It's something I began doing my junior year at the University of Montevallo when broadcasting basketball games. I'd go to a player before the game and give him or her a realistic goal to achieve that was slightly higher than his or her average. It might have been points, rebounds, assists, fewer turnovers or field goal/free throw percentage. It was often that those goals were met.
I took this form of encouragement and motivation with me to Martin Methodist College as sports inforamation director. It worked a little in the 2005-06 athletic season, however it was displayed the best last fall. My two most successful targets were Tassia Augusto and LaKenya Wrightsil. Tas, a native of Brazil, missed a large portion of her freshman season due to knee injury and was not able to travel as a player to the Kansas to help MMC win the women's soccer NAIA national championship in Nov. '05. She rehabbed and returned to the field last summer and although her speed was affected by her surgery, she developed the determination to score. I'd go to each girl in pregame warmups and wish them good luck individually. It had to be individually, because it was a superstition. If I missed someone, I was afraid they'd not play well. Again, I said it was a supersitition.
As I'd go around and comment, I'd give different players a different goal, however I always targeted Tas. I guess I was consistant with her last fall, because after her first goal of the season she came up to me and said "You told me I was going to score. That's all I thought about, and when I did I immediatly thought about how you'd told me."
I heard this numerous times. If I was at the game, Tas would look for me on the sidelines after a goal.
Tassia transfered last December from Martin Methodist to the Univesity of North Alabama in the Gulf South Conference. She may possibly be the weapon that the Lady Lions have been in need of to take them into the GSC Tournament and pose a threat. Realizing that UNA would open its season on Friday night, Aug. 24, I sent Tas a Facebook message Friday morning saying "Good luck Saturday in your North Alabama debut. Be sure to score one for me and two if possible."
I forgot to look up the score and check up on how she did. While researching some high school football in the state and visiting the Times Daily's website, I noticed a UNA women's soccer story, and opened.
Midway through, this is what I found, "Augusto, in her first season at UNA after transferring from Martin Methodist, scored the final two goals of the first half in the 34th and 36th minutes to make it 6-0 at intermission."
The end result is that it made me smile and laugh that for some reason this motivation tool never fails with Tassia. She also added three assists in the 8-0 victory.
This is just one of the moments that working around young athletes that makes things enjoyable and rewarding. I'm not saying I'm the reason she is scoring goals and playing well, but do believe my encouragement and goal helps motivate her to think offensively and make the moves she needs to be in position to score....and when in that position, the net is open for her.
The photo is of Tassia from her debut taken from the UNA women's soccer main page.
