DNA of Adventure Series: Growth Mindset
(This is the first blog post of the series.) By Todd Poquette, Director of Adventure Those of us involved with the Adventure Team often talk about an “adventure mindset.” After reading Carol Dweck’s Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, I discovered this concept is what Dweck calls a “growth mindset.” And it’s a primary goal of the team as we invite kids and coaches to explore and grow with us. According to Dweck, “People with a growth mindset believe talent and intelligence aren’t gifts. You need to work for them, and with the right strategy and enough effort they can get better at anything.” These people welcome challenges, focus on effort, and create new strategies to improve. They don’t worry about looking stupid but focus instead on what can be learned and applied. Courage and confidence allows them to overcome current and future challenges. On the contrary, people with a “fixed mindset” believe everyone has a set amount of intelligence or natural ability. If they begin to struggle or make mistakes, they think they must not be that smart or talented – and no amount of effort will help them improve. The result? Avoidance of failure. Individuals with a fixed mindset have often been praised for “being smart” or “being talented,” leading them to see themselves as special or gifted. But as they get older, face tougher competition in school, make mistakes on tests, and encounter challenging situations, they will begin to avoid anything they might look bad at. It becomes harder to determine how smart and talented a person is if they stop trying and act like they don’t care, so a person with a fixed mindset might take this path. With the Adventure Team, we encourage and nurture a growth mindset. Growing through Risk I’m going to be honest with you: Mountain biking is inherently dangerous. Riding a bike requires a certain assumption of risk. This is a good thing. Kids need to experience risk and the sensation of fear, and they need to develop strategies to overcome them. We give kids the space they need to build confidence and tackle new challenges. Some kids will take new challenges head on while others take a little more time. It’s OK. We have time. Doing it in that exact moment is unimportant. Try it on the next ride or the ride after that. I guarantee at some point they’re going to do it. When the emphasis shifts from head-to-head competition and kids can be kids, they have an incredible tendency to support and motivate each other. Redefining a Win We have a responsibility as role models (to kids) to consider the unspoken lessons a child learns when we create unnecessary urgency around their ability to perform or not perform a particular task at a specific point in time. Actions, mannerisms, and words in those subtle moments fill their sails with wind and send them down a mindset path. Remember, many athletic models are designed to reward talent and skill with starting roles and minutes played. Adventure Bike Club emphasizes effort, development, and the journey. Our idea of a win is watching kids go from “I can’t do that” to “Holy cow, coach. I did it!” Rethinking the End Goal It’s important for a process to support the desired result. Most sports are played with a specific set of skill positions, a limited number of players on a team, and playing time awarded for skill and ability. I think it’s important to look at this objectively and realize the intent of most sports is, in fact, to win a specific game or series of games. The odds of winning those games will increase exponentially the more you play the most talented kids. That process supports the desired result of winning, and for a select group of kids and families it’s acceptable. Perhaps unintentionally we start to label kids as best, better, good, or not good enough. Some kids are born with natural coordination, athletic ability, and competitive acuity. That’s not to say if offered the same opportunities more kids wouldn’t develop, or even overtake the “more naturally talented kids,” through work ethic, consistency, and commitment. But the focus to win now means those kids often do not get a chance. NOTE: I do want to commend the many great traditional sport coaches out there who are overcoming these pitfalls. In pointing out these pitfalls, we don’t intend to indict a person, group of people, or even a sport. Empowering a New Mindset Our process is simple and the desired result is clear: Empower kids to discover their best selves by learning respect, effort, consistency, and grit. Kids are grouped by age and relative proficiency on a bicycle, and we don’t label them good, better, or best. Everyone is required to ride their bike and give their best effort. No one is sitting on a bench. When opportunity is equal and failure is encouraged, we promote a growth mindset. We do it by providing a support system without coddling and by actively promoting representation – working to ensure men and women are equally represented and working together respectfully in our coaching staff and at the youth level. Ride on.Todd
I’m a runner.
I’m a runner. Running has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. My dad and uncle used to run marathons in Detroit and the surrounding areas. I remember going to Belle Isle to watch him finish and I was always in awe of every part of the race. I understood race magic before I was even a participant. Then, sometime in late grade school and through middle school, I started running. I wasn’t consistent, serious or even competitive but I enjoyed it. I dabbled with it, on and off, for years. In my late 20s, I started signing up for 5ks, then 10ks. And, finally, when I was coming up on 31 and dad on 57, I convinced dad, who had stopped running marathons years earlier and was now “maintenance running” with his coffee buddies (and me), to train with me for the Detroit Free Press International (Half) Marathon. From July to October, we increased our mileage from 3 miles to 13. Dad trained with me though it was evident based on his ability to carry on a conversation while we ran that his pace could have been faster. He had been running for almost 30 years. That race was spectacular – we ran over the Ambassador Bridge and back through the tunnel under the Detroit River, we encountered mariachi bands in Mexican Town and folks dancing a jig in Corktown, and lots of spectators all along the way. The race magic was high. A few miles in, just as we were going to climb the Ambassador Bridge, I told dad just to go at his own pace and I’d see him at the finish. When I finally got to Ford Field for the finish, I was relieved and not nearly as exhausted as I thought I would be. I ran into the stadium and was surprised at how many people were cheering for everyone coming through the finish. I mean, seriously, the crowd was erupting in a way I would not have expected at a finish line expecting thousands of racers over a few hours. I ran through the finish, all smiles, and found dad. As I was removing the timing chip from my laces, I expressed to him how great it was that the crowd was so engaged and cheering that loudly for everyone that finished. He laughed and told me, “Tara, they weren’t cheering for everyone. The winner of the full marathon came into the stadium right behind you.” Doh! So, here’s the thing. People often look at their accomplishment with a competitive or comparative eye. I could have felt defeated knowing that someone running 26.2 miles finished in nearly the same time as I did, running 13.1. I could have felt “less-than” because my dad, 26 years my senior, finished 10 minutes ahead of me. But, instead, I chose to be happy with my accomplishment. Happy that I did what I set out to do. Happy that I finished. Happy with my pace. Just happy… and ready to keep doing it. But, that’s not exactly what happened. I woke up the next morning and couldn’t walk. IT band injury. I walked with a cane for the next several weeks. By the time I could run again, I had lost so much of the endurance I had built for the race and I let it frustrate me. Over the next fifteen years, life presented some challenges to being a runner (injury, asthma, demanding job) but I let those challenges become obstacles. That’s on me. And, while I was still running, I wasn’t doing it with consistency or seriousness. I didn’t do anymore races except a few 5ks here and there. Two years ago, I can’t say what shifted my mindset again, but I set a goal to run another 10k. And, in June of last year, coming up on 46, a friend convinced me to sign up for a trail half marathon in July. I had never done much trail running and it intimidated me a bit… the hills! She said, “Just come run with us this week and see how it feels.” She told me she was sure I’d do better than I thought and I knew that if I couldn’t keep up, I could easily get myself back to the trailhead. I went on my first training run with her and another runner and we ran (and even walked… remember the hills?) six miles. I was hooked again. I did the half marathon the next month and another in September (with a broken collarbone but that’s a whole other story)! What an adventure. I am not a fast runner. I am not a competitive runner. I’m a runner. Sometimes I just run a mile and sometimes a few. When I sign up for a race, I do it because it’s fun and it challenges me. My motto is not “In it to win it.” I’ve reframed that for myself and I like to say, “I’m in-ish to finish.” If I set my mind to do it and I train for it and I accomplish it, I’ve won! That’s the spirit of 906AT. Our youth aren’t coming to Adventure Bike Club to compete with one another. They aren’t coming to compare skills. They’re here to challenge themselves, to improve themselves and to support one another. That makes them all winners, too. – Tara Gluski
4 Steps to Adventuring by bike
#1: PURCHASE A GOOD BIKE THAT FITS We can’t stress this enough – the bike matters. Off-road riding is not enjoyable on a bike designed for driveways and bike paths. Visit your local bike shop for help selecting a bike designed for trails in a size that fits your youngster. Bike fit is very important for comfort and safety. #2: CREATE AN ADVENTURE Don’t go for a bike ride – go on an Adventure. This might be a park, yurt, or a trail through the woods leading to an inland lake. Create a story – let their imagination run wild. Slow down. Make it interesting. Bring lots of snacks! If they get tired and begin to lose interest, keep the story alive and remind them of the destination. #3: MAKE IT FUN A lot of us (adults) want to get to the destination (goal) as fast as possible. We want to make it a race! We also like to critique kids – do this, do that, try to keep up! News flash – this is not fun for them and won’t be fun for you. Slow down. Enjoy the journey. If you (the adult) must have a goal – it should be to have them want to do it again. #4: TALK LESS, LISTEN MORE Here’s a coaching tip: Kids don’t want to hear us talk. Save the skill clinic for adults. Don’t sit on their back wheel giving orders like “elbows bent”, “level pedals”, and “attack position”. Pick a skill you’ll work on while you adventure and focus on that – but be selective and creative in how you talk about it. Ask more questions and listen to their answers, or ask questions and have them demonstrate what you’re trying to teach. When you’re riding – enjoy the silence and natural sounds.