This year, we are celebrating ten years of the NIRSA Championship Series, and I cannot believe how quickly the time has passed. My professional career started just weeks after the framework of the Series was shaped and our guiding principles were determined in Corvallis, Oregon by an extraordinary group of NIRSA leaders. The truly astonishing part of their work to me is that those principles are as true today as they were ten years ago. How many of us are still using the same mission statement we had ten years ago?
This summer, several members of NIRSA Championship Series Committee met in Washington, D.C. for the Summer Leadership Meetings. This was an opportunity to train new work team chairs, deliberate strategic initiatives, discuss the vision for the upcoming year, build community, and construct an action plan. One of our high priority items was the creation of a strategic communication plan for the Series. Communication has proved to be challenging over the years among the 82 work team members, 431 regional tournament volunteers, 147 national tournament volunteers, 962 teams competing in events, and countless NIRSA members who are passionate about the Series.
Over 20 stakeholder groups were identified, and we are working on completing a plan that identifies the best method to connect with these groups, to decide who should be included or informed when changes are being made, and how to assign responsibility for those communications. We hope this intentionality will improve transparency and our esprit de corps. Additionally, the Series is working on a five-year assessment plan, is clarifying language in the eligibility guidelines, creating clarity in selection procedures, improving application processes, engaging participants, and creating a culture of leadership. We will be working together day to day to make the NIRSA Championship Series the best it can be.
I am excited to serve our members and students as the Chair of the NIRSA Championship Series Committee this year, but I must admit that this role also comes with some anxiety. Like many people who are starting new jobs, I have a touch of impostor syndrome. I am surrounded by amazing professionals and I am worried that I might disappoint them. But the truth of the matter is that we are all growing into something different and nobody really knows what they’re doing 100% of the time. So I’m going to lean into the fear, rely on my training, trust the process, use my resources, and keep learning. After all, it’s like Bruce Barton said: “When you are through changing, you are through.”
Thank you to everyone who supports and serves the NIRSA Championship Series! You are the reason for its success and yes, we’ve just begun.
Also, make sure to look for regional flag football, regional soccer, and national soccer staff applications to be open at the beginning of August!
Brooke Turner, Chair of the NIRSA Championship Series, is currently the Assistant Director of Competitive Sports at The University of Alabama.
