"Before, we didn't give captains much direction," Ford says. "We just said, 'You're the captain. Go do a good job.' Now we have laid out in writing what being a captain entails and our new captains are expected to agree and follow through. It's no longer up for personal interpretation."

Ford's first step in establishing a set of standards for captains to follow entailed asking others for input. "I could have written the list myself or stolen ideas from somewhere," he says, "but I realized it shouldn't come from the top down."

To start, Ford asked eight juniors who had attended the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association sportsmanship summit the past two years for their ideas on what the standards should include. "Their initial list included some areas they had learned about at the summit, a couple of things our coaches had written on being a good captain, and even some National Honor Society standards," Ford says.

"We took that list to our coaches and asked what they would add or subtract," he continues. "Then we gave it to our School Improvement Council, which is made up of teachers, parents, principals, and students. The list was eventually fine-tuned to where it stands now."

The Cohasset Captain's Standards state:

A captain is someone who demonstrates:
• Leadership
• Character
• Service
• Integrity

A captain is someone who will be:
• A link between players and coaches.
• Approachable and outgoing with teammates.
• A positive role model who is able to lead by example.
• Respectful to coaches, teammates, and opponents.
• Someone who demonstrates sportsmanlike behavior at all times.
• A well-respected, law-abiding good citizen at all times.
• A good motivator.
• A clear communicator.
• An advocate and mentor for new team members.
• A hard worker.
• A leader who demonstrates honesty, punctuality, reliability, confidence, and the ability to organize others on a daily basis.

One area purposefully left off the list is academic standing. Every captain must be academically eligible to play, but there is no emphasis on grades beyond eligibility. Ford says he and the students decided not to focus on academics in order to give athletes who may not be the strongest students academically a chance at a leadership role.

Potential captains are nominated by each team and then go through an interview process with the Cohasset High School Athletic Council, where the standards are reviewed in detail with the nominees. Comprised of Ford and faculty coaches, the Athletic Council also asks the nominees what questions they have about their role.

Once approved by the Athletic Council, captains are charged with abiding by the standards year-round. If a captain fails to follow any of the standards, he or she is required to meet with the Council--which can strip captains of their role. If the captain doesn't agree with the decision, he or she can appeal. Ford says the process is similar to how National Honor Society violations are handled at most high schools.

Another part of the new structure involved moving the nomination and selection of captains to after the season is over instead of announcing them at the team banquet. "It's really important that the seniors and other successful athletes be recognized for their contributions at the banquet," Ford says. "It takes away from the reason for celebration to announce next season's captains right then and there."