On the TUNNEYSIDE of SPORTS January 14, 2013 #419 Coming up next…The Golden Whistle!
After further review…The joy of coaching has always been inspiring for me. At the age of twelve I knew what my life’s profession was to be—I wanted to coach. As I thought about my goal, the art of preparation emerged as an important principle to me. As time went by I studied my high school and college coaches and teachers for ideas and techniques that would work in that regard. I have had some excellent mentors.
Our local NBC affiliate, KSBW (ksbw.com) and its sports anchor, Dennis Lehnen, have partnered with the Salinas, California produce company Taylor Farms to create the Golden Whistle award, to be presented to those individuals who set an exceptional example as a coach. The inspiration for the award is the program of “Transformational Coaching” headed-up by Dr. Tony Payan and Buck Roggeman (transformationalcoachesmc.com)—the central idea being that young people need to be coached “from the inside out”.
Under the leadership of third-generation chairman and CEO Bruce Taylor, Taylor Farms proclaims as its goal to “leave the world a better place”. The Golden Whistle and the selection of its very first recipient, Roberto Dixon, go hand-in-hand with Taylor Farm’s goals. Dixon, a wrestling coach at Monterey High School in Monterey, California, seemed to some an unlikely choice. “He’s wrestling coach?” somebody wondered. “You mean he doesn’t coach football or another major sport? He’s not on “Friday Night Lights?” But, while wrestling may never have risen to the status of a major sport for many, the lessons it can teach are equally important.
Dixon, who coaches both boys and girls, uses wrestling to teach preparation for life. “Everybody has a talent and it’s my job to get that out of them,” says Dixon. An alumnus of Monterey High, he has been coaching wrestling at his alma mater for over 20 years. He has earned the love and respect of his athletes, students, fellow teachers, and administrators through his humble attitude and dedication to all those he serves. While wrestling was never on my list of athletic activities, I recognize its value as a life lesson. I mean, you’re out there on that mat by yourself with no one to blame for lack of effort or giving up or failure. We could all benefit from that perspective.
Will you coach others with an inside-out philosophy? Who knows, you may be awarded the Golden Whistle!
To contact Jim go to www.jimtunney.com or email him at jim@jimtunney.com.
