Editorial: Encouragement is a better approach than applying pressure

My editorial this week came rather easily this week because I was focused on another area of life when I begin to write about it.

As we return to face-to-face interaction, we are dealing with environments when it comes to performing to expectations. More often than not, many of us are stressed out because we are put in situations where we are pressured to do things.

But instead of pressure, we need to come to an understanding of encouraging each other instead. Life is currently hard enough with people arguing over several factors instead of working to solve the problems.

This is specific when it comes to address the situation surrounding sports at Charles City County High School. I wanted to send a message about the importance of encouragement and not pressuring a child’s participation.

The following excerpt is from a social media post I made on Saturday afternoon. While it specifically pertains to athletics at Charles City County High School, it can also be applied to our society in general.

Excerpt from social media post:

Yesterday (Oct. 8), I took part in sign-ups with student-athletes in the cafeteria along with coaches. While we had some success, I want everybody to continue to encourage those student-athletes who are interested.

Sign-ups are just that, sign-ups. There is no commitment when a person puts their name on the paper. Being around for 18 years at the school system as a coach and athletic director, you can sense when students are interested and when they feel pressured by their peers. No student or potential student-athlete should be pressured in doing something they don’t want to do. Their friends, peers, and even parents shouldn’t pressure them. They should encourage them.

When a student-athlete asks me do I want them to do a sport, I purposely do not answer that question. It’s not my choice if they do it or not. However, I do encourage them because all of the students at Charles City County High School have the ability to do an athletic or activity at the school. It may not be a traditional sport, but the coaches will put you in the right position.

As I posted on flyers at each of the students table yesterday, it’s up to them to keep the programs going. It’s not up to the coaches, administration, or anybody else. It’s the student-athlete.

And I’m going to be honest, I’m very greedy because I don’t want teams. I want PROGRAMS. Teams last for short periods of times with highs and lows. A program establishes success for long periods of time. We have great talent, but there will be sacrifices. Even if the student-athletes do not reach the heights that they want to be at right now, they are paving the way for the future.

So as a community member and/or parent, I hope you all talk to your students. Even if they are young at age, parks and recreation programs assist them and build character. Once they reach high school, the coaching staff, and myself will make sure we continue to groom them and teach them life lessons through teamwork, communication, and keeping their grades up.

Thanks to all who push this and continue to fight for our student-athletes.

End excerpt.

As you can tell, pressure is felt from a variety of outlets and many perspectives, even at a younger age. Even as adults, there is pressure going around in a number of areas. From getting COVID-19 vaccinations to getting a job to voting a certain way, we should use a method to encourage things and provide logical reasoning. As the old saying goes, pressure does two things: Makes diamonds or busts pipes. Right now, we’re not making a lot of diamonds and we’re busting a lot of pipes. And the reality is that only a few of us are plumbers to fix those pipes.

Let’s get back to encouragement instead of expectations. A different yet positive approach can yield those diamonds that we need.