Its Not All About You

It's Not All About You

Originally posted at Sailgroove.org on May 9, 2009

     In my first article for Sailgroove I mentioned that most club teams that achieve success have a short run, and that the winning ways don't normally last beyond one generation. The reason this is usually the case is that the program manages to get one or 2 really good sailors (usually just one) and they manage to build up the team around them and their skill. They have a successful college career and when they leave its over and the program falls back to earth.

     What good is having a great run in college if the only person that gets to enjoy that success is you and the few people you shared the team with? Yes, telling stories about your success in college is great, but it feels much better to be able to follw the team as you get older and see their success. It's not just about you, its about the legacy you leave.

     The main reason I write these articles is because I want club teams to succede and I want to short cut the learning process for them. Hopefully meaning fewer mistakes and more growth in a shorter amount of time. One of the bigger and most consistent blunders club teams make is not thinking long term, especially when it comes to passing on knowledge to the next generation and building a group of supporters. Now both of those are articles in themselves, but both concepts grow from foundations that are built this time of year.

     For long term success you need 3 things; new members year after year, continuity of leadership for the team from generation ro generation, and continued Alumni support. You can get along with 2 of the 3 and keep going, but you wont get better. Achieve only 1 of the 3 and the program will likely die. All three of these have critical phases at the end of the school year, so here is what your program should be focusing on now. 

     Getting new members: Recruiting during the semester is hit or miss becuase people have already registered for class and have their schedules set. They won't be able to sail or practice unless that schedule matches yours. You need to constantly recruit and remind the interested people to get their classes straight, it's tough to be part of the team if you can't be there. 

     Another exercize is to graph out your team's membership. Put everyone's name down on the left side of a spreadsheet (so everyone has their own line). Now label the verticle rows by semester and year and fill in the lines for each person for the semesters they will be on the team. If there is not a bunch of overlap, or in a praticular semester half the team goes away, you know you have a problem. Let me say this again: recruitment is CONSTANT, never let up. 

     Continuity of Leadership: The other thing that happens at the end of the semester is officer and responsibility transitions. One thing you want to look for in a team officer is someone who has the heart of a teacher. They need to be able to explain everything so all can understand and be paitient with different learning styles. Officers also need to remember that their responsibility does not end when the new officer is elected, their last job is to fully transfer as much knowledge as possible to their successor, they dont just get to drop everything and walk away. It's also the new officer's responsibility to make sure this transfer happens. A great idea to not allow seniors to be officers during their last semester. This forces the transition before the knowledge base leaves, so there is no leadership and knowledge vacuum if the new person doesn't step up immediately. Electing new or younger members to minor positions is a great way to keep them involved, this also allows your older sailors (usually the best ones) to only focus on sailing and finishing college. 

     Alumni: As those senirs finish, they add to your team's alumni base. Dont lose track of them, keep a list of every graduating senior and their contact information. Create an alumni e-mail list and send them updates once a month (short, sweet, business like; not rambling, casual junk...). Host an alumni regatta once a year (the Fall tends to work better with the new semi-final schedule). Run races for them (with current members as crews), cook them lunch, let them get to know the currrent team and think back to their time. Invite other team supporters as well; parents or friends at your YC. It's usually not a good idea to invite school administrators, do something else for them. 

     Alumni are the one major growth area in funding your team. There is usually a max that schools will give you and you can only charge so much in dues. But if you run the team right, the alumni list continues to grow and as your alumni get older they should be able to donate more and more. Just always keep in mind that your alums will want to see something for their investment; that means good PR and communication, excellent risk management, no wasteful spending, and the continued success and growth of the program. I want to stress the risk management point; it takes a long time to build a good relationship and seconds to destroy. Alumni dont want to be tied to a group with a bad reputation (even if its just for one incident). 

     Take the steps now make your team better in the future; recruit, teach, and get in touch with your roots. Your program will be better for it while you are there and you can enjoy the continued success after you leave.

Good Luck

Blake Billman

SEISA Graduate Director