Last summer, I helped coach my son’s baseball team and came away with a better understanding of that quality we call “character”. However, when I first watched my team of 11-year-olds play baseball, my first impressions were not positive.
One player regularly left as soon as we started losing. He needed to develop a more optimistic mindset. Another player was overly focused on all our errors during the game. Other boys preferred to dig up the grass when they weren’t involved in the play. A lot of boys threw their baseball bats in frustration when they lost the catch.
While their baseball skills improved over time with more practice, there remained problems with the team members’ all-important character. Our team had a long way to go. For example, some boys were hard on those who made mistakes. Instead of being supportive or encouraging, they criticized or blamed each other.
I started one-on-one talks with each player to discuss things that I had noticed. Some of our conversations focused on technical things like holding the bat up higher or opening their eyes when making a catch. But most conversations were about staying positive and supporting each other. Slowly things began to change. The boys began to take responsibility for their play instead of blaming others for mistakes. They stayed optimistic even when losing. The team culture was improving.
Players began encouraging each other, high-fiving and supporting teammates even if they struck out. I was, however, especially pleased to see some of the boys taking leadership roles and having their own one-on-one talks with their teammates.
I don’t think I made huge progress in teaching the boys how to throw, catch or hit better, but I was pleased that our conversations around character led to something positive. Although we still lost games, our players had stronger characters. As for me, I gained significantly from the experience, too. My character was tested, specifically my patience and ability to remain calm. Next season, our characters will be tested again.
【小题1】What did the author find when he started to coach the team?| A．The team’s atmosphere was bad. |
| B．The players disliked competing. |
| C．The team were totally out of control. |
| D．The players showed little interest in playing. |
| A．He organized a team discussion. |
| B．He appointed some player as the leaders. |
| C．He talked with each player individually. |
| D．He taught the boys key baseball techniques. |
| A．failed | B．improved | C．succeeded | D．upset |
| A．Selfless and devoted. | B．Patient and responsible. |
| C．Confident and ambitious. | D．Humorous and intelligent. |
