Excellence in sports is a journey, not a destination
Submitted by Jim Quatromoni Hull High Athletic Director/Community Outreach Coordinator
[This is the first in a regular series of articles about Hull High’s athletic department and community outreach activities to be written by AD Jim Quatromoni.]
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.”
– Aristotle
The words of the great Greek philosopher have been with me since my first day as the boys basketball coach more than five years ago.
I see tremendous value in sharing the ideas of successful, thoughtful men and women with student-athletes. This quote happened to be the first. I find it just as fitting today, as I navigate my first year as the new athletic director and community outreach coordinator at Hull High School.
Excellence is something that I see so many striving to make a habit each day at the school. Over the course of this year, I hope that these articles can provide valuable insight into the good work of administrators, teachers, coaches, volunteers, and student-athletes in the building.
New coaches
As we move into the fall season, two first-year coaches begin their varsity careers at the high school. Martha King has guided the girls field hockey team to a 2-2 start. Coach King’s playing experience at Canton High School firmly ingrained the importance of “program” into her coaching style. A strong technical coach, Martha works tirelessly with her assistant, Kyle Trombly, to increase the skill level of the Lady Pirates.
Our boys soccer program has welcomed Head Coach Guy Reynolds with a 0-3-1 start. Coach Reynolds owns a club team in Hingham, and has worked within the Duxbury High School soccer program. In a few short weeks, Guy has created a disciplined culture of technically improved soccer players. Our current record is not a true marker of the progress this group has made. These players have begun the valuable process of recognizing where disciplined and focused hard work can bring a group.
The common thread in each of these programs, guided by enthusiastic first-year coaches, is the pursuit of excellence. Clearly, each program is on a track of improvement. Each day brings exciting progress as both players and a team. Each experience brings valuable lessons that help develop fine young men and women.
Strength training
Through my many years working in the fitness industry, I have learned the importance of strength training to the success of any athlete.
Strength training has become a required tool in reaching your full athletic potential. The high school is fortunate to have three physical education instructors guiding students in this pursuit of excellence. Jerry McGrath, Greg Fallon and Maeve Desmond are as responsible for athletic successes as any student or coach within the athletic department. Notably, several staff coaches were involved in a volunteer effort over the summer.
All summer, the high school fitness center was open four hours per day, because these individuals made sacrifices on behalf of the players. In donating their time, McGrath, Desmond, Mike O’Donnell, and Stew Bell facilitated tremendous strength gains by both male and female students. These gains will be valuable building blocks to future success. Just as importantly, the generous acts of our coaches have been a tremendous example to the watchful eyes of our student-athletes.
The journey
So often, we lose sight of valuable benefits of athletics in the high school setting. Wins and losses are important. The contests, though, are only a part of the journey. The journey of a high school athletic season comes with countless experiences.
All of these experiences help hammer home some common themes: with hard work comes improvement; with improvement comes an increased opportunity for success. Do not create or be deterred by distractions or setbacks; this focus creates a steady track of individual and team improvement.
Just as importantly, if this focus can be considered in the thought process of a student-athlete’s future goals and dreams, then we have all truly won the game.
That is excellence. |
