Photo by Lester Smith
Coach Daniel Switchenko from ECSU, an experienced motivational speaker, makes clear what is expected of a team captain. His October 4 audience at Suffield High School included captains from four other high schools as well.
In a cooperative move among five schools, Suffield High School Athletic Director Mike Bosworth invited his team captains to an evening session on October 4 in the auditorium at SHS. Captains and coaches attended from Stafford, Windsor Locks, Granby, and Canton, as well, for a total audience of about 80.
Bosworth opened with a reminder of the big responsibility the team captains carry in that role. He said “Everything you do will be under a microscope.” Then he introduced Daniel Switchenko, a highly-credentialed, long-experienced teacher, coach, and motivational speaker. (Ph.D. from Ohio State University in exercise science, four decades teaching exercise physiology, most recently at Eastern Connecticut State University.)
Speaking in a very active style, with a lavalier mike so he could move around, Switch, as he is called, laid it on the line, opening with “What’s in it for you?” He answered, “College admission and success in life!” Presumably, the satisfaction of a winning team was a given. He described some great examples of truly dedicated, effective students he has known. An important part of his talk concerned alcohol and drugs. A leader must set the example with total abstinence. He warned about association with the wrong people. He centered his 40-minute message on six key attributes: Dedication, Respect, Enthusiasm, Attitude, Mental Toughness, Sacrifice, all spelling DREAMS. There was little or no talk of game details or techniques of teaching.
Bosworth then introduced two recent SHS graduates: Page Anderson (2011, field hockey) and Mike Carucci (2016, basketball). Page, now a fifth-grade teacher, and Mike, a freshman at Springfield College, added their brief reinforcement to Switch’s advice.
The assembled captains were then divided into small, mixed groups who were told to discuss their main “take-aways” from the session and consider how NCCC (North Central Connecticut Conference) could improve sportsmanship in its games. Their reports, assembled on big easel sheets, indicated that they had absorbed Switch’s message: “Lead by example,” “Set goals,” “Be role models on and off the field,” and many more examples of good advice. As for NCCC, the captains thought that having more multi-school events for the captains would likely improve sportsmanship. This was the first such meeting in recent memory.