MAKING YOUR MOTTO VISUAL; SHARING IDEAS

An important aspect of creating a structured environment to our Mentoring-Virtue Program is really using your team motto.

You need to find creative ways to get your motto constantly "in front" of your players ... in breakdowns, one-on-one sessions, team talks, posters ... helmet stickers.

Archbishop McNicholas High School Football in Cincinnati has chosen to use the school motto for their team motto -"To Attain Full Stature in Christ"

So to re-inforce that, they created a helmet sticker to remind everyone ... Maybe you can do something similar with your motto.

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Another great aspect of being a part of the SportsLeader program is sharing new ideas with everyone else.

Coach Ryan Wikel of Sandusky St Mary's Central Catholic in Sandusky OH came up with a great reminder for the Dads for Father-Son Jersey Night. He created a laminated business card to help the Dads remember the key phrases to tell their son. What is awesome about this is that it is small, fits in your wallet and can be a constant reminder to the Dad that he should be saying these things more often. Maybe a few months go by, looks through his wallet one day, re-finds that card and he gets inspired to communicate something meaningful to his son.

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If you have an idea or a nuance ... please share it with us, just email me at LJudd@sportsleader.org

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I'd also like to share another athlete testimony. This is from Makenna Myers, a tennis player from Sandusky St Mary's Central Catholic HS. I hope these testimonies inspire you to keep mentoring.


Hello, I’m Makenna. I am currently a senior at Saint Mary Central Catholic where I am the co-captain of our tennis team. I have been playing tennis for SMCC since I was a freshman, which I think was the best decision I ever made.

Going into any high school sport was very overwhelming for me, just the idea of playing with people older than myself made me extremely nervous. When I told my parents that I thought I wanted to play tennis they were thrilled. The first practice we had I was literally shaking because I was so nervous. I didn’t know any of these girls except for my friend, Giselle, and I was scared. As soon as I got out of the car all of the girls came up and introduced themselves, and they were so happy that we wanted to be on the team. Each tennis season from that point on has been very memorable.

Last year the seniors started the tradition of inspirational notecards. These notecards were made before every match and were given to each girl as we took to the courts. The notecard had a personal message that the senior shared with the girl she was writing to, and always ended with a bible quote that would focus on an uplifting message. It would only take a few moments to read these cards, but the messages would help me to focus on the way I played. Whenever I got down on myself during a match I would read my card and think of how special I was to have teammates who wanted to encourage me to go on, to work through the rough point, and who cared so much about me. Knowing how much this made a positive impact on me and the way I played, I promised myself that this year I would make every single card meaningful and unique. Now that it is my turn to write cards, I look for inspirational quotes that are specific to my teammate that I write for, I draw funny pictures, and I take the time to write a quick prayer for each of the notecards.

It never occurred to me that my teammates would ever save these little paper cards. I always thought they were read once, and then thrown into their tennis bag eventually to be found at the end of the season when the bags had to be returned. But one day before a match I saw my teammate reach deep into a side pocket and reread the card that I had given her a few games prior. She had a somewhat rough day at school and had taken the card out to read again.  After reading the notecard she gave me a hug. I never realized that I could have that kind of impact on a person. Through this experience I have learned that even small acts of kindness can make a difference.