Will Motivational Summer Elevate Husker Performance?

Randy York’s N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

What does gratitude, will and character have to do with winning back-to-back national championships for the first time in Nebraska volleyball history? Why would a seasoned Husker lineup spend a week trying to be a “happy warrior” and another week trying to comprehend what it takes to fly like geese?

John Cook and his innovative strategic support staff take those five major topics very seriously, but no more so than two other helpful themes that focus on the very essence of “mindfulness” on a national stage and what it takes to become “bulletproof” from despairing losses that challenge your team’s overall resilience.

All seven of those critical categories mentioned above are important to Nebraska doing what’s required to create the most definitive word in the Huskers’ vocabulary – Legacy. Nebraska’s volleyball team has indeed set its sights on winning the 2016 NCAA National Championship in Columbus, Ohio, for a bookend to NU’s 2015 national title in Omaha.

Cook Made Decision to Name Junior Setter Kelly Hunter Huskers’ 2016 Captain

When Cook met the media Monday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, Nebraska’s three-time national championship coach announced that junior setter Kelly Hunter (pictured above) will be the Huskers’ team captain this year. “That was my decision,” he said while gushing about the overall leadership with proven passports to compete as defending national champions.

Cook likes the way the Huskers look on paper, “but there’s so much more that goes into it,” he said after acknowledging that the Big Ten Championship (which eluded Nebraska, especially after that lost weekend in Minnesota and Wisconsin last year) “is probably harder to win than a national championship because it’s over 10 weeks.”

Not surprisingly, there’s still a buzz from last year and Cook led off his press conference praising the “Chase the Feeling” theme the Huskers used this summer to reinforce unity, create a sense of purpose and elevate their overall performance.

Right or wrong, Cook said his 2016 Huskers will be judged on whether they can or can’t make history winning back-to-back titles. Nebraska “did some really cool stuff every week this summer,” Cook said. “It’s fascinating, it’s awesome and the way the ended it on Saturday was historic in my opinion, from a motivational and inspirational point of view.”

Psychologist, Strength Coach Play Pivotal Roles in a Very Motivational Summer

Because of NCAA rules, Cook “didn’t have much to do with it,” he said, "but Brett Haskell, our sports psychologist, and Brian Kmitta, our strength coach, pretty much had these guys in the summer and they did an unbelievable job. I think you’ll see it in their faces and how they communicate it. It’s pretty special stuff they did.”

Cook and assistants Chris Tamas and Danny Busboom Kelly and director of operations Lindsay Peterson joined in planning week-by-week motivational topics. Haskell and Kmitta then worked closely on a weekly basis with nutritionist Tommy Jensen and trainer Jolene Emricson.

Here are the weekly themes that made the summer program so valuable and popular:

June 13: GRATITUDE, recognizing what we take for granted and have a deep sense of appreciation; June 20: HAPPY WARRIOR, embracing what’s hard and having the right attitude when doing hard things; June 27: MINDFULNESS, being really here, or present, in whatever you’re doing. Don’t miss out because you’re trying to fast-forward or rewind.

July 4: FLY LIKE GEESE. Can we really understand our teammates and take their perspective? How do we show them respect by not judging or making assumptions? How do we support and appreciate each member of the team? July 11: WILL: The ability to push beyond what you think is possible; July 18: BULLETPROOF: Can we take a bullet and keep fighting? We don’t have to be perfect, but do have to be resilient. When things don’t go our way, we get more focused and driven; July 25: CHARACTER. When you go to bed, what makes you feel good about yourself?

August 1: CHARACTER: Legacy is a commitment to the legacy of Nebraska volleyball. How do you honor those who dug the well? How are you now part of writing a new chapter in the legacy of Nebraska volleyball.

Huskers Have Great Mindset to Make History with Back-to-Back National Titles

Hearing how the summer performance team linked character to legacy motivated Cook, even though he wasn’t part of the conversation. “No team’s ever won back-to-back National Championships,” Cook pointed out, “so those are kind of how this team will be judged and what we’re going for. I think they’ve got a great mindset on how they’re going to do that.”

The Huskers used videos, themes, stories, analogies and metaphors to drive home the thoughts they wanted to share and discuss. They started on Mondays and tried to describe the epitome of their chosen subject matter. Each week, two young women would share a set of their goals in their personal life and relevant to this season.

“Everybody participated and that’s what made the whole summer so cool,” Haskell said. “They talked about volleyball accomplishments and personal accomplishments. Some were pretty personal. They all enjoyed hearing each other’s reflections. It was nice to see how much balance they had across the group in terms of leadership. Each person brought something different to the table. There’s no fighting about leadership roles. They all know they have leadership and the strength across the board.

"That’s the beauty of our summer program," Haskell said. "We took a team approach. Thinking through things together became a mantra both on the court and off. I’ve had so much fun getting to know and work with Brian (Kmitta). He has a real strong sense of who he is and develops relationships. He’s extremely focused and wants to get the most out of our student-athletes. They want to work harder and do more for him. They care about what he says. He’s a very thoughtful and intentional person and thinks from a broader perspective. He builds character.”

Kmitta: Character Set the Summer's Tone; Overall Goal: Become Better People

Like Haskell, Kmitta helped build a sense of overall purpose in summer training. Whether it’s Wednesday morning at 6 or Friday afternoon climbing stairs, the goal is to help elevate student-athletes reach a new level, academically, athletically and in life. It’s all part of the journey and figuring out how to hunker down on the areas student-athletes needed to sharpen, so they can be tough down the stretch

“The overview of what we tried to do this summer was to help every member on the volleyball team become better people,” Kmitta said. “Obviously, we want them to become better volleyball players, but since they’re only here for four or five years, it’s important to help them go beyond their sport. When they’re done with volleyball, we want them to leave here better than they were.

“Character was very important to our summer sessions,” Kmitta said. “That was a real highlight. When you make the right decisions on the court and off the court, you’ll be more successful in whatever you choose to do. All the team coming together toward the end was important. Legacy is also important with all these talented girls. We ask 'What are you trying to leave behind and what would you like somebody else to build on top of that?' All of these girls are building off the successful programs we’ve had before. Now, it’s their turn to add something even bigger to it.”

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