By Staff
Athletic Management, 18.6, October/November 2006, http://www.momentummedia.com/articles/am/am1806/wucompetition.htm
For football coaches at the University of Colorado, taking time out isn’t just something to think about during late-game drives. Under the leadership of Head Football Coach Dan Hawkins, the entire staff is participating in a Coaches’ Wellness Challenge this fall, aimed at reminding everyone that taking a break from work can be a good thing.
Lots of head coaches tell their assistants to maintain some balance in their lives, but Hawkins has turned the advice into a competition among his staff. He awards points for doing anything that promotes one’s own physical, mental, or emotional health. Coaches can earn them by weightlifting, going for a run, maintaining a proper diet, getting a full night’s sleep, spending quality time with their kids, or even taking their spouse out to dinner.
“It’s impossible to keep everything in balance with this job, because there’s too much work and there aren’t enough hours in the day,” Hawkins says. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t get a little exercise, or make some time for your family, or do other simple things that over the long-term will make you healthier and happier, and ultimately reflect on the job you do.”
While the point system helps by tapping into coaches’ competitive instincts, it’s not about who finishes on top. “Everybody has their own ideas about how to take care of themselves, so I just tell them to think about it and then try to do it,” Hawkins explains. “If you’re trying to work 18 hours a day, how long can you expect to keep that up and really be productive? And does it mean you aren’t present in your family’s life? It’s about setting priorities.”
Hawkins adds that the competition has also made for some humor around the office. “One guy took his daughter to the airport in the morning, then came in and said, ‘Yes! I got two points!’” he says. “And somebody will come in looking really tired and say, ‘Well, I didn’t get any points for sleep last night.’ But hey, that shows me they’re thinking about it.”
Joking aside, the Coaches’ Wellness Challenge is a genuine reflection of how Hawkins believes a program should be run. “If I’m asking our staff members to treat each guy like he’s their son, then they’d better understand what that means by having a healthy family life of their own,” he says. “To me it all goes hand in hand.”