Coach JoseIt’s been a while, a month minus five days, to be exact. But my return to Invert City is a sweet one.
I had several reasons for moving away from this page, at least from writing here, because the social media accounts are doing well.
The Mission
My main reason was to analyse the more abstract parts of my mission. I am, as you know, ready to change the conversation about effective coaching in sports. And that is a very tall claim; it’s a fight that will have negative and positive consequences, and both are necessary.
It became evident at the beginning of May that I had a lot to do to prepare emotionally to face this challenge in a way deserving of its importance.
Failing at this endeavour would mean letting too many people down, and too many of them deserve more than words; they deserve proper action.
I’m ready to act.
The Business
This hiatus also afforded me the time to plan an approach to growing this idea and scaling it to a profitable business.
Yes, a business.
Because while money can’t buy happiness, as people love to say, it gives us the ability to change parts of life that might otherwise be out of our control.
I also do this thinking of the people who depend on me. Invert City is a place (a metaphorical city supported by the incredible Pulsars team, our country) where people can find resources for success. And resources often come with a price tag.
Imagine an athlete who cannot afford to pay for tuition or for that long trip to national championships. The business part of Invert City can give them what they need when they need it.
And think about all we can do for our brothers and sisters in Uganda, how we can help them change their world. Think of many others we can help.
The business of Invert City can do more than its philosophical part. And the balance of these two, the reconciliation of our financial plans with the nobility of the mission, will bring about significant change.
I’m also ready for this.
The Mind
Finally, and perhaps as important as any other reason, there is my psychology.
As I set new goals and standards for my team, an apprehension occurred to me, a tension that bore critical questions.
First, and I believe a concern that many in this team share: can I produce high-performance athletes and world-class competitors while upholding the mission?
Can I push these athletes – many of them young children – past their limits respecting their integrity as complex humans?
A pressing fear that I might inadvertently become the very thing I oppose forced me to revisit an old meta-cognitive commitment to my approach to coaching.
I had to question if I was the right person for the job. It was essential to consider if I even deserved the job.
After weeks of doubting, crying, and looking into my team’s eyes for answers, I know I can, I am, and I do.
More doubts will come, and fears will arise as we move forward with plans; this is the case with any crucial work. And when these worries arrive, we will address them with that same ecological commitment to what we do.
Onward.
— Coach José
