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Workshop 3

1. Why does the Varsity Team lose to the JV Team?

The Varsity Team loses to the JV Team because the Varsity boat does not have any leaders on it, as well as too many disrupters. While the crew of the Varsity boat had the best metrics for strength, Coach P. failed to account for the chemistry of the crew, and how well they worked together. Quite accidentally, the coach also created a great crew for the JV boat, who bonded together and consistently worked to improve their strength and technique. The fact that the JV crew started beating the Varsity crew on a regular basis only served to reduce the Varsity’s morale further, allowing the disrupters on the boat to reduce spirits even further.

2. What should the Coach P. have done differently earlier in the season to resolve this problem? Exactly what point should he have intervened differently?

Coach P. should have placed his rowers differently. He selected only based off of individual performance data, but when operating in a team sport, individual strength is not the only thing that matters. The coach should have observed how different crews worked together for a longer amount of time instead of stopping his decision making process once he figured out who the strongest rowers were. He should have found the strongest leader to be the crew captain regardless of strength, and placed the disrupters on the JV boat even if they were among the eight strongest rowers.

3. At the end of the case, what action should Coach P. take on Tuesday? Why do you recommend this action? How should he implement this action?

It was a bit disappointing that the results from the Nationals weren’t included in this case study. If I were in Coach P.’s shoes, I would have swapped the JV and Varsity titles before the big race. After their picnic table meeting, it was clear that no amount of coaching was going to undo a whole season of morale rot on the Varsity team. They likely still would have done well at the JV level, seeing as they were still the strongest rowers overall. Meanwhile, the JV team continued to improve their skills and morale throughout the season. If the Varsity team was finishing the middle of the pack in their races, and the JV team was commonly beating the Varsity, then they certainly would have done well at the Varsity level instead.