A Coach's Diary

"We only understand who we are if we understand where we came from." Whakapapa is one of NZ's largest ski areas. Sports Performance Coach Owen Eastwood sa ys it is also the universal understanding that whatever community we are a part of, we understand that our arms are locked together in a story that starts with the origin story and goes into the future until the end of time. The sun first shined on our first team - our first ancestors - and it slowly moved down this line of people, and now it's on us. We are forever linked with our past and our future. He says when the sun shines on you before you get busy, create a space to connect with what the jersey represents and the point and purpose of the team. Decide to live out that identity while wearing the jersey. Preview what you can achieve together and what the legacy of the team can be. SOMETHING(s) TO THINK ABOUT 1 - What does this jersey represent and mean to you? (What does being a part of this organization mea...

  Jim Gray hosted one of Kobe Bryant’s first post-retirement interviews. About 18 minutes into the interview, Jim asked Kobe how he felt after his coach, Phil Jackson, wrote negative things about him in one of his books. Jim said most people think professional athletes don’t have feelings, and when something is written or said, it rolls right off. But when it's your coach, it has to sting and hurt. Jim asked Kobe how we reacted to it. Kobe said he was really good at taking negative things and refocusing them. He used those things to help him get up at 4 AM and hit the weight room, hit the track, and then take the shots. He used everything as a source of motivation. No matter what is said, positive or negative, have the mindset that it will fuel your passion, and then there is nothing anyone can say that will move you backward. SOMETHING(s) TO THINK ABOUT 1 - What is your biggest takeaway from the video? 2 - What is something that motivates you to be the best you can be? 3 - How can...