On day two of the 2016 NFCA Convention in New Orleans, attendee’s gathered in the Grand Ballroom to hear head Coach Patty Gasso of Oklahoma University speak. There wasn’t an empty seat in the room and those who weren’t lucky enough to score a seat, stood and listened. Patty Gasso’s presentation was titled “The Power of Empowerment” and her message to the audience was simple. Oklahoma Softball has been successful in the past and will be successful in the future because their mission as a coaching staff and throughout the University is to find a way to empower their female athletes. Coach Gasso went into detail about the Culture she has created at OU and the steps she has taken to create a Championship Program. Below are some of the takeaway points from Patty Gasso’s NFCA Convention Presentation.
- Championship Mindset: The Oklahoma Softball Coaching staff’s goal is to get their players to live in a championship mindset on and off the field at all times. They first get their players to understand what a championship mindset looks like. Things such as never taking a play or a day off, trusting the process, and practicing and developing patience. The Championship Mindset has been instilled in the female softball players at OU under Coach Gasso’s lead and it’s a huge part of the program’s culture.
- Circle of Safety: Coach Gasso stressed that in order for her athletes to fully buy in and trust the process and reach the championship mindset, they first need to trust the environment they are in. Gasso created the Circle of Safety among the OU softball team to keep the negatives and distractions out of her program. She had her team compile a list of “distractions” or things that take the focus away from the team. This list included: gossip, judging, negativity, intimidation, disrespect, selfish, etc. If each player focuses on avoiding the words on the list, the team will avoid the distractions, develop trust, and will learn to play free because they feel safe.
- Strength in Numbers Mindset: There is no “I” in TEAM. The OU Softball program is told that on day one. The game of softball cannot be won by one individual. It takes an entire army (or team) to get the job done. Coach Gasso teaches her players how to rely on each other and stresses that no one player is bigger than the team. The Strength in Numbers mindset helps unify the team and aids the trust building environment.
- OU Softball Culture: If you’ve followed OU Softball over the years you know how successful they have been, but you also know there have been failures along the way too. Coach Gasso stressed the importance of identifying the “failed situations” and how learning from them is important. Here are some other words that came up during her presentation that is an important part of the OU Softball culture.
- Preparation – studying opponents
- Knowledge – is power because it sparks curiosity
- Humility – what you do when no one is watching
- Platform – encourages players to use theirs to change lives
- Trust & Faith – once developed, the athlete’s confidence will grow
- Creativity – new drills are important, avoid going through the motions
- Being present in the moment
- Calmness – team feeds off emotion, never too high never too low
- Fight – as a team, as a coach, always fight for your team
There’s a reason why the OU Softball program is a successful powerhouse program. A big reason is an environment and culture Head Coach Patty Gasso has created for her players. Her goal is to not only develop the best softball players on the field but also to create strong and empowered women who will succeed when they exit OU and head out into the real world one day.
