"What are you willing to do?"

There is nothing simple about coaching. 

Nothing.

Managing personalities: athletes, parents, staffs, administrations, it's a full time job BEFORE you get to the practices and match management. 

But certain ideas and methods help. Are you a coach of science or habit? Are you a coach of ego or inclusion? Are you a coach that loves what you are doing or always feels undervalued and underappreciated.

Another principle comes to mind in this chaotic world we are balancing daily.

Volodymyr Zelensky is overseeing the invasion and destruction of his country. Russia attacked Ukraine in a highly anticipated military juggernaut in early February and since those opening days, President Zelensky has been the face of freedom, courage and integrity in a country the world saw just a few months ago, as helpless and doomed.

He has, more than any other world figure in recent memory, transformed this once thought to be slaughter of his people by Russian forces into a nail biting, give and take daily struggle for freedom. The underdog is alive and well at the moment!

Zelensky has captured the hearts of the world with his courageous videos. He has lowered himself to take meetings with important US political figures, (many of the Americans looking for an election photo to bring in more fundraising), and has begged and pleaded for help from the US and other western countries, putting his ego aside for the good of his people and his nation.

It is too soon to tell how this war will be reconciled but Zelensky is now cemented in history books and social media memes as a beacon of courage and integrity.

Why has he taken the world's imagination? Perhaps it's because we have little to no one in power these days that is courageous and demonstrates integrity.

Coaching 12-14 year old's, it's hard to imagine how they will view the U.S. political system. What President will they write their essays about in the coming years that won't create havoc within their family or social circles? 

Currently, rife with lies and mistruths, we are voting on our future with people willing to sell their souls and convictions for high donors and opportunities for election results. We have government positions being decided by a "big lie" that even it's perpetrators know (and have slipped to say) is fake. 

Integrity is a missing ingredient in our leadership around the country and the world. Not just in politics but in business and of course, sport. Daily examples of doping, cheating and less than model behavior saturate our hunger for online content. None of this is new of course. In this global theater now just a swipe away, we have instant access to the foibles in our jean pockets.

We choose to vote for those that affect our daily lives and so some of these principally devoid mouth pieces will be overseeing your state, or maybe your school board or local municipality. In this, you have a choice to vote or not.

And in the case of our athletes, we have a choice as well. While usually not held to a vote, we can decide to hold ourselves to a standard of integrity or decide on a scorched earth policy of team well being vs. what it's worth it to get the win at the next National Qualifier.

Have you ever told a player one thing and then did something contrary to what you had said earlier? Have you ever cheated on the score? Bullied an official or a scorekeeper? Have you ever watched a ball land in, saw the lines person call it out and then agree because it benefits your team and gives you a big point?

Rob Evans, former ASU basketball coach used to ask coaches this question: "What are you willing to do?" He was asking to what level will you go to cheat to win? In basketball, with three officials, the game is called with much more autonomy than in volleyball. The human element is a central part of the game. Would you grab a player illegally to slow him down? Bump a player to knock the ball loose? Argue a call where you knew you were wrong with the hope of getting a call later in the game?

In our sport, would you put your college graduated Assistant Coach into your 16's Regionals match for the advantage? Would you fix your roster so you could have one of your clubs best players play on two teams? Would you allow a player to play that was ineligible? All of these are examples of what has happened just in our Region.

Some coaches would call this "being competitive." Coaches with flexible morality refer to the oft quoted, "If you aren't' cheating, you aren't trying." But imagine your son or daughter watching this behavior. Are you comfortable with this? Especially if your son or daughter is directly affected by this fracture of integrity?

What can you do tomorrow, next week, next season to be that moral compass for your athletes? Can you tune out Parents that want the win at any cost? Can you teach your athletes that a win won fairly is a win they can be proud of and a loss where they gave their all is worthy of praise as well?  Can you make the right call, even if it hurts your team? 

Using Rob Evans' question, "What are you willing to do.....to show integrity to your team?" What things do your athletes do that you can point out as shining examples at every practice? 

How can we make integrity as talked about a quality as "the big lie" is talked about as an election strategy?

You may be coaching 12 year old's, but your athletes will not be with you their entire athletic careers. They will become students in high school and college and transition into voting adults, hopefully looking for the candidates who show the integrity and courage they learned as an athlete.

What are you willing to do?