The Triumph of Character
A coach’s philosophy and pedagogy play out on the field.
By Roy F. Dunshee, Head Men’s Soccer Coach
“If you can dream–but not make dreams your master;
If you can think–but not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster,
And treat those two impostors just the same.”
—Rudyard Kipling
Over 400 teams compete in NCAA DIII men’s soccer. Just 64 qualify for the NCAA tournament. After the first weekend of the tournament, only 16 teams remain. After the second weekend, there are only four left. It’s a buzzsaw of a competition.
To reach this year’s Final Four, we bussed over 2,000 miles, competed against top teams, overcame the pressure and scrutiny of high-level competition, steadied ourselves, and did our jobs well. And everywhere we went, we were inspired by the Goose Nation spirit.
We won our share of games this year. But contrary to popular opinion, the business of a college coach is not winning games. We’d all prefer to win, but it’s not our business. Our business is human development. We are teachers. We teach in offices, gyms, lunchrooms, and locker rooms and on fields, courts, bodies of water, and buses.
Our curriculum is broad. We teach practical skills particular to our sport and social skills applicable to life. We provide a laboratory for leadership, collaboration, self-governance, and personal growth. We offer lessons in humility, ambition, confidence, and grit. Our work is a study in organizational behavior and group dynamics.
Though we may not be academic, we are certainly educational. However, unlike most educational settings, our “classrooms” are public, competitive, and filled with passion. When emotions are heightened, the stakes rise for everyone. The more challenges our student-athletes face, the greater their opportunity for growth. And this is where our form of instruction can grow wings and really take flight.
Sometimes, the stakes are high because you are not winning. After our first six matches, our record was: 1 Win, 0 losses, 5 draws. Teams can lose cohesion in these situations as fear, dread, and doubt creep into their process. And pressure increases as you battle to fend off failure and stay positive in the face of “disaster.”
Sometimes the stakes are high because you are winning. This is the more pleasant challenge. After our inglorious run of draws to start the season, we found our form with 14 wins against just two losses, finished as the top seed in the Centennial Conference, beat six Top-25 teams, and made it to the Final Four. As more people took notice of our work, expectations rose, and we faced the pressure to “triumph.”
In good fortune or bad, players and coaches must come to their work each day with humility and purpose and give the best of their spirit to the team. In periods of difficulty, they must learn to hold fear, dread, and doubt at arm’s length and persevere. In periods of success, they must learn focus, gratitude, and consistency.
Through the longest season in our history, we remained calm, kept our sense of humor, and enjoyed each other’s company. We started each training session with laughter and joy before “flipping the switch” and focusing on serious development. We tried to treat Kipling’s two “impostors” (triumph and disaster) just the same.
In our semi-final loss to St. Olaf of Minnesota, we competed honorably. With our heads high and without regret, we traveled as far as our collective efforts would allow, held fast to our values, and always strove to be gracious in victory and defeat.
Playing under pressure tests your values and reveals your character. It is an opportunity for growth. For the Washington College men’s soccer team, the stakes rose to new heights this season…as did our learning and growth. As someone in the business of human development, I regard that as a championship season.