Book clubs, wacky hats and more: How Mizzou coaches stay in touch with their athletes
Stuck in the monotony of a weekly meeting with members of his program, Missouri Tigers women’s soccer coach Bryan Blitz wanted to put a fun spin on things.
Last week, they had a wacky hat day. Trivia livened things up. Another meeting was dedicated to a scavenger hunt — inside the players’ respective homes, of course. Blitz’s team also created a COVID-19 playlist to blast some tunes during this time away from sports due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“They’re pretty light, bright and easy because our team loves to see each other,” Blitz said of the meetings. “We keep up with the spring semester going on and talk about academics. Our kids are serious academic students.”
When the pandemic shut down sports in March, it also shuttered any organized team activities and practices. Instead of practices and offseason workouts, Missouri coaches across the board were forced to communicate via video calls.
Each coach has her or his own method, but many have incorporated an educational element to the meetings. Men’s basketball coach Cuonzo Martin has enacted similar measures, conducting “leadership summits” in which the team talks about anything but hoops.
MU volleyball coach Josh Taylor appoints one student-athlete to run a session on whatever topic she wants, which he said has led to off-court growth.
“Typically, it’s how we would improve emotionally and interpersonally as a team,” Taylor said. “I don’t think we’ve ever talked volleyball since things ended, which is really nice because we’ve done a lot. It’s really about communicating besides just the physical aspect of the sport.”
Book clubs have also been popular for some MU programs; coaches assign their version of homework. Taylor said he’s been reading “Dare to Lead” by Brené Brown with his four seniors in a format that comes with a workbook and touches on leadership qualities.
MU gymnastics coach Shannon Welker said his Tigers read a book called “Chop Wood, Carry Water: How to Fall in Love with the Process of Becoming Great,” by Joshua Medcalf. Women’s basketball coach Robin Pingeton said in April that her team was also starting a book club.
Missouri wrestling coach Brian Smith brings in guest speakers on a weekly basis. It’s been a star-studded cast that has included former MU greats, including two-time world champion J’Den Cox, Ben Askren, Tyler McCormick and Michael Chandler. Smith said he’s had weekly meetings but his athletes are also mingling through self-organized side sessions.
“The team’s been staying close together,” Smith said. “I know the side-group ones that they arrange, the young guys are mixed in. The groups are kind of mixed in by age, so they’re getting to know each other and the new incoming class.”
Football coach Eliah Drinkwitz’s team has been allowed eight hours per week of remote training. That time is split into whole-team meetings and smaller positional ones. Drinkwitz’s assistant coaches have said they rely on the leaders of each positional group to hold each other accountable.
Starting June 8, though, football players will be allowed to return to campus for voluntary workouts.
It’s unclear when other student-athletes are expected back on campus. Blitz, whose soccer team plays in the fall, said he hasn’t heard a concrete timeline yet. MU plans on staggering non-revenue sports’ return to Columbia, with fall teams coming back first.
Through the unknowns, Mizzou coaches remain busy with their athletes in clever ways.
“We’re definitely doing the Zoom calls,” Welker said. “We’re even doing those with the incoming freshmen. Not with our current team, but individually. We have two things going on here. We have newcomers coming in, seniors going out. Trying to maintain that continuity a little bit.”