I promise I’m not lying… I’m 21!

Ah, the sweet joys of being mistaken as a fourth year in high school even though you are legally allowed to drink in the states (responsibly of course). At 21 years old, you probably still don’t get asked for date of birth when seeing a 15 rated movie at the cinema or have to hand over your ID when purchasing a lottery ticket. I’m guessing it’s down to the fact I have a babyface and a mother who thinks bows are my best friend. But hey I’ve always said when I’m forty and people are mistaking me for a university student, it will be all worth it.

However much this may be the case though, the struggle is still very real. It is sometimes difficult for me to demand authority and respect as people don’t take me seriously because I look so young. This, along with the fact I am the youngest in my family is a source of anxiety for me when stepping into a leadership role. As a coach I knew I would be stepping into an authoritative role which was characterised by leadership and respect. Especially when I was one of four coaches taking twenty-two athletes away to Portugal.

So, it was a challenge to overcome my anxieties and step into this position with complete ease and confidence. It is important for me to use a reflective cycle in order to fully take in account my response to my experiences but also a developed analysis of my thoughts and feelings. This is why I used Gibbs reflective model which…

“Gibbs’ reflective cycle encourages a clear description, analysis of a situation, and examines what one would do should the situation happen again.”

Jasper, 2013

Description

Throughout the past couple of months, I have been assistant coach to a coach called Jo and working with a specific group of people. Throughout my time I have built a rapport with the athletes and increased my own confidence in my leadership abilities. Which eventually led to getting offered the role as a head coach and fly out to Portugal with a group of athletes for warm weather training. So, on the 6^th of April of this year, I was tasked with travelling to Portugal with two other athletes. These athletes were both under the age of sixteen, me as the only adult supervision, and it was my first-time meeting one of the athletes.

Feelings

We were scheduled to meet at Belfast International at 2 o’clock, and about a half an hour before, was when the butterflies decided to make an appearance. Not only due to the realisation I would be taking on the full responsibility of two fifteen-year-olds but the time to meet their parents was slowly nearing. I struggle with anxiety, so this was an intimidating step for me to take. In order to overcome and handle myself with professionalism, I used techniques I had learnt during my drama modules that help with confidence and acting confident. For example, walking tall, straightening your shoulders, and keeping calm and collected when speaking.

Evaluation

I took inspiration from the other coaches around, dedicating time to watch and listen to them. Ultimately learning from their coaching styles and taking inspiration from them to influence my sessions. However, I found looking young can come with people assuming a lack of experience. This was particularly challenging for me especially when trying to organise tasks for my athletes. One instance in particular when trying to find space within the gym, I noticed some people regarding me differently in comparison to other coaches. It was important for me to ignore the treatment and focus on the task at hand, whether it is asking for tips on handling equipment or locating the correct equipment. Pulling from organisational and teamwork skills I have learnt through drama, I was able to complete the session in the gym, with the right equipment in the right spaces.

Analysis

Using techniques learned over the course of my degree, to step into a leadership role was something I discovered to be very effective. It helped with my confidence, but I also discovered by framing things in a dramatic way could make the athletes work harder and strive for excellence. I was able to use communication skills learned in drama to further deepen my connection with the athletes. This created trust between me and the athletes which consequently heightened the respect they showed me.

Conclusion and Action play

I don’t want to say I could have relaxed more as I believe it was essential to remain professional throughout, however I could have dedicated more time to team bonding and fun activities outside of the track. Through drama I have learned in order to achieve the best results it is important to work cohesively as a team. The same could be said for athletics. I noticed the closer I became with everyone the smoother operations began to run.  However, through techniques I have required through my drama module at Queens I was able to step into the role of head coach easily, despite some challenges faced, for example looking so young.

References

Jasper, M. (2013) Beginning reflective practice. Andover: Cengage Learning EMEA. [print and e-book in library]