Hey friends. Here is another guest blog by my friend Mike Ellson from Tennessee. Mike is the executive Director of the Tennessee Athletic Directors Association. He’s also the co-author of a great book called Leadership with Legacy In Education-Based Athletics. On my podcast with Mike, as well as his co-authors Rich Barton and Carol Dozibrin, shared a great story. It’s also in the book. I asked him if I could include it in the blog and of course he said yes! Enjoy. There’s a lot of lessons to be learned on our journey! Thanks so much, Mike! The story below is a great example for all of us in education who are striving to teach students qualities that will enable them to be leaders in future generations. All of us have moments of weakness, but it’s what we do with those teachable moments that matter the most. Feel free to watch the podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTpSE-MEtxI&t=2s
As a young coach and athletic administrator, I made mistakes, and the lessons I learned I carry with me to this day. One story in particular has stuck with me through the years that occurred in the late 1980’s at a local middle school baseball field in Nashville. We were struggling as a young program to compete and most schools could not wait to place us on their schedules. Victories can come easy for experienced programs when playing new schools, and this particular baseball game was no exception. We were trailing late in the game by a score of 24-2, and I made a pitching change that would teach me about the importance of listening to the players I am called to lead. I went to the mound and told the 6th grade young man to throw a brushback pitch because of the way they were treating our team. He finished throwing his warm-up pitches and then motioned for me to come back to the mound. When I approached him, he looked at me and said, “Coach Ellson, I do not think I should throw at the batter. You remind us all the time about representing the ‘C’ (Christ) on our cap, and if I do hit the next batter, I will not be doing what you say we are supposed to do.” As a young coach, I was humbled. The student-athlete had taught the coach what the coach was supposed to be teaching the student. It was a critical moment for me and a reminder that students are watching and listening to everything we say and do.
Mike Ellson, CMAA
Nashville, Tennessee
I coached wrestling for over 30 years and had many similar experiences. One, in particular stands out. I had a wrestler who was wrestling a ranked opponent who drew a penalty for a prohibited move against my wrestler. My wrestler knew that he would win by default if he stayed down after the penalty. He was not injured. I told my wrestler that I would forfeit the match if he did not continue. He continued and won the match. He and I both learned a valuable life lesson from this.