Shutting out the Noise

 Hello readers,

If you follow sports and sports sites such as ESPN, or the NFL, or the Cleveland Browns, then I'm sure you've come across this article.

Where you come down on the argument is entirely up to you. I'm here to neither defend or attack the article but instead looking at it from the standpoint of a coach and where I've been with regards to this sort of outside talk.

Frankly, I've never experienced this as a coach. I've been thinking about this subject and churning through the memory banks but I haven't come across a single memory of having parents trying to influence or hammer my decision making.

I've had athletes question training programs and the approach to a season but that was rooted out quickly and effectively. There is a reason why I take detailed notes and record data. It's difficult to argue a point when your own activities and progress push back.

Rowing is a sport where, at least at the level I am at and have been at, doesn't deal with these sorts of issues. At least often. I have heard of disgruntled parents but more often than not, the grumblings come from a lack of consistency in decision making or in poor communication. I haven't had a parents pull me aside or talk behind my back and suggest that perhaps favoritism or whatnot is influencing my decision making. 

So how does one avoid this? Have I been lucky? Or good? Or both?

Yes, and yes. 

I find that clear, consistent communication doesn't eliminate any issue but it certainly does make them easier to handle. A clear line of communication between yourself and the parents, even with something as simple as recapping a regatta or outlining what is coming goes a long way. Again, rowing is a sport where, at least in my experience, the outsiders want less control over a situation and more to understand what is happening and how things are progressing. Athletes that I've worked with, want to know how to improve and how to get into lineups or what caused them to fall out of a lineup. For the most part. Again, I have had a couple of instances where athletes felt that I wasn't being fair - my favorite was an athlete who was lying to their teammates and then to myself in all meetings - but the consistency in how lineups were built and how one get into the lineup cleared things up. 

Ultimately, and this is probably boring to anyone who has been around me long enough, I believe much comes down to a choice or choices made. I often say that 98.5 percent of all issues within a program can be traced back to decisions that were made internally. I feel that lineup issues will crop up, and athletes will wonder why they're in X instead of Y, but remaining consistent in your decisions, and transparent rather than behind the scenes helps eliminate these problems.

Is that what is happening in Cleveland? I remain unsure. It's easy to follow along with a singular article. It's easy to say that OBJ has been oft injured during his time with the Browns. It's easy to say many things. 

Regardless, handle your business, handle it without emotion or with as little emotion as you can, stay your course and dealing with these issues will be more simple because of your track record.