Today is the first day of the second workshop we have done at Providence College over the past few days. We worked with the lacrosse team last weekend and are working with the softball team starting this afternoon. The work we are doing is called Building a Championship Team, and we have been teaching this program for over 25 years. It is interesting to me that in this day and age of electronic phenomena that the conversations we’re having today are just as valid as they were 25 years ago.

The ages of the teams ranges between 18 and 22 as a rule. It has also been the case that the freshmen are in a whole different place than the seniors and they change quite a bit in four years. It is clear to me that the frosh have no idea what a leap it is from being high school “stars” to Division I athletes. It is too bad that they can’t see what they will see when they become seniors. I guess that is the problem with life in general for everyone.

What we (Todd Team Coaching) provide is a foundation for being a championship organization. It is not about winning championships—that is already the intention of many teams. It is about the athletes’ experience of competing, relating to each other powerfully and bouncing back from adversity. You can’t produce winning by focusing on winning. Winning is a result after the game or season is over. The horse is already out of the barn.

To be talented enough to play at the highest level is a gift. It is my opinion that most athletes don’t really appreciate that gift. They have always been talented, so it is like the air they breathe. No big deal until you don’t have it anymore. The majority of the people walking around on the planet never get to have the experience. And, many would love to be able.

Our theme is “Relationship is the Key to Everything.” We can accomplish anything by ourselves yet we continue to try. Sports are a great laboratory to learn the value of our relationships. However we get very little, if any, training in our educational processes. We are not taught the necessary skills; the skills that we need in the world to prevent the world falling apart. Love and appreciate the differences in people rather than resist them. Treat everyone with respect unless they behave in a way that makes that impossible.

Hopefully, the ladies on the softball team show up ready to play. It is up to them to choose what they want their season to look like. We will give them some ways to do that.

Check out lulu.com and pick up your copy of Coach Todd’s latest book, “The Art of Losing.” It will apply to any team on which you currently play a role.

PS. The ladies were great. It was a joy to spend time with them.