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Sports Team Portrait

The Player Experience

A Passion Project

 Youth sports lay the foundation for raising exceptional kids

who embrace sportsmanship as they transition into adulthood,

bringing all those young life experiences of failure, success

and teamwork with them.

Some of my best memories of growing up are being part of a team and under the wing of a coach who cared. Yes, I was a good player and I loved being on the field and up to bat. I loved the competition, leading my team and the excitement of an upcoming game. And I truly loved the practice. That's when it was fun- the drills, the preparation, and the pep talks. No pressure.

Being a 4-year varsity player, I was blessed to have the same coach guiding me as a player and as a person through those instrumental years. He saw the worst of me and brought out the best in me. And to this day, I visit him when I am home in Dallas. He still coaches girls' softball, and I still call him "Coach". 

With two daughters, we have participated in softball at Murphey Candler Park since my older daughter stared playing in 2019. She has moved on to be a swimmer, and my younger daughter plays on both recreation and select teams. Becoming increasingly involved as a coach, and now as a Board member, I observe and study the game from a new perspective. I am a problem solver and where I see pain points, I set out to find solutions.

 

During the 2023 Spring preseason, I was on the receiving end of virtual training for volunteer coaches and began to take inventory of issues that the Board deals with behind the curtain. Virtual meetings lacked essential information and were poorly attended. The shortage of quality umpires has a palpable effect on game play. Spectator interactions cause problems for coaches and officials. Information lives on the website but is not readily available "just in time, just in place". The list goes on.

 

Recognizing an opportunity to apply my instructional design skills, I began collaborating with the members of the Board to get to the root of these problems and address situations from a training standpoint, rather than a reactionary one. The list of performance problems and topics in need of comprehensive, yet clear and concise training and microlearning is growing! 

Better  training for all stakeholders of youth sports enhances the player experience.

Fastpitch Softball

and it all starts with... 

Sportsmanship

MCGSA takes sportsmanship very seriously. Based on national research, negative adult interaction is the #1 deterrent to a child's happiness in playing youth sports. It is sited as the reason most often given by teenagers who decide to quit sports.

MCGSA aims to stop negative interactions, and that starts with spectator sportsmanship.

Installing the Spectator Code of Conduct is the first line of defense against negative interactions. This form is issued to parents upon completion of the Spectator Training.

 

Think of it as preseason training for parents! 

The carrot/stick is that players will not be in the lineup until the head coach has a signed form in hand.

Umpires are in short supply and high demand, therefore they have choice where they want to work. MCGSA aims to cultivate a reputation among officials for being a safe, supportive park. This Umpire Pledge is a good-faith gesture handed to each umpire by the home team's head coach before the start of each game.

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Installing the Spectator Code of Conduct is the first line of defense against negative interactions. This form is issued to parents upon completion of the Spectator Training. Think of it as preseason training for parents! 

The carrot/stick is that players will not be in the lineup until the head coach has a signed form in hand.

Head coaches are ultimately responsible for the conduct on his/her side of the field (players, coaches & spectators).

On the back side of the Umpire Pledge is the Plate Meeting rules card.

 

Each league has defined rules that must be discussed between each team's coach and the umpire before a game starts. This quick pow-wow is required because rules differ from park to park, and league to league.

The Plate Meeting card solves a pain point which is the misunderstanding of a rule during the game leading to a coach calling "time" to discuss. Time outs slow down the game and provide opportunities for spectators to speak up with their observations of the play or interpretation of a rule. 

A scenario-based eLearning solution for recreational softball leagues to train their volunteer coaches and spectators.  Coaches and parents of registered players are required to complete this training prior to preseason to tackle the problem of unnecessary comments or interactions with umpires.

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It is imperative that all the rules that typically cause an issue are discussed at the Plate Meeting.

This card provides a rundown of the most important rules for each league.

The theme here is that "Umpires have authority over game play". 

The home team is responsible for operating the scoreboard and keeping the scorebook. This is a (you guessed it!) volunteer job. 

I designed the instructional graphic for "just in time, just in place" training. The scorekeeper's stand is an elevated platform that overlooks the field from behind home plate. This "crow's nest" is exclusively for the 2 people tasked with keeping score (on the scoreboard and in the scorebook).

The SingleScore instructions were developed as a side-by-side graphic (12" x18" each) and printed on waterproof paper to withstand the outdoor elements. Double-sided mounting tape adheres the instructions to the surface in the scorekeeper's stand.

Anyone can easily and accurately follow the SingleScore instructions.

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