By Dan Cardone

Dan Cardone is the Athletic Director at North Hills High School in Pittsburgh, Pa. He is a frequent contributor to Athletic Management.

Difference makers are people who follow through on their desires to take an athletic program in a forward direction. So who are these difference makers? They can be players, coaches, parents, secretaries, or administrators. They can also be maintenance and custodial staff, booster organizations—any group or person who helps the athletic department accomplish goals that make a positive environment for those participating in interscholastic athletics. These individuals or groups are team players who, as we say here at North Hills, “row in the same direction.”

As an athletic director, I feel that it is my job to recognize, empower, and learn from these difference makers. In my last blog, I wrote about coaches as difference makers and how at North Hills High School we produced a video documenting our coaches’ approach to the profession. In this installment, I’ll be covering how student-athletes can become difference makers on a team and in an athletic program.

What kind of input do we receive from the players themselves? Usually not very much, and part of that is because we don’t solicit it enough. Student-athletes by and large are not usually very vocal—they are more or less a silent majority.

To build a bridge of communication with this very important population, I asked my daughters, who both played tennis here at North Hills, what athletes should expect from or look for in a coach. They informed me of what traits they believed a coach at the interscholastic level should have.

The most important trait was for a coach to take an active interest in the student-athlete as a person. My daughters liked when their tennis coach called them at home to compliment them on their effort in a match. It also meant a lot to them that the coach took an interest in their academic achievement. This level of care and concern was genuine and left an indelible mark on my daughters. As a result, the tennis coach became a major influence in their lives.

My daughters also indicated that as student-athletes, they enjoyed having a coach with a hands-on approach. It was important to them that the coach was able to participate in drills alongside the players and didn’t ask athletes to do something they as coaches could not. This incorporates the element of fun in sport and provides great motivation and camraderie. By having a positive attitude and an interactive approach to the team, the coach becomes a person the athletes will rally around.

My daughters felt a coach should not be afraid to ask team members, especially captains, for input. They appreciated questions like: Do you want to condition before or after practice? Team captains serve as liaisons between players and coaches, and valuing their opinion fosters a spirit of camaraderie.

Players can be a valuable resource for coaches and the entire athletic department. By listening and engaging a student-athlete, a coach can better read the pulse of his or her team. Doing so allows for a better understanding of whether team morale is high, whether they need to vary the practice plan to get the most out of a session, or whether their players approve of their actions.

Dan Cardone's oldest daughter Christa is currently a senior at the University of Kentucky. His youngest daughter Maria is a freshman at American University.

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