Those three T's are what stood out to me on my recent trip with the U18 Girls Red team to North Carolina to participate in National League. Glen Tourville coaches the team and asked me to come and assist him at the event. 

Travel: 11 hours there, 11 hours back, one hour to and from the field each day, and not a single complaint from any player. Bus rides can be miserable depending on the make up of the people on the bus, especially when the TVs are not working on a long trip like ours. The girls outdid all expectations I had of them. I knew they were great kids, but they took it upon themselves to talk, study and entertain themselves the whole time. They showed a maturity and camaraderie that made the trip enjoyable. 

Togetherness: We played 4 games in 4 days at the event. The girls were playing in front of college coaches and against very good opposition. The event was set up very nicely. Great fields, facilities and very professional. In every game we played we went a goal behind. We finished the four games with a record of won 1, lost 1 and tied 2. When you are losing in a tough environment, it is easy to throw in the towel and give up. These girls did the opposite. When the chips were down, and odds were against them, they showed passion, desire, grit and determination to fight and claw their way back into the games and finished every game as the stronger team. You find out about a player not in their strongest moment or when things are easy, but in their weakest moment, when things are going bad. We found out the these girls can play good soccer, can overcome adversity, and do it together as a team, not as individuals. I am reading a book right now called Players First by John Calipari (University of Kentucky's Men's Basketball Coach). He talks a lot about "Servant Leadership" in the book. A servant leader is someone who is a Servant, Steward and Shepherd:

Technique: In our four games, it was clear that we tried to play the best soccer out of anyone we played. We valued the ball and our technique, although not perfect, it was better than the teams we played against. Our goals were of high quality, our passing was crisp, and our intent was purposeful. Whether we won every game or lost every game, the girls got better with every game. That is a testament to their hard work and Glen's approach to coaching.  The Target Competencies Model that Glen has led for the entire club is working and these girls are proof of that!