A Master Teacher’s Influence Never Ends

The 3rd Annual Dr. Bob Frederick Sport Leadership Lecture Series took place on the campus of Lewis-Clark State College this past October. I started the series in 2013 to help students gain insight from leaders in the sport industry, and provide a glimpse into the number of career opportunities available to them. In three years, 44 presenters from sport-related fields including: interscholastic sport, intercollegiate sport, professional sport, collegiate sport recreation, municipal recreation, education, outdoor recreation, sport business, and sport governance, have kindly given their time and knowledge to the series.

As I walked one of this year’s speakers, Dr. Mike Kinziger back to his car I asked him about his invention, the KINZI. The KINZI is a group jump rope where up to 40 people can play at one time. During his presentation, Dr. Kinziger mentioned that he had a prototype of the KINZI in his car and I was curious what it looked like. When we reached his car, he unloaded a long rope with a handle on one end. As I was asking him about how the KINZI worked and the type of games one could incorporate with it, he immediately seated himself in the middle of the parking lot. Using his body as the base, he began to swing the rope in a giant circle. A slightly amusing scene ensued as he looked up at me from the asphalt and shouted, “Start jumping.” Carrying a backpack, a stack of handouts, and wearing dress shoes I immediately began jumping to avoid tripping on the swinging rope.

When inviting speakers for the lecture series I often try to find professionals that have the ability to reflect on a lifetime of work and share that perspective with the audience. As a presenter, Dr. Kinziger had many experiences to draw from. He taught and coordinated outdoor leadership for 17 years as an associate professor in recreation at the University of Idaho. He led over 100 wilderness trips, holds six long distance canoe records, and has done numerous solo canoe adventures. In his retirement he reflected on years of teaching and wrote King Frog, a book containing more than 100 established group games.

During his lecture series presentation titled Lessons Learned from a Lifetime in Wilderness Travel and Classroom Teaching he shared 11 lessons including the use of humor, the power of silence, and teamwork. The message he delivered was insightful, but what resonated with me was how he embraced his role as an influencer of others. Knowing his audience consisted mainly of undergraduate students, Dr. Kinziger did more than share his life history; he lectured the students on respect, career advice, and believing in your ability to achieve success. His message was delivered through personal stories on overcoming challenges (One Step at a Time) and striving to be your best (Strive to Be #1).

Throughout his presentation, Dr. Kinziger demonstrated the ability to connect and inspire – a common characteristic of an expert (Currie & Oates-Wilding, 2012). He also modeled many of the characteristics of a master teacher such as a commitment to lifelong learning (Turner, 2012), adaptability (Nash & Sproule, 2009), persistence (Currie & Oates-Wilding, 2012), and dedication to reflective practice (Gallimore, Gilbert, & Nater, 2014).

In closing, I never took a class from Dr. Kinziger and never spent time under his guidance on a wilderness adventure. But, after one presentation and one awkward memorable moment in a parking lot, I experienced the influence of a master teacher and I know I am better for the experience. Undoubtedly, Dr. Kinziger spent years developing the skills to connect, lead and inspire students. Great insight can be gained from those that have already achieved a level of expertise and I feel fortunate to be able to glean from master teachers whenever I can. Don’t miss opportunities to learn from those that have a gift for teaching, throughout your life.

References:

• Currie, J. L. & Oates-Wilding, S. (2012). Reflections on a dream: Towards an understanding of factors Olympic coaches attribute to their success. Reflective Practice, 13(3), 425-438.
• Gallimore, R., Gilbert, W., & Nater, S. (2014). Reflective practice and ongoing learning: a coach’s 10-year journey. Reflective Practice, 15(2), 268-288.
• Nash, C. & Sproule, J. (2009). Career development of expert coaches. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 4(1), 121-138.
• Turner, D., Nelson, L. and Potrac, P. (2012). The journey “is” the destination: Reconsidering the expert sports coach. Quest, 64(4), 313-325.