Vince D’Adamo: What is the No. 1 thing that keeps you coming back to coaching every season?
Joe Madigan: My boys. Our kids grow up so fast. It’s a great way for me to spend time with my boys, and help them and other kids get better at baseball.
D’Adamo: Having coached both Little League baseball and Napa High swimming, what are the unique differences between coaching individual and team sports?
Madigan: To me, there’s really not much of a difference. Whether it’s individual or team, coaches are trying to teach and motivate athletes to perform their best. Even though there are individual events in swimming, it’s still a team sport, with swimmers trying to swim their best to get points for the team to win.
D’Adamo: You hear the term “culture” being uttered in sports, what does that term mean to you and your program?
Madigan: For years I’ve stressed the fact that teams will perform at a higher level as soon as they start playing the game “for” each other, instead of just “with” each other. If you can get a young athlete to be selfless and care just as much about how their teammates do as they care about how they do...you’re going to have success. Not always wins, but success. Also extremely important to culture is to make sure the kids are having fun.
D’Adamo: Besides the Xs and Os of coaching, how important is it to be able to relate to youngsters as people?
Madigan: I think this is of the utmost importance. We’ve all seen coaches that have a ton of knowledge in their sport, but can’t relate to kids, which leads to difficulty being successful. On the other hand, if you’re relatable to your kids, and provide a positive, fun experience, it will motivate kids, and you’ll see improvement. Just like in my classroom, I try to provide an environment that kids “want” to come to.
D’Adamo: Beyond athletics, what do you most hope that any youngster gets from being a student-athlete in your program?
Madigan: Perseverance. Hustle. Understanding the concept of delayed gratification, that something great worth achieving is definitely worth working for. Having a growth mindset, knowing that whatever your level, there’s always something that you could work on to improve. Understand the concept of being a good teammate: play any role that helps the team, love practice as much as games because that’s where the most learning happens, and have respect for teammates, coaches, opponents, officials, the game itself, and parents.
D’Adamo: Within your family who have been the most influential people?
Madigan: That’s a difficult question and I don’t want to leave anybody out, but with relation to athletics in my life, I would have to say because my dad coached me in multiple sports growing up, he would be one of my most influential family members. I have to say my older brother, PJ, as well. When I saw him swimming in college, I wanted to follow in his footsteps.
D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet and what would intrigue you about meeting that person.
Madigan: I’d have to go with Jackie Robinson, that man had some kind of courage. Not only was he obviously an extremely talented baseball player, but to break through the barrier into MLB at the time he did was an incredible achievement. I’m sure he’d have some amazing stories to tell.
No comments:
Post a Comment