By Jed Blackwell/The Spartanburg Sports Report
It’s not difficult for the Broome girls track team to find drive and motivation.
It’s on the board.
Coach Sally Sprouse has turned something she saw while watching a football game into a tremendous tool that helps drive her athletes.
“I can’t even remember where I saw it,” Sprouse said. “There was a team on the sideline with a whiteboard, and they were all signing it as they recorded certain stats or accomplishments. I thought it was something I could definitely use for track.”
So Sprouse went to Costco and bought a whiteboard. She’s since made another trip, with several more purchases appearing imminent. On the boards, the Lady Centurions record first-place finishes. They also write personal bests, which Sprouse said is a key to the motivation.
“They run to me immediately to put their names on the board,” she said. “The boys ask about it, they want to see it. I’ve seen constant improvement. There are girls on there multiple times.”
The Broome girls have taken to the board quickly, filling the first board with names and rapidly working on the second. In order for the girls to see their progress, nothing is erased, something Sprouse underscored at a recent meet against Clinton and Newberry.
“Yes, in Sharpie,” she said to an athlete holding up the permanent marker with a questioning look. “I don’t want it to come off.”
To add to the permanence, Sprouse will buy additional boards for the Region meet and beyond, and plans on displaying them.
“I don’t know where I’m going to put them,” she said with a laugh. “But it has been a huge motivating factor for all the girls. Yes, there are first places on there. But the girls who cut seconds off their mile time are on there for everybody to see, too. Improvement is just as important. They love to do it, and they work on each other. It’s very team-building.”
