Practices started across the state on Monday for fall high school sports.
Every coach is different in how they run practice, the mood they set, expectations, strategies, ect.
Some coaches are big motto sellers to their team. This is a word or phrase that gets plastered on schedules, team shirts, is printed in the team locker room somewhere and players can’t go one practice without hearing it repeated at least 10 times.
An example is my senior season’s motto in football was “all in.” Our coaches didn’t want us to be only somewhat invested. The fact that it was 14 years ago and I can still tell you with certainty should tell you how ingrained it was in my mind from my coaches.
Some team’s mottos this year are already set from the first day of practice. The Nocona Indians football team’s motto is “Grind together, shine together.”
Any season is sometimes described as a grind since anything done almost every day, even playing a favorite sport, for months at a time will have its low points. But all that time together is necessary for them to produce the hopefully good moments where the team shines on game days.
For Gold-Burg football, new coach Brady Hibbitts has the motto being an anagram for “F.A.M.I.L.Y” which stands for “forget about me, I love you.” He wants his players to go all out for the team because of the built up unconditional love they have for one another.
Some coaches don’t have an actual phrase or motto yet, but there are common themes that are planned to be reiterated. New Bowie volleyball coach Ashley Sanders said she has emphasized the attitude and work ethic of every single player in the program in order to be successful.

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