Sandra Steele, Educational Consultant

Accountable Goal-Setting: The Keys to Success for Student-Athletes

By: Christopher Straub, M.S., Head Men’s Cross Country and Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Coach Elizabethtown College

Goal-setting is a common activity shared by most student-athletes and their coach. Those involved in sport love to dream about and discuss what is possible. Our goals drive us to pursue rigorous training to best prepare us for competition. Yet, in college athletics, it is not just the destination, but also the journey that is the true reward. Athletes often set outcome oriented goals, but do not give enough attention to the most important part of effective goal-setting. That is, a detailed list of very specific actions to be taken or means to achieve the goal.

The D3 experience encourages goals that transcend athletics. These are often outcome related like “become an All-American by finishing in the top 35 at the national cross country meet,” “earn a 4.0 grade point average,” or “become closer with my friends and family.” These statements are the destination. The actions necessary to arrive at this destination provide the framework for the journey experienced by both coach and student-athlete. The key to arriving at the destination successfully is holding the student-athlete accountable for the actions listed on their goal-setting sheets.

We set goals in three areas: athletics, academics, and personal development, at the start of a season:

Athletics - When senior Steve Sanko was diagnosed with stress fractures in his foot in July, 2004, he and I quickly went about developing a list of actions necessary for him to still achieve his ultimate athletic goal: to be an All-American in cross country. He had to sleep with a boot cast on his foot every night and carefully follow all other rehabilitation procedures as outlined by his physical therapist. He ate a balanced diet and stayed hydrated at all times. He kept his life as simple as possible and slept 8-10 hours every night to best allow for his body to repair itself. In addition, he cross-trained with fierce determination, regularly running and swimming over 600 minutes per week for 8 weeks. In late September, as agreed by all parties involved, Steve ran on the ground for the first time since July. By late November 2004 Steve was healthy and fit and in position to achieve his ultimate goal as a collegiate athlete. He finished 27th of 215 runners at the D3 Championships and earned All-American honors-in no small part because he identified the specific actions necessary to arrive at his destination and followed through on those actions with extreme passion and precision.

Academics - My 2002 men’s cross country team consisted of a group committed to excellence in the classroom as well as their sport. Matt Miller is one member of that team who pushed himself to become one of the most learned persons at Etown. This summer, Matt will study in a prestigious political psychology symposium at Stanford. From there, he will go on to work on his doctorate at UC-San Diego. Matt, like many high school students, was not truly passionate about achieving straight A’s or becoming an intellectual. However, that team embraced one of our foundational beliefs: to strive whole-heartedly toward excellence in the classroom. He and his teammates took an active role in becoming the best students they could be. They kept regular study hours (20+ hours per week) in a specified location, got assistance with study skills, sought tutorial services, and surrounded themselves with students equally driven to succeed. The result was a group of 15 average-to-good student-athletes achieving the highest cumulative grade point average amongst all D3 men’s cross country teams. They had taken action to become outstanding scholars and some of the most successful undergraduates to come out of Etown in recent memory.

Personal Development - Etown’s motto is “Educate for Service” and part of my responsibility as a coach is to teach young student-athletes valuable life skills through sport. Many aim to become better at communication. One way we take action upon this outcome goal is forming “Buddy Groups” within the track & field teams. The 80 people on the two teams are divided into smaller groups of 5-8 and assigned a “Buddy Group Leader.” The group dynamics of each “Buddy Group” are important as great care is taken to mix extroverts and introverts, men and women, throwers and distance runners, etc. The group is responsible for sharing goals before and after each competition, arranging social and service activities, and getting to know and care about other members of the larger group they ordinarily would not associate with. The end result is a dynamic and spirited team working together to achieve similar goals.

D3 allows student-athletes, coaches, and teams to work together toward goals on the field, in the classroom, and in the community. When setting goals, student-athletes should be encouraged to dream, but also be held accountable by listing actions to be taken to achieve those goals. With regular communication about staying on task with those actions, a student-athlete’s ultimate potential is within their grasp! Jump for joy when you arrive at your destination and remember to embrace the journey along the way!