11 Comments

  1. aalkhanany

    Kristal,
    I learned a lot of information from your research paper. By looking at the data in your paper, it seems that some student-athletes in their first year are really directing a problem in adaptation to the college environment. It sad to know that some of them do not make it to their sophomore year. The peer mentoring program seems to be a great strategy because it fosters a sense of belonging to the student and helps him/her adapt to the new education community.

  2. mlopez100

    Kristal, the topic of building team dynamics is what can make or break a team. Your approach was well thought out and presented strategies that other coaches could use in their program. Peer mentoring is a strategy that is often used in the classroom and has significant impact on students. Your PLC plan looks solid and attainable. I wish you the best of luck in your future coaching career.

  3. kgoehring

    I really like your strategies of implementing peer mentoring and peer coaching. I think it is important for the younger aged athletes to have that someone to look up to. Do you think it would also help to have your senior athletes mentor your incoming freshman? Since the seniors have been through the whole freshman year athlete and it wasn’t that long ago, they would be good at helping those freshman figure out how to manage school and sports as well. I also like the idea of peer coaching, I hadn’t really ever heard about it, but I think if you gave the athletes a chance to coach a practice, they would better understand why coaches do what they do. And they would gain more experience and respect for the sport, coaches, and fellow teammates.

  4. ephillips8

    Great paper Kristal, as a former college athlete, team dynamics are a huge part of any successful team. I like how you researched other successful college teams to find what made them successful and how you could take those ideas in creating your own plan. Finding the right balance (especially within your first year of college) as a college athlete can be a very difficult task, athletes must learn time management very quickly, balancing their education priorities, their athletic responsibilities, and also maintain a healthy social life. Implementing a mentorship program to aid student athletes is a great plan!

  5. jbrooks1

    I really liked the idea of peer mentoring. Most of the time incoming freshman are left on their own or with other freshman to figure things out. I can really see how having the older players mentoring could benefit the freshman.

  6. jgottsch

    Kristal, I love your topic. Peer mentoring can be a powerful tool as new team members, either freshmen or transfers, enter the program. Making sure those athletes know how to perform both on and off of the field for that team’s culture is critical to the team’s success. Many times it isn’t taught either, it is just expected for people to know. I also am a big believer in that if a team is going to go far everyone needs to be on the same page and level, from freshmen to fifth year senior. Peer mentoring can bridge that gap. Great job?

  7. cboggess2

    Kristal,

    This was a great read on athlete and coaching mentoring. Mentoring can help shape coaches in a major way. It helps them become more prepared in coaching for the program they are currently in and future programs that they might have. Coaches need guidance in the same way. As a young coach in the game, I value learning from other coaches who have been around a longer period of time. I want to better myself and luckily the coaches I have worked for have truly taken me under their wing to help me become a better overall coach. In regards for peer mentoring, athletes should help mentor each other. This comes from the responsibility of senior captains to help the freshman learn the ropes of the program, as well as learning the new system that they are in. Seniors can give them advice on time management as well. Helping them transition from their parents roof, to by themselves as a college student.

  8. cbriseno4

    Kristal, I really enjoyed reading on how to build team dynamics because I can use a lot of these strategies when I become a coach in the near future. Peer mentoring is something I wish I would have had as an incoming freshman. They don’t prepare you enough when coming into college, especially as a student athlete. I think that peer mentoring isn’t only beneficial for athletes but for coaches as well. It builds the bridge from starters to experienced athletes or coaches. In both fields it is tough starting off brand new, so having peer mentoring is something beneficial to ones’ growth. In my opinion, it helps decrease the number of drop off athletes or coaches and that is victory in itself. Peer mentoring involves a lot of responsibility and this is a characteristic we want our players to learn for their future successes. Great read!

  9. jphillips17

    Kristal,
    I don’t know what it is like to be a student athlete, but i’m sure the rigors are extremely hard. The strategy like peer mentoring is such a good idea that can be applied to teaching as well. It seems like a strategy that should be a no brainier but isn’t instituted enough. Why wouldn’t we want to give our new athletes or teachers as much support as possible as they transition into a new role or profession? I like that you took the time to realize there is a problem and will always be cognisant of addressing it in your future endeavors.

  10. spearson1

    Kristal,

    I enjoyed your paper a lot. The stressors on student-athletes come from all different directions and sometimes it is too much. Just like how schools mentor first-year teachers with experienced teachers, it is just as important for student-athletes. Your strategy seems easy to implement in any program. It also seems like it would be beneficial for both the new athlete and the seasoned athlete because they can learn different perspectives. This really ties into athletic burnout in freshmen and this is a great way to eliminate some of the stressors.

  11. ataramona

    Kristal,
    As a coach, I have utilized peer coaching for my younger kids (allowing older/more skilled players to coach younger ones to emphasize the foundations into both parties), but I haven’t considered it for the collegiate level. I feel like this would be yet another way that could improve team dynamics, like you wrote about! I do agree with you that a peer mentor could be a huge benefit for all players on the team; this allows a player to have a confidant they can confide in about sports/school/social/family/etc. By discussing and getting advice from someone that is going/has gone through the same process, it’ll allow a lot of bonding between those individuals which will ultimately improve team chemistry. This was a great read!

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