After we started using DRIVN at Greenwich High School, we started to discover all these different ways we could use it, all the different things it could help us with. Player accountability is a very important one.
When it comes down to it, in high school sports you are trying to develop leaders and responsible adults.
I know teachers don’t like to hear this, but coaches hold a certain power over kids that teachers don’t. It’s because, as a head football coach, I can withhold something from them that is more valuable than what teachers can withhold. That shouldn’t be the case, I know, but that’s how it is a lot of the time. The kids consider playing time and attendance at football more valuable than their attendance at math class.
Every kid nowadays has a smart phone, and they might read emails but they don’t want to read emails from their teachers. They don’t want to hear anything from their teachers.
To help teach the players accountability, we started using the different features DRIVN offers. It has helped tremendously and made our coaches’ lives easier at the same time.
For example, our academic adviser is going to enter all the kids’ class schedules into DRIVN. If I want to see where little Johnny is — or is supposed to be — I will be able to tell that he’s in math class. It’s very easy for the coaches to check and see where the kids are supposed to be. We aren’t doing this so we can watch over them all the time. It’s all part of an effort to hold kids accountable.
The “Response Required” feature helps a lot. The kids know a message is there, and if they don’t respond it’s like missing a practice. They are accountable. And when I ask them to respond, they had better respond. It’s like a homework assignment.
The first place they go when they have questions or need something, is to DRIVN. We have seven-on-seven on Sunday nights. I had a kid ask me what time seven-on-seven was. I said, “Check your DRIVN.” When a kid text messages me, I only respond through DRIVN. They know that’s the only way I’m going to communicate with them. If they need to send me something longer, they email me. That’s fine. But for everything else, DRIVN me.
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They are learning how to communicate with coaches. They are learning the right things to say. They are learning how to say, “Coach, I am going to be late.” Think about how many headaches you have – “Coach I tried to email you.” I don’t want to hear that anymore. I have DRIVN. If you have service, you can DRIVN.
If you need a ride to seven-on-seven, or to school, or to practice, get on DRIVN. There’s a team chat where you can find a ride. There’s always going to be headaches, but this has eliminated so many of them. Kids know it’s okay to say, “I’m going to be late.”
I love this one – “Coach are we in full pads today?” I know it’s such a little thing, but when you are trying to get ready for practice and kids are coming in your office and that’s that only question they have, it drives me crazy. All of that is on DRIVN in the practice description. I hate answering that question. It’s on the calendar, check it out.
That’s the level of accountability I expect now that we have DRIVN. Try it for yourself and see how it can change your team’s accountability level.
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