Abstract
I’ve spent the last six weeks observing my teammates, their interactions both on and off the court, and how they coped with stressors. A typically summer for a Wisconsin Women’s Basketball student-athlete consist of an eight-week summer session that entails both courses and training. This summer we had 6 new freshman come in, one a transfer. I wanted to see how the impact of older teammates lead to the socialization of the incoming freshman. With that in mind I took notes and conducted unconscious interviews from three freshmen, an older team member from each class, and four coaches on staff. The college campus is an important factor for organizational socialization, and being on a sports team can make that that process easier or it could crush you along the way.
BODY
To start my qualitative research, based on experience, I hypothesized that the freshman transition would be rocky to start off but would eventually become second hand nature. The very first week I had freshman have anxiety panics, pull all-nighters, and stressing over homework. I seen some burst out of their shell far faster than others, and I also noticed the desire and will to fit in and be accepted by everyone else. You become a freshman twice in your life, high school and college, and both situations are scary yet adventurous. It was also noted that the other teammates demanded maturity from the freshman early on and held them accountable from day one. Though the returning players were very hands on when it came to supporting, answering questions, and helping the freshman with all miscellaneous things.
METHODS OF RESEARCH
1a) There was no specific setting for my observations. We engaged in a lot of team based things, such as: practice, meals, summer reading discussions (The Energy Bus), and weekly team bonding (once a week, usually on weekends). These time consisted mostly of observing, but not only the freshman but how the entire UW family as a whole responded to them. Most people are not very knowledgeable about the amount of resources we have just through being a student athlete as well as resources outside of the Kohl Center and Camp Randall.
1b) A did interviews with a questionnaire method. I thought it would be easier for me to explain my purpose and give them a sheet to fill out. Interviews were of assigned selection after observing for about a week. I selected the freshman I thought was having the most difficult time, moderate, and easiest. In terms of choosing upperclassman/returners it was based on most introvert, moderate, and extrovert. For choosing of the coaching staff I thought best to pick from each faculty grouping; head coach, an assistant coach, weight trainer, and athletic trainer. The actual interviews/questionnaire fill-out was conducted the last week because the questions varied from different aspects of the summer session.
Attached below is a screenshot of the questionnaire
1c) I also did individual lunch dates with every freshman just to get to know them on a level outside of basketball, as well as things I could help with in terms of basketball and school; due to myself being a senior and a leader. This project allowed for me to interact more with freshman than I did in past years and personally I thought it did make a difference.
CONCLUDING ANALYSIS
Freshman year may be the hardest in terms of transitioning from high school to college, but is also a great way of improving socialization skills, networking, family atmosphere, and scenic imagery. All of the freshman emphasized time management and sleeping hours as huge challenges for them. They also highlighted how having an upperclassman that they could come to for questions about anything helped tremendously. Basketball wise they felt like they had to have a drastic increase in work ethic in comparison to high school, but indicated how the coaching staff was essential in the teaching process.
Upperclassman were all ecstatic about the incoming freshman and described them all as gym rats, someone who always want to be in the gym bettering their game. They pointed out how the freshman were always willing to learn and was like a sponge once given advice. As well as just observing the freshman, with being an upperclassman myself, I believed we had encountered a good group of girls and was ready to attach both the upcoming school year and season head strong. We developed a sign that stated: “We B1G Enough”, to symbolize the change in history we are willing to make.
Coaches staff reiterated what both freshman and older teammates had concluded. They asserted that the biggest lesson they wanted freshman to learn was time management, declaring that would be the root for all success. They also noted that, the summer session for them consisted of a lot of recruiting, therefore keeping them away from campus a good amount of time. They dreaded that part and wished more individual time can be contributed to them as well, but also encouraged the use of team bonding. Along with the new freshman we also received a new strength and conditioning coach and she mentioned how she had never seen a group of freshman willing to do more and go beyond of what was asked of them. And our athletic trainer disclosed that she had a hard time getting through to some the freshman, in terms of coming in to get treatment and staying on top of recovery tactics but they soon began to come around as the weeks went by.
RESEARCH
Socialization is the interaction process by which the group (in my case: the team, staff, and advisors) teaches its members the characteristics of knowledge, skills, values, and norms deemed appropriate (Charon, 1993; Henslin, 2007). Yet the student-athlete identity is unstable; with a dual social identity, players can become vulnerable to splintering if one component overly outweighs the other or damages self-esteem. “Athletes who most strongly commit themselves to their peers and their group efforts often find it extremely difficult to develop a balanced student-athlete identity, as academic demands often run counter to the team’s perceived interests” (Marx, Hoffman, and Doyle. 2008) On the other hand, several studies (Meyer, 1990; Miller and Kerr, 2002; Sack & Thiel, 1985) describe a pattern for female athletes. Meyer (1990) found no decline in women’s orientation toward the student-athlete role. In fact, she suggested that their commitment to this dual role actually increased over time. Miller and Kerr (2002) found a short drop in academic orientation during freshman year, followed by a strong recovery during the later years of college. Each study emphasized how such significant others, such as parents, teammates, friends, and coaches provided praise to women for their athletic and academic achievements.
ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS
During my observations, I felt that it was genuine of how everyone was in their true form, mostly because they were unaware that I was observing, and also when staff was not around. While doing this observation I felt that was the best way to do it, I did not want anyone to default any notes I was collecting. I did not disrupt the personal space of anyone or any of the setting we may have been in, and I believe it helped me further gain relationships and better understandings of my new teammates.
CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, I discovered that the easiest way to help incoming freshman with the transition and socialization would be to have a group discussion with some of the upper team members and have all their questions asked right away. I thought that having them run into an obstacle first before being given help was too late. Watching their reactions to difficult task that they were not aware could happen, or just was not prepared for really hindered them. Experiencing one of the freshman having a panic attack during the first week here made me realize as a whole we could do more in efforts to prevent things like this. I also think freshman need to know that they do not need to have a contingent plan as soon as they step foot on campus because I’ve witnessed it for myself freshman year it is arduous; decisions change, majors change, staff change, and adjusting to change is hard. I also believe it is possible to conquer freshman transitioning with the right guidance, and instilling that into returning players because they themselves have gone through the same process and needed help, should translate to others coming years after them.