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For 202 consecutive dual matches over the past eleven years, the Trinity men's squash team has gone unbeaten. No other team in any collegiate sport has achieved the same sustained level of greatness. Run to the Roar is the story of a coach who succeeds in recruiting young men from around the world, getting them to work as a team, managing personalities, calming egos, and encouraging daily effort and focus under pressure. The book's framework is the finals of the 2009 national intercollegiate team championships. As Trinity scrapes out a 5-4 victory over Princeton, Assaiante imparts the insights and experiences that have made him a master coach. In stark contrast to his Trinity dynasty, Assaiante also openly discusses the deep emotional turmoil he faces as the parent of a heroin addict. Run to the Roar is not just a book about squash; it is an invaluable and unique reflection on mentoring, leadership, and parenting from one of the most innovative and successful coaches in collegiate athletics.
Foreword Tom Wolfe xiii
Prologue 1
Chapter 1 Ownership: Manek 13
Chapter 2 The Power of Now: Supreet 31
Chapter 3 Seniority: Rushabh 53
Chapter 4 Love Wins: Vikram 73
Chapter 5 Learning to Lose: Randy 111
Chapter 6 Confidence: Gustav 135
Chapter 7 Control: Andres 153
Chapter 8 Performance: Parth 183
Chapter 9 Character: Baset 199
Epilogue 219
Afterword James F. Jones Jr. 227
Postscript to the Paperback Edition 229
Acknowledgments 237
Index 241
bookieCT
Posted November 18, 2010
I loved this book. The Coach pointed out that he inherited squash players who already had years and years of lessons and wins/losses. They knew more about the game than he did. Yet, he was able to create value by recognizing a niche to fill with each team member. His empathy enabled him to discover what unique, key messages worked with each player. He was also able to figure out when each player needed to hear those messages. What a gift! What a great goal for the rest of us.
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Posted March 29, 2011
This review as part of blog post - the full text can be seen at hhpcommunities/sportmanagement:
Our observations on Run to the roar are as follows (all parenthetical page references are from the book):
. Don't tell me what to do: Assaiante is no fan of NESCAC and the NCAA and its perceived restrictions on coaching and recruiting. "League rules prohibit me from officially coaching until the first of November . NESCAC decreed I could not coach until the first of November . The rules forbade me to hold practices or to get on the court with (the players)" (pp. 1, 21). It may somewhat of a surprise for the coach of an individual, private lesson-based sport that NCAA bylaws set defined beginning and ending points for all each playing and practice season, and that every such sport is bound to them. As we noted in a previous post, Assaiante is putting the blame for this back on NESCAC since squash is not an NCAA-governed sport, but from the perspective of NESCAC administrators, one set of rules for all sports would seem to operationally rational. However, Assaiante states that during the pre-season "I was not absent. My office was right near the courts . so I poked my head out and licitly chit-chatted with the guys" (p. 21). "In the eyes of the NCAA, (one player) had not forfeited his amateur status, since his expenses were greater than his meager earnings" (p. 43).
Overview
For 202 consecutive dual matches over the past eleven years, the Trinity men's squash team has gone unbeaten. No other team in any collegiate sport has achieved the same sustained level of greatness. Run to the Roar is the story of a coach who succeeds in recruiting young men from around the world, getting them to work as a team, managing personalities, calming egos, and ...