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Attitude & Commitment
As appeared in the June 2003 edition of Between The Lines.
Attitude & Commitment
| by Jimm Barr, Level V, Saskatchewan |
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What really separates the top officials from the rest of the group?
It's their attitude and commitment to the game - their passion for softball.
These top officials all share a few key traits. The most important of these traits are:
| 1) An Outstanding "Can Do" Attitude |
| 2) A Commitment To Excellence |
| 3) A Commitment To Their Mentors, Supervisors And To Canadian Softball |
Attitude and commitment are two words that are often heard in relation to athletics. Actually, they are words and actions that are essential to success in life as well as on the athletic field. There is a statue of General Douglas MacArthur that overlooks the athletic complex at West Point, Virginia, USA. On the base of the statue is the inscription "on these fields of friendly strife are taught the lessons learned for life." Most supervisors and mentors of up-and-coming officials try to teach life lessons as well as officiating lessons. These lessons need to be learned by our younger officials in ball and, especially, at home.
The crux of these lessons is that things are not always easy; things do not always go your way; life is a series of ups and downs. Those who are consistent and never get too high nor too low are those who have the best chance of succeeding.
I have observed a lot of attitude problems, pouting and a "me first" approach by some young officials. More alarming is the fact that I see officials quitting leagues, Associations or tournaments because things are not exactly as they envisioned them; they are not number one, or are not always getting the plates or the games they want. In most of these situations the tendency to quit is endorsed by one or more parents. There is never any thought about how this affects other officials, leagues or programs.
Believe me, this lack of commitment is growing and is severely affecting our summer passion, which is the backbone of our national system. These actions might be good for themselves but what about their former mentors, supervisor and instructors who thought these were the up-and-coming officials to serve our program in the future?
I was involved in a discussion about attitude and commitment with some of our top officials and was happy to learn that commitment is a concern with everyone - players and coaches as well. One young official shared the story with me that, when she was younger, her parents would never allow her to break a commitment. Her father told her often, "Once you commit to a group or team or game, you will fulfill that commitment" (unless, of course, the situation was an abusive one to the individual).
Our young officials, their parents and their advisors need to learn the value of a never-say-die attitude, and the need to make and keep commitments. Life is not easy. When young people mature and enter the work force, they will need a positive attitude because they will compete and challenge each other to advance. Most importantly, they will have to make commitments and honour those commitments.
We need to encourage our young officials to hang in and not take the easy way out by quitting. Character is built on adversity. Tough times never last but tough people do.
In conclusion, I know attitude and commitment are major traits that every coach, mentor and supervisor looks for when recruiting players and officials. There is an old saying that "quitting becomes easier the second time around." There are two things in life you need to bring to the ball field every day: a good work ethic and a good attitude.
To be a success in softball and in life, set goals, overcome adversity, and never, ever quit.
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