National Writing Project Book Review by Emilie Brand Manhart
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Book Review by Dr. Tanya Baker
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Book Review... by Gary Stevens of Maine Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association
Writing on the Bus
Using Athletic Notebooks and Journals to Advance Learning and Performance in Sports by Richard Kent
The Book Shelf Review by Gary Stevens
Thornton Academy – Saco, Maine
The Book Shelf is a feature of MIAAA News that provides reviews of books that may of interest to people working in the athletics profession. Athletic administrators are encouraged to submit their own reviews of materials that they have read to MIAAA News editor Gary Stevens by e-mail at [email protected].
***
Richard Kent is the director of the Maine Writing Project at the University of Maine in Orono and a sports enthusiast. A former English teacher at Mountain Valley High School in Rumford and currently as associate professor at Maine, Kent has merged his two interests in the form of a new book that explores how both athletes and teams can improve performance and enrich their sports experiences through the writing process. Writing on the Bus: Using Athletic Notebooks and Journals to Advance Learning and Performance in Sports, the latest in a series of books written by Kent, is a guidebook for both athletes and coaches seeking to set goals, analyze athletic performance, and enhance the overall communication skills within a team framework.
As Kent observes, many elite athletes are currently using writing as a tool to establish benchmarks during their training and to assess their progress. He cites well-known sports personalities such as tennis star Serena Williams and Boston Red Sox World Series hero Curt Schilling, who use have used journal writing before, after, and in the case of the Boston righthander, during competition, to evaluate their performance. Kent also examines a year in the life of Nordic skier David Chamberlain, who uses journal writing as a tool to plan his training for a final chance at fulfilling his Olympic dream and to develop his long-range plans for a career after skiing.
The bulk of Kent’s book is devoted to examining the concept of the athletic team notebook as a technique for athletic coaches to use with their teams during the season. Kent, who coached varsity boys soccer at Mountain Valley in the 1990’s and Maine elite teams that toured in England, describes how he utilized writing as part of his coaching repertoire in both contexts and how student-athletes learned how to assess their own progress and that of their team by putting their ideas on paper. Kent also observes that student writing also has a great benefit to coaches. “Reading [their] entries,” he observes, “reminds me of the influence coaches have. In other cases, my athletes’ writing teaches me about what they need and what might benefit the team.”
Kent’s teams divided team notebooks into five basic sections:
1. Preseason Thoughts (where student-athletes examine past achievements and begin the process of setting new goals and standards for their performance)
2. Competition Analysis I (tools used to evaluate team and individual performances during contests in which an athlete has participated)
3. Competition Analysis II (tools used to evaluate team and individual performances during contests that an athlete observes)
4. Postseason Thoughts (a formative assessment that is not only a culminating activity at the end of the season, but also a stepping-stone to setting goals for the next)
5. Notes (a space to both collect and write down information related to the sport or to keep motivational materials)
In each chapter outlining a given section of his team notebook, Kent provides concrete examples of student-athlete writing and ideas as to how writing can be utilized during specific parts of the season. He also provides a number of creative writing ideas that can be used with students during team meetings or at the conclusion of practices that can serve as teambuilding activities or may assist individual students in learning more about their sport, their teammates, their coach, and themselves.
As coaches begin to use writing as a means to help student-athletes understand and analyze their sport and to set goals for themselves, observes Kent, they should take the time to read the student work and use their words as a means of enhancing their own capacity as leaders. Student writing serves as an avenue through which coaches can learn more about their players and discover what motivates them to achieve. He notes:
Through a lens beyond the field of play – or the pitch, pool, range, beach, course, mountain, arena, team room, mat, or classroom – we come to know first-year and transfer players. We have the opportunity to hear about the new players’ dedication, self-perception, sports mind, and academics.
Student writing also has an influence on the interactions between athletes and coaches. In Kent’s case, it helped generate the “stuff” of team meetings, individual conversations with players, and postseason evaluation reviews.
Writing on the Bus is a text that is applicable for individuals who coach athletes of all ages and abilities. Whether one works with novice athletes or elite performers at the amateur or professional levels, Kent demonstrates that writing is a viable platform that a coach may consider using as a means of stimulating thinking or creating a focus for a given practice session, contest, or season. Full of practical exercises, graphic organizers, and strategies for putting thoughts to paper, Kent’s book is a great starting point for both coaches and classroom teachers who are looking to inspire their athletes and students to explore the world of ideas.
An old adage states, “If you dream it, you can achieve it.” Rich Kent’s work during his career as a coach and teacher has been devoted to helping others draw their own insights and conclusions through the process of the written word. “You’ll be surprised at how your athletes dig deep with their writing, as if they’re in the midst of a critical game,” he observes. “They’ll examine their play,” he adds, “think about the next training session or game, and write in ways that will surprise you both.”
Using Athletic Notebooks and Journals to Advance Learning and Performance in Sports by Richard Kent
The Book Shelf Review by Gary Stevens
Thornton Academy – Saco, Maine
The Book Shelf is a feature of MIAAA News that provides reviews of books that may of interest to people working in the athletics profession. Athletic administrators are encouraged to submit their own reviews of materials that they have read to MIAAA News editor Gary Stevens by e-mail at [email protected].
***
Richard Kent is the director of the Maine Writing Project at the University of Maine in Orono and a sports enthusiast. A former English teacher at Mountain Valley High School in Rumford and currently as associate professor at Maine, Kent has merged his two interests in the form of a new book that explores how both athletes and teams can improve performance and enrich their sports experiences through the writing process. Writing on the Bus: Using Athletic Notebooks and Journals to Advance Learning and Performance in Sports, the latest in a series of books written by Kent, is a guidebook for both athletes and coaches seeking to set goals, analyze athletic performance, and enhance the overall communication skills within a team framework.
As Kent observes, many elite athletes are currently using writing as a tool to establish benchmarks during their training and to assess their progress. He cites well-known sports personalities such as tennis star Serena Williams and Boston Red Sox World Series hero Curt Schilling, who use have used journal writing before, after, and in the case of the Boston righthander, during competition, to evaluate their performance. Kent also examines a year in the life of Nordic skier David Chamberlain, who uses journal writing as a tool to plan his training for a final chance at fulfilling his Olympic dream and to develop his long-range plans for a career after skiing.
The bulk of Kent’s book is devoted to examining the concept of the athletic team notebook as a technique for athletic coaches to use with their teams during the season. Kent, who coached varsity boys soccer at Mountain Valley in the 1990’s and Maine elite teams that toured in England, describes how he utilized writing as part of his coaching repertoire in both contexts and how student-athletes learned how to assess their own progress and that of their team by putting their ideas on paper. Kent also observes that student writing also has a great benefit to coaches. “Reading [their] entries,” he observes, “reminds me of the influence coaches have. In other cases, my athletes’ writing teaches me about what they need and what might benefit the team.”
Kent’s teams divided team notebooks into five basic sections:
1. Preseason Thoughts (where student-athletes examine past achievements and begin the process of setting new goals and standards for their performance)
2. Competition Analysis I (tools used to evaluate team and individual performances during contests in which an athlete has participated)
3. Competition Analysis II (tools used to evaluate team and individual performances during contests that an athlete observes)
4. Postseason Thoughts (a formative assessment that is not only a culminating activity at the end of the season, but also a stepping-stone to setting goals for the next)
5. Notes (a space to both collect and write down information related to the sport or to keep motivational materials)
In each chapter outlining a given section of his team notebook, Kent provides concrete examples of student-athlete writing and ideas as to how writing can be utilized during specific parts of the season. He also provides a number of creative writing ideas that can be used with students during team meetings or at the conclusion of practices that can serve as teambuilding activities or may assist individual students in learning more about their sport, their teammates, their coach, and themselves.
As coaches begin to use writing as a means to help student-athletes understand and analyze their sport and to set goals for themselves, observes Kent, they should take the time to read the student work and use their words as a means of enhancing their own capacity as leaders. Student writing serves as an avenue through which coaches can learn more about their players and discover what motivates them to achieve. He notes:
Through a lens beyond the field of play – or the pitch, pool, range, beach, course, mountain, arena, team room, mat, or classroom – we come to know first-year and transfer players. We have the opportunity to hear about the new players’ dedication, self-perception, sports mind, and academics.
Student writing also has an influence on the interactions between athletes and coaches. In Kent’s case, it helped generate the “stuff” of team meetings, individual conversations with players, and postseason evaluation reviews.
Writing on the Bus is a text that is applicable for individuals who coach athletes of all ages and abilities. Whether one works with novice athletes or elite performers at the amateur or professional levels, Kent demonstrates that writing is a viable platform that a coach may consider using as a means of stimulating thinking or creating a focus for a given practice session, contest, or season. Full of practical exercises, graphic organizers, and strategies for putting thoughts to paper, Kent’s book is a great starting point for both coaches and classroom teachers who are looking to inspire their athletes and students to explore the world of ideas.
An old adage states, “If you dream it, you can achieve it.” Rich Kent’s work during his career as a coach and teacher has been devoted to helping others draw their own insights and conclusions through the process of the written word. “You’ll be surprised at how your athletes dig deep with their writing, as if they’re in the midst of a critical game,” he observes. “They’ll examine their play,” he adds, “think about the next training session or game, and write in ways that will surprise you both.”
