“I’ll start by saying that this higher, altruistic view of sport that has come from volunteerism is a disaster. I think it’s disgusting. And I think in the United Kingdom, particularly, that governing bodies and sports clubs manipulate—it’s maybe a strong word—manipulate the goodwill of people in the sport. And I actually think volunteerism is holding back the sport, particularly here in the UK. There’s always money for administrators, and there’s no money for coaches. And every time there’s a round of funding from UK Sport or Sport England, the organizations that get more money employ more administrators.
It’s a difficult one because ultimately, if I walk away, this may be where the governing bodies have you by the throat. If I walk away, they’ll get somebody else. If I walk away, are they bothered about the talent and knowledge drain that goes with me? And, ‘Well, it doesn’t matter because you’re not playing European or world championships. And we’ll get somebody else to do it,’ [they respond].”
On April 17, 2025, FSU experienced the unimaginable. An active shooter (and FSU student) opened fire in the middle of the day at the busiest location on campus. Two individuals lost their lives along with multiple others suffering injuries. The victims, Robert Moralas and Tiru Chabba, were simply working their typical job that day. Robert Moralas was a former assistant football coach at a local high school. Not only did the FSU and Tallahassee community suffer loss that day, but the coaching community lost one of their own through a senseless tragedy.
The "No Flex Zone": Creating a Psychologically Safe Environment in Youth Sports
Psychological safety is a topic that is crucial for the success and well-being of youth athletes, yet it often goes unprioritized by coaches when building a team’s culture. Psychological safety involves the creation of an environment where individuals feel comfortable expressing themselves without fear of negative consequences. More specifically, a psychologically safe environment empowers athletes to feel comfortable taking risks, making mistakes, and asking for help when needed.
“Much of sport is a Sisyphean effort of pushing the boulder of competition as far up the hill of resistance and adversity as one can go, only to see it fall back down the hill to be pushed again another day, regardless of whether one becomes a champion or not. It may be that the eagerness to push and the earnestness with which one pushes is what truly makes one a winner.”
Welcome to Mental Moments with Dr. Megan! This new section will share quick information and tips for various mental performance topics and issues each month. To get us started, two FSU sport psychology students break down the importance of emotion regulation and how you can better manage your emotions to maintain composure during competition.
Dr. Megan Buning, CMPC, is a faculty member within FSU COACH and a Certified Mental Performance Consultant through the Association of Applied Sport Psychology.
Welcome to Mental Moments with Dr. Megan! This new section will share quick information and tips for various mental performance topics and issues each month. This month, two FSU sport psychology students discuss elements of team cohesion and how you can help foster a productive & healthy environment.
Dr. Megan Buning, CMPC, is a faculty member within FSU COACH and a Certified Mental Performance Consultant through the Association of Applied Sport Psychology.
“One of the biggest surprises for me when I started coaching in the public school system was realizing I would have to be a fundraiser. I wasn’t anticipating that. I knew about booster clubs and fundraising, but I thought it was only for extras, like fancy warm-ups or additional equipment. However, we had to raise money for essentials, like buses to take us to races. I'm not a teacher, but the other coach is, and if we miss a day of school for a race, the athletic budget has to cover the cost of a substitute teacher. We also fundraise for things I assumed the school district would cover, but they don't. Fundraising can be a challenge and, at times, frustrating. If you're thinking about coaching in the public school system, know that fundraising will be a big part of your job. It certainly caught me by surprise.”
Welcome to Mental Moments with Dr. Megan! This new section will share quick information and tips for various mental performance topics and issues each month. To get us started, two FSU sport psychology students break down the importance of emotion regulation and how you can better manage your emotions to maintain composure during competition.
Dr. Megan Buning, CMPC, is a faculty member within FSU COACH and a Certified Mental Performance Consultant through the Association of Applied Sport Psychology.
“Our greatest hope of self-correction lies in ensuring we are not operating in a hall of mirrors in which all we see are distorted reflections of our desires and convictions. We need a few trusted naysayers in our lives, critics willing to puncture our protective bubble of self-justifications and yank us back to reality if we veer too far off. This is especially important for people in positions of power.”
“Coaches are burned out. Burnout is real and comes a lot more quickly when you’re not being paid well or are overworked; you feel that so much is being asked of you and time is being taken away from your personal and family life. At the end of the day, coaches may be seeing a nickel an hour if they’re lucky. It truly is a labor of love.
Do the head coaches need a salary different from supplemental because of the risk they’re taking on because of the number of students in their program? If there was a way to find a way with integrity to pay coaches more on a salary basis, I think that would be supported, but how would you do it? Other states do it. Alabama is doing it. Texas is doing it. But then, how do you do that with quality and equity? Because that might be happening with just the head football coach. But does the women’s swim coach receive the same benefits in those states? I don’t have the answer to that.”
Welcome to Mental Moments with Dr. Megan! This new section will share quick information and tips for various mental performance topics and issues each month. To get us started, two FSU sport psychology students break down the importance of emotion regulation and how you can better manage your emotions to maintain composure during competition.
Dr. Megan Buning, CMPC, is a faculty member within FSU COACH and a Certified Mental Performance Consultant through the Association of Applied Sport Psychology.
Welcome to Mental Moments with Dr. Megan! This new section will share quick information and tips for various mental performance topics and issues each month. To get us started, two FSU sport psychology students break down the importance of emotion regulation and how you can better manage your emotions to maintain composure during competition.
Dr. Megan Buning, CMPC, is a faculty member within FSU COACH and a Certified Mental Performance Consultant through the Association of Applied Sport Psychology.
Welcome to Mental Moments with Dr. Megan! This new section will share quick information and tips for various mental performance topics and issues each month.
I recently read of a study in which head coaches of professional soccer teams were at risk of being fired. The authors of this study measured the physical output of players during practice.
Learn if specialization in baseball affects Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic (KJOC) shoulder and elbow scores based on the grade the participant started showing high specialization.
Data analytics are here to stay and continue to become more and more complex. But coaches, managers, and owners should never forget that quality coaching remains an integral part of success.
