Making Mistake after Mistake

Even though school has been out now for a few weeks and the formal process of education has been put temporarily on hold, I continue to learn. In fact, I learned a lot about education from working at the recent basketball camp held at Incline Village High School.

Run by camp director and IVHS head boys varsity coach Dan Schreiber and his avuncular assistant, during both the summer and the season, Greg Donovan, this hoop camp served local boys and girls who, for three hours each afternoon, practiced not only their shooting, passing, and dribbling skills but also their resilience, work ethic, and teamwork.

Schreiber and Donovan have made substantial sacrifices in order to provide opportunities for young student-athletes from this community. First of all, neither coach was paid for the time they spend organizing and running the basketball camp; and all the money raised by the camp was donated right back to the high school.

In addition, there were a number of campers who were only able to attend because they were offered need-based scholarships. This community is lucky to have such idealistic, fair, and dedicated coaches volunteering to educate our children, all our children.

Secondly, these coaches provide opportunities for their own student- athletes to give back to the community. These high school basketball players volunteered their afternoons to working with youngsters not only to inculcate the proper footwork prior to launching a jump shot but also to dry the occasional tears born of a skinned knee or of competitive frustration. It was encouraging to witness the boys and girls of the IVHS varsity basketball teams serve as such admirable role models.

And lastly, all the coaches, students or adults, took great care to emphasize that the lessons of basketball were eminently transferable to life. Towards that end, Coach Donovan focused each session on a "Word of the Day": words such as "Sportsmanship," "Teamwork," "Communication," and "Practice."

These Words articulate the ideals of integrity, collaboration, and effort towards which aspiring hoopsters, student-athletes, and coaches should strive; and these Words reinforce the essential educational concepts that translate to success both on the court and in life.

One of Coach Donovan's Words was "Mistakes." He explained to a group of rapt kids: "Coaches love mistakes because Mistakes lead to success. We want you to make Mistakes. That's why we're here so that we can make Mistakes together because Mistakes are the only way that you can get better. If you don't try something you haven't tried before you're never going to be any different than you are now. So let's get out there and make Mistakes."

It was a pleasure to coach in an educational environment in which healthy ideals were stressed, to coach within an educational philosophy that did not belabor winning and losing at the expense of improvement, and to coach alongside educators who shared my belief that every child deserves to find success.

I am grateful to Coach Schreiber for allowing me to join his staff and to Coach Donovan for his Words of Wisdom.

It was an honor to be allowed to make some Mistakes.

--Steve McKibben
7/9/06