In sports, leaders have the potential to truly alter a team dynamic. That’s why, every season, coaches carefully collaborate to select their captains. They look for qualities like leadership, accountability and communication. Often, these skills come with experience, making veterans the natural choices. However, some coaches around campus have found that underclassmen are more than capable of successfully captaining a roster.
For Harry Flaherty, the decision to name current sophomore David Dickson a captain for next year’s season stemmed from a variety of reasons. One key factor was the result of a player vote.
“We hold a captain’s vote every year,” Flaherty said. “I think the players’ feedback on captains is really important. As coaches, you have ideas of who the leaders on the team are, but I think you don’t always see what it’s like in the locker room and you don’t always get a sense of who the players really respect.”
As much as Flaherty honors the player vote, he also acknowledges that as a coach, he has the final say. And his personal observation of Dickson’s work ethic and leadership was more than enough to affirm the players vote. By naming Dickson captain, he also sent a message to the team about what it means to be a leader.
“We’re also trying to preach the message that you don’t need to be a senior to be a leader,” Flaherty said. “And then for seniors, you don’t need to be a captain to be a leader.”
Dickson echoes this message and hopes he can inspire all his teammates to lead.
“It’s a blessing that I’ve been given the opportunity to help lead such a great group of guys at a young age,” Dickson said. “I want the idea of younger captains to show that anybody can lead and encourage a team at any time.”
Flaherty also recognizes that team dynamics vary from year to year.
“I’ve seen teams that have been senior dominant,” Flaherty said. “I’ve also seen teams where having captains from both the junior and senior class can be beneficial in bringing those classes together and forming a strong nucleus of leadership.”
Similar to football, the lacrosse team goes through a similar process when selecting their captains, holding a player vote followed by the coach’s final decision. However, lacrosse picks a total of five captains in contrast to football’s two or three.
Alongside four upperclassmen, sophomore Mac Saye looks to step into a leadership role as the only underclassmen captain for the upcoming spring season. As a captain, Saye has actively tried to set an example for his teammates with his work ethic while continuing to build the team’s chemistry.
“I make sure to show up every day and do my work, whether that’s lifting, conditioning, or playing with the team,” Saye said. “I think that has helped me and my teammates to feel more connected with each other and establish a sense of togetherness. If they see that I’m doing something correctly and doing my best, then that makes them want to do it, too.”
During the captain selection process, each candidate has to deliver a speech to their fellow teammates and coaches. During Saye’s speech, he emphasized the need for a culture shift as he reflected on the flaws of the previous season, working to improve from last season’s record of 6-12.
“Last year we had a lot of guys that would put lacrosse as their second choice and I understand that schoolwork should always come first, but they would put what they wanted to do over what they needed to do,” Saye said.
Upon the decision of making Saye a captain, Varsity Lacrosse Head Coach Trey Whitty has encouraged Saye to embrace his newfound role and has complete confidence in Saye’s ability.
“I think Mac is a great leader that is willing to tell people stuff that they don’t wanna hear,” Whitty said. “(Saye) is very honest and convicted in his beliefs and that was evident when he stood up and addressed the team. I think Mac challenged everybody in a way that made them perhaps uncomfortable.”
Whitty prioritizes winning over anything else, and therefore doesn’t see Saye’s leadership as a message to send but as a new opportunity to improve the team. Accordingly, Whitty doesn’t care to follow the norm of senior captains if presented with a more advantageous dynamic for the team.
“We have a large 10th grade class, so I think it is important for that group to have a voice,” Whitty said. “I think there’s been this hierarchy culture around here that seniors are just the leaders and I have never viewed things that way. There’s no reason a freshman can’t be a leader.”
