By Ryan Maloney, assistant women's volleyball coach
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Though he's too humble to admit it, John Crawford (right) is the most successful coach Fredonia has ever had.
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This excerpt is from an article with Fredonia's diving coach, John Crawford, that was published in the Fall alumni magazine. I've pulled out what I think are the most meaningful passages.
The line below in blue, for whatever reason, still brings tears to my eyes (and I don't cry all that often):
Maloney: I hear older coaches bemoan the lack of teaching ability in younger coaches. Do you see that as a big problem?
Crawford: I think the big problem is coaches getting caught up in results. It's not about the results. It's about the process and focusing on the preparation. That's the key: we should prepare for success and expect success.
Maloney: In the back of my mind I would love to win a national championship (Crawford coached a national champion diver, Kelly Sponholz, in 2009).
Crawford: But do you know how many excellent coaches there are who have never done that? I mean excellent coaches. Yeah, I have a girl who won an NCAA Championship, and I know I'm blessed. You may never win a national championship. It's great if you do, but if you don't it's not going to change the opinions of the kids you coach. If they have an excellent opinion of what you did for them in their formative years, I think that's more long lasting than the national championship.
Maloney: That's good stuff.
Crawford: But I understand why you'd want to win a championship. I do too. But with Kelly, I never thought of winning the national championship as a goal, I just wanted her to do well.
Maloney: My first
memory of you was when I was 22 years old. I was training a few athletes and
you saw us doing an exercise that you thought might help your divers, and you
stopped to ask questions. Here’s someone who’s been coaching for close to 30
years asking questions to a recent college graduate. There’s so much humility
in that.
Crawford: For my whole
career I’ve never been afraid to ask questions. Part of coaching is that you
want to compete and you want to win. But if you really want to be a good coach
you need to continue to learn to help your athletes, and if you can convey that
passion you’ll find winning will be the by-product.
Maloney: In terms of
winning, does it keep you up at night? Trying to win?
Crawford: No. What
keeps me up at night is, “What can I do to help (a diver) do a better two
and a half,” or, “How can I help (her) stay positive coming back from
an injury?” or “How can I help (him) not be so tough on himself?” The
best moments aren’t necessarily when you win but those intimate moments when
you see them grow.
Maloney: Is this a
constant process of needing to put aside the striving for accomplishment?
Crawford: Human
relationships last longer than the accomplishment. Some of the coach of the
year awards I got back in the 80’s, I don’t even know where they are anymore.
Maybe they’re in the basement somewhere.
Maloney: So what is it
that motivates you right now? Has it changed over time?
Crawford: It’s
definitely changed. I think its changed into serving others. There’s a business
concept called, “Servant Leadership.” I can summarize it as this: “How can I
help you today?”
Maloney: How can you
help?
Crawford: Right. I’ll
often ask it to the divers: “How can I help you today? Is there anything that I
can do for you?” Did I have that at the age of 22 when I started? No. But
eventually if you’re a good teacher you find yourself going into that mode.