they start to trust you.  They see you’re not just another walk-on.

WillofaChampion:  How did your teammates receive you?

Nic:  Some guys were really cool.  Others guys didn’t write me off but thought I was just another walk-on.  Once we started practicing and they saw me play, they started coming around.

WillofaChampion:  How did your coaches receive you?

Photo courtesy of Baylor Athletics

Nic:  The coaches that brought me in believed in me.  So does Coach Achuff.  Once I confirmed their belief on the field their trust in me grew fast.

WillofaChampion:  What was it like when you first heard you got a scholarship?

Nic:  Coach Achuff texted me and asked me to come to the office.  When I got there he told me how hard I was working and how proud he was.  Then Coach Briles told me they were going to put me on scholarship.  I was so excited!  I called my mom and she cried.  My whole family started calling me.

WillofaChampion:  Why do you think you’ve made it when other walk-ons do not?

Photo courtesy of Baylor Athletics

Nic:  I think I have taken advantage of my opportunities.  Especially my playing time at the beginning; I showed the coaches right away I could play.  You have to take advantage of those little opportunities when they present themselves.

WillofaChampion:  When you go through challenging times, who do you speak with to encourage you?

Nic:  My parents.  I talked to my dad about football.  I talk to my mom about life.  My parents have helped me a lot.  Especially my freshman year when I was getting down on myself a little bit.  My parents would motivate me.  They’ve been behind me the whole time.

WillofaChampion:  What impact has following your dream and earning it had on the rest of your life?

Nic:  A big impact.  I am a lot more confident.  I feel like I can do a lot more things now.

WillofaChampion:  What advice do you have for other athletes considering walking-on?

Nic: Be patient.  Be mentally tough.  Take advantage of the opportunity when it comes; do not let it pass you by.  Otherwise, you’ll just be another walk-on.

Nic is majoring in general studies

Barrington Scott. Photo courtesy of Ball State Photo Services

…if you’re willing to work hard you can achieve anything you want.  You just have to work hard.  Don’t stop, don’t quit, you never know when that break will come; maybe tomorrow, maybe a couple of weeks from now.  Keep working.Barrington Scott

Ball State University

Football Walk-on Running Back

2011: Starting Running Back, Earned Scholarship

2010: Transferred to Ball State, Did not play as a walk-on

2009: Red-shirt walk-on at Northern Illinois

Barrington tore his ACL his senior year at Snider High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  Prior to his injury it looked like a couple of schools would offer him a scholarship.  Upon graduation no scholarship offer came.  He walked-on to Northern Illinois University expecting to get a scholarship quickly.  But he was injured again.  He red-shirted.  During spring practice he was told he would have to wait another year on the scholarship.  Barrington couldn’t wait.  He decided to return home and walk-on at Ball State University.  He earned a scholarship his second year.

WillofaChampion:  Did you have to put in extra-time working out and practicing compared to the other players at Ball State?

Barrington Scott carrying the ball vs. Army. Photo courtesy of Ball State Photo Services

Barrington:  Maybe.  Everyone is working hard.  I work hard no matter what.  But I don’t always know what the other guys are doing, so maybe.

WillofaChampion:  Can you give me an example of what it looks like when you’re working hard and putting in extra time?

Barrington:  At Northern Illinois I went to the Rec Club and worked-out after working-out with the team.  I was trying to recover from my injury.  When I got here (Ball State) I kept that pace up.  I came early to practice and worked on a bike at the Rec Center, worked-out with the team, and worked out with a trainer when I went home.  I never took a break and took no off season.  I had to recover from my injuries.

WillofaChampion:  Barrington, do you have to be mentally tougher as a walk-on compared to a scholarship player?

Barrington:  Yes.  Simply because it is hard; especially when you transfer and have to sit-out a year.  You have to work your way up from the bottom.  You can’t let little things get to you.  You have to focus, do your best, and work hard.  It can be a tough experience but you have to keep going.

WillofaChampion:  How did your teammates receive you?

Barrington:  When I first came I had to earn respect.  Once people saw that I can play; then it was cool.

WillofaChampion:  How did your coaches receive you?

Barrington:  The coaches knew I would work hard.  But they didn’t know if I could play since I’d been injured.  They saw me in spring ball and I guess they were impressed.

WillofaChampion:  Why do you think you’ve made it when other walk-ons do not?

Barrington:  Focus.  I don’t party.  I don’t mess with the girls.  I worry about school and football.  I want to achieve my goals and dreams.  So I work to stay focused; keeping God first.  I spend time with the right people like my mentor Michael Ledo.  I spend time with my mom.  You need a strong, strong focus.

WillofaChampion:  How did Michael Ledo become your mentor?

Barrington:  Michael has been my mentor since I was 14 years old.  I have been training with him since then.  I have learned a lot of life lessons from him.  He has kept me on track.  He is the reason I am where I am today.  (Michael Ledo is the President/CEO of AWP Sports Performance – www.awpsportsperformance.com)

WillofaChampion:  What was it like when you got your scholarship?

Photo credit Ball State Photo Services

Barrington:  We had just finished conditioning.  Coach Lustig (Running Backs coach) told me Coach Lembo (Head Coach) wanted to see me in his office.  When I got there he told me I’d received a scholarship.  It was somewhat out of the blue.  I was real thankful.  I had been working hard and doing what I was supposed to do.  My teammates kept asking if I was on a scholarship yet.  When my teammates asked that, I knew the coaches had to see it.

WillofaChampion:  When you go through challenging times, who do you speak with to encourage you?

Barrington:  Michael Ledo. Grandpa and Grandma.

WillofaChampion:  How did Michael and your grandparents respond when you told them you had a scholarship?

Barrington:  Everyone was real happy.  My mom was real emotional.  They were proud of me.

WillofaChampion:  What impact has following your dream and earning it had on the rest of your life?

Barrington:  That was a big achievement for me.  But there are more things I want to do; bigger things.  It does show me that if you’re willing to work hard you can achieve anything you want.  You just have to work hard.  Don’t stop, don’t quit, you never know when that break will come; maybe tomorrow, maybe a couple of weeks from now.  Keep working.

WillofaChampion:  What advice do you have for other athletes considering walking-on?

Barrington:  Focus.  Focus on what you need to do.  Put God first.  Stay around positive people.

Barrington is majoring in Sociology

Jenny Teslevich. Photo courtesy of Arizona State University

I really want to add something to the team.  Whether it is energy, encouragement, a spark, I want to make a difference.  That is what I wanted to do my freshmen year and now.

Jenny Teslevich

Arizona State University

Volleyball Libero

2011: 15 digs in 11 games

2010:  Walk-on, 114 sets, 209 digs, 11 aces

Jenny cried after her club team won the last tournament she played in.  She wasn’t going to play organized volleyball again.  But that was the wrong decision.  She spoke to the Arizona State University coaches.  She got to work with the team.  They liked what they saw.  She walked-on just two weeks prior to the start of the season.

WillofaChampion:  What has been one of your greatest challenges as a walk-on?

Jenny:  The greatest challenge is proving yourself.  The coaches do choose you, but not necessarily to meet a need of the team.  I really want to add something to the team.  Whether it is energy, encouragement, a spark, I want to make a difference.  That is what I wanted to do my freshmen year and now.

WillofaChampion:  Many players have the goal of wanting to start, how did you develop yours?

Photo courtesy of Arizona State University

Jenny:  Obviously, as a competitor you always want to start.  I wanted to know the process rather than just get that immediate goal of starting.  If my team does well, that is the most important thing.  If I play and we’re doing well, that is great!  But if I’m not starting then I hope I am making everyone else better.

WillofaChampion:  Did you spend extra time working out or practicing compared to your teammates?

Jenny:  We are a very close team and everything we do is basically together.  We encourage everyone to do extra so all of us are getting better.  During the summer everyone was up at 6:00am doing the “bubble”- running.  We try to do everything as a team.  Even come in for extra-reps.

WillofaChampion:  Do you think you have to be more mentally tough as a walk-on compared to a scholarship player?

Jenny:  There are different aspects to it.  A walk-on can have the attitude of “nothing to lose” because you’re not expected to perform at a high level.  But you have to juggle sports, finances, and academics.  I do this because I love it.  But financially and academically it can be a challenge.  You have to manage your time well.

WillofaChampion:  How did your teammates and coaches receive you compared to the other players?

Jenny:  A little hesitant, but rightfully so.  I was so new they didn’t know how I was going to play.  Usually recruiting is at least a six month process.  But they only saw me for a week.  So I think they were right to be hesitant.  They were just unsure.  The team was awesome.  So were the coaches.

WillofaChampion:  Why do you think you’ve made it when other walk-ons do not?

Jenny:  The support of my family, teammates, and coaches.  One thing my club coach told me was to never give-up.  There have been times where you think you’re at the end, but you can’t give up.  I try to remember that.

WillofaChampion:  When you go through challenging times, who do you speak with to encourage you?

Photo courtesy of Arizona State University

Jenny:  My older sister, Sarah.  I communicate with my family in general, but especially her.  She played college volleyball.  She got hurt.  She knows the emotions and what I am going through.

WillofaChampion:  What impact has following your dream and earning it up to this point had on the rest of your life?

Jenny:  I realize now I can accomplish dreams I thought I couldn’t.  I can play division one volleyball though I wasn’t recruited.  Currently I am managing the demands of volleyball while preparing to go to grad school.

WillofaChampion:  What advice do you have for others considering walking-on?

Jenny:  Work hard, listen only to the people you respect and love.  If you want something go get it.

Jenny is majoring in kinesiology with a minor in psychology.  She helped lead Xavier Preparatory High School in Phoenix to the Volleyball State Championship in 2008 and 2009.

Interview:  October 2011