Sports teams are not instantly winners; it takes time to build a championship ready team, it takes players ready to put everything they have into a sport, it takes culture. It takes a whole team buying in to one thing, one goal and pushing one another every day to accomplish this goal. It takes more than just one great athlete, or one great class, but everyone that enters into a program buying in to truly create a culture.

Some characteristics of a good team culture include high expectations, hard-working athletes, high level of enthusiasm, and the team grows in numbers according to Head Cross Country Coach Andrew Derks during his presentation over team culture at the EIU distance camp.

It is important to establish winning traditions at all levels of a sport, other than high school, including at the college and pro levels as well. These cultures are not easy to establish and take multiple years to set into place. They can also break down and have to be rebuilt again, starting the process over.

“A culture is the expression of a team’s values, attitudes, and beliefs about sports and competition. It determines whether, for example, the team’s focus is on fun, mastery, or winning or whether it promotes individual accomplishment or team success. The culture is grounded in an identified sense of mission and shared goals, for instance, the goal of qualifying for a regional championships or winning a state title,” said Doctor Jim Taylor in Psychology Today.

For example, at the professional level, teams like the New England Patriots or the Chicago Blackhawks have established a culture of winning in their respected sports and have garnered plenty of success in doing so.

At the high school level, Plainfield North has multiple teams and programs that have already established winning cultures at North, like the girl’s volleyball and soccer teams along with the baseball team doing so well.

Being able to establish a program early is not easy and will have plenty of bumps in the road. Every program goes through the rough patches and just have to “pay their dues”.

Multiple studies, including Jim Taylor’s , have shown that teams that bring a positive attitude and collective mindset are more likely to accomplish their set goals more than individual records or goals.

The effect can happen in the reverse as well, if a team has a negative attitude and is not mixing well, then the team’s performance will drop.

Having great individual to lead the team and bring team success has been shown to help a program grow and develop.

“Having the individual success has made a tremendous impact on the rest of the team’s attitude,” said Head Wrestling Coach Jeff Kastel. “Our wrestlers have seen what success is and not only do they want to reach that level of success, but now they want to surpass it.”

Every coach tries to establish a certain culture when they come into their respected program. It’s not easy, but in the end athletes and coaches alike realize it. All good teams expect to win, but that expectation does not start from the beginning, it slowly builds.