One of the things sold to parents when they enter their kids into sports is that beyond the physical activity and friendships they will get, life skills also will be learned. Those values never stop being preached and championed by amateur coaches at all levels, with some school districts valuing those principles over wins and losses.

“All In”

Not all mottos are original. Some are so good that multiple teams use them at the same time. This year’s Bowie and Nocona football teams share the same motto. Why is it so popular? Because the message never stops being relevant.
Successful teams need players who have bought both mentally and physically into what the coach is trying to accomplish. Players can do what they are told, but if they do not fully believe in the goal the team is trying to accomplish, coaches are only going to be able to get so much effort and energy out of a player.
“All In” can also translate to being fully committed in everything important you do in life. Putting everything you have into everything you do so you do not do it half way is a good message.

“Set the Standard”

Bowie volleyball stuck some volleyball verbage with “set” into their motto, but it is mostly centered on the power word, standard. A standard also is also an expectation. The higher the standard is for an individual or group of people, it usually equates to a better success rate. That high standard needs to start somewhere. A coach can have high standards for their players, but a program really starts to gain momentum when a team has great success one year and inspires every team afterwards to follow their lead. They set the standard for what is expected from that program.

“Whatever it Takes”

Some mottos are self explanatory, like the Prairie Valley volleyball teams motto. As coach Jeannie Carpenter puts it: “It means putting in extra work, studying hard, and accepting the roles we are given and being the best we can be at them. Having this motto is a reminder to our girls daily that success doesn’t always come easy and we have to be willing to go above and beyond and do Whatever It Takes to be our best.”
This kind of motto can help in life by getting rid of excuses and making sure whatever the task is at hand, that they will do whatever it takes to make sure it gets done.

“Take the Next Step”

Some mottos are more specific to a certain team and their specific goals. For the Saint Jo football team and their staff, they want to continue to build on what they started last year together with Coach Derek Schlieve in their first year. Improvements were made, but the next step signifies something more.
The next step is what naturally comes next when people walk or run. It is the natural progression if you want to move anywhere in general. The same premise is with a program.
Most times, successful programs do not come from nowhere. They come from teams that are always progressing in some way, usually on the field, but not always. It is a motto from a team with high expectations.
This motto can also translate to every day so as to never get too comfortable and always be improving in every aspect of your life. To always be looking to take that next step.

Whatever the message is, original or not, you ask any former player what they learned from playing sports, the answer is usually not how to serve a ball or catch a football. It usually has to do with the life lessons they learned and chances are, they are along the lines of their team or coaches’ motto.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.