Fredonia State Volleyball

The Official Twitter account for the Fredonia Women’s Volleyball Team 🏐 #UnityInAdversity

[Hannah Huesman, MS, CMPC @hannah_huesman]

Don’t wait for good results to create your confidence.

Go create it by dominating your process.

#MentalSweatMonday #MentalSweat

[Hannah Huesman, MS, CMPC @hannah_huesman]

The only person who can make you feel confident is you.

The only person who can make you not feel confident is you.

Think about it.

[Hannah Huesman, MS, CMPC @hannah_huesman]

If you aren’t creating an environment where players feel comfortable being themselves, you aren’t creating an environment to get the best out of your players.

[Fredonia State Volleyball @FredoniaVBall]

On the road this weekend! #fredVB https://t.co/2M01ohLilC

[Fredonia State Volleyball @FredoniaVBall]

Come support us for our home opener tonight! 7pm in Dods. Let’s gooooo!! @ Dods Hall Gym https://t.co/QXszV0rC0F

[Alex Auerbach @AlexAuerbachPhD]

In sum:
1. Redistribute power.
2. Certify coaches.
3. Make coaching healthier.
4. Male sport sustainable.
5. Rewrite the narrative.
6. Kill the club.

[Alex Auerbach @AlexAuerbachPhD]

Instead, look at real accomplishments - like the outcomes we should be measuring that I listed before. You can do that AND win. It is possible to have both. In fact, I think you’re more likely to win if you make the other outcomes the priority.

[Alex Auerbach @AlexAuerbachPhD]

6/ Kill the club

Lastly, we need a system that hires, fires, promotes, punishes, and rewards based on REAL action and results.

Too much happens because someone knows someone - and either they don’t want to punish a friend, or they want to hire someone who isn’t qualified.

[Alex Auerbach @AlexAuerbachPhD]

Instead of being afraid of mental health, we need to invite dialogue so that everyone can be a part of the solution, with a focus not on “getting rid of mental health issues” but on creating a system that encourages flourishing and is open to addressing problems that limit it.

[Alex Auerbach @AlexAuerbachPhD]

Creating an opportunity for people to speak up will put health on a level playing field with performance. Plus, the reality is, health and performance CAN coexist. And not only that, they can enhance each other.

[Alex Auerbach @AlexAuerbachPhD]

We need to actually reward people for coming forward and speaking up - about whatever it is they need to say to make sport safer. That means some uncomfortable conversations for administrators, but that’s what they are there for - to lead and make tough decisions.

[Alex Auerbach @AlexAuerbachPhD]

They are closely related. But the emphasis on performance for fans, coupled with a hyper-masculine environment, is a recipe for suppression, dejection, and unhappiness. We don’t readily recognize the humanity of athletes, or the very real expectations they face.

[Alex Auerbach @AlexAuerbachPhD]

5/ Rewrite the narrative

Glorifying athletics is fine, but we’ve over-indexed on our expectations of athletes. Athletes are people first and performers second.

[Alex Auerbach @AlexAuerbachPhD]

Teach them how to manage money, budget appropriately, and yes, use their resources to get the support they need, if they don’t believe that support can come from or is coming from their current system.

[Alex Auerbach @AlexAuerbachPhD]

We’ve seen this model work in business. Southwest is famous for putting employees first. And most people would choose a southwest flight over any other airline, because the experience for the end user is better, because employees are happier.

[Alex Auerbach @AlexAuerbachPhD]

Part of making this model sustainable is paying athletes. We need to teach athletes skills they can use for a life time. Instead of looking at pay as some controversial issue, look at it as an educational opportunity.

[Alex Auerbach @AlexAuerbachPhD]

Money is a part of this system, and we aren’t going to change that. But we can flip. The idea is that if the athletes are happier and healthier, the “product on the field” will be better.

[Alex Auerbach @AlexAuerbachPhD]

4/ Make Sport Sustainable

Athletes don’t live to please the communities they are a part of. They choose a school to be somewhere they like, be a part of a team, and have a good experience.

[Alex Auerbach @AlexAuerbachPhD]

Instead, incentivize coaches to help mold the best people. Pay them more for graduation rates, fewer injuries, healthier cultures (we can measure that), and higher athlete satisfaction.

[Alex Auerbach @AlexAuerbachPhD]

Nobody that sleeps 4-6 hours a night and is stressed out all day is feeling or performing their best. They’re also not in a position to ensure others can be their best. Why do we expect that of coaches?