Sefesi Vaaivaka
South Jordan, UT
Psychology
Leadership Track
Leading Athletes to Success
I am co-hosting a football camp for 5-12 grade boys. We will be teaching them specific skills to meet their position requirements. For example I will be coaching any boys who play defensive line because that is the position that I play in college. I will be helping them to learn correct fundamentals and specific techniques to improve their ability to play their position. I will be able to help them progress to a higher level of play because I have been taught these same techniques by my position coach, and I have seen success on the football field. We also will be teaching them how to be better teammates on and off the field.
What inspired me to choose a project like this was my love for football. Football has helped me in so many ways; on and off the field. My teammates and I wanted to share our passion with the younger athletes of today. It also helped that you learn more from teaching others. So not only could I help these young athletes but I was hoping to improve on my abilities. Football is more than just a game, it has the ability to teach so many different life skills that young men need in the world today.
​
I didn't come across a whole lot of difficulties. But the two biggest difficulties were getting the gear and staff together. We wanted to be able to help all players, no matter the position. So the difficulty was finding some of my teammates that would help. It also took longer to gather the supplies than expected. The biggest challenge for me was having to simplify the terms I was using so that the kids, who haven't been playing for as long as I have, could grasp the concepts.
​
My project benefited quite a few people. Not only did it help my teammates out with their projects, it helped strengthen our friendships. Through the project it gave my teammates opportunities to grow as leaders and coaches. It definitely was a benefit to the boys who attended. Their skills developed and they enjoyed learning new things that were going to help them. A lot of them put what we taught them into use at their high school camps.
I know that I developed more of a leader mentality through this project. I was already a captain for our football team but it felt good to lead the small group of teammates I had. It gave me confidence knowing that if I could do it with them, that I could eventually do it for my whole team. I also found out that I like coaching. The thought had never crossed my mind until after this camp; that maybe someday I can be a high school coach.
​
Here are some quotes from my journal:
​
Some of the guys from the football team wanted to get together and do an edge project that would be fun, easy, and a great experience. So we decided on hosting a football camp for high school kids.
Everything went well, the boys all enjoyed the camp and stayed hydrated and healthy. We are happy that there were no injuries and everyone was able to become better football players.