Transcending Success: The Secret Behind Top Teams
Media provided by Editor in Chief, Ava Andrews ’22.
What separates the most winningest sports team from the less successful sports team? After an eventful winter sports season, the Gazette asked our athletes and coaches what success means to them, and what components make up a victorious lineup.
Mr. Timothy Quinn, Head Coach of the Varsity Boys Basketball and Golf teams, believes that each player must shift into the right mindset for their craft. He noted that commitment to “great energy and effort” day in and day out is “the first priority.” He continued that this commitment “cannot just be during the season.” Coach Quinn subscribes to the idea that when a team is truly united, they struggle together, win together, lose together, and, no matter what, they are always pushing each other to become the best they can be. He continued, “the teams that struggle for success, typically have individuals that are mostly concerned with individual success.”
Coach Mayra Carrasco, a former soccer coach at Grace, explained in an interview with the Gazette earlier this year that “when there is unity there is accountability.” Beatrice T. ‘24, a member of the Grace Girls Varsity Basketball Team, asserted that “we worked together. We have some really strong players and they know how to help players who aren’t as good at basketball.” She also mentioned that they were “a happy team.” It is clear that Coach Carrasco’s outlook aligned with her team’s and was certainly beneficial to the team’s success (as they secured the ACIS League Banner this athletic season).
While both Coach Carrasco and Coach Quinn have similar views on what makes a successful team, there are some key differences in their ideology — Coach Quinn believes consistency is key and Coach Mayra believes success has more to do with unity.