How to Build a Winning Team Culture in HS Sports (2022): Part 7

Turner Falls is a small town in western Massachusetts located on the Connecticut river just south of the Vermont border and east of the New York border. Named after Captain William Turner, with a population of roughly five thousand people and a total area of only 2.3 square miles, this town has a unique history.

This is where the Battle of Turner falls, otherwise known as the Turner Falls massacre, took place. This battle was a significant turning point in King Phillip’s War, leading to an end of the English offensive.

Turner Falls is also home to some athletic history as well. In particular the Turner Falls Girls’ Softball team. Despite playing against schools two, three, and four times larger, while pulling from a school population of only about 400 total students, Turner Falls Softball has defied the odds on its way to 9 state championships in 16 state title game appearances.

Turner Falls Girls Softball Overview

1990 – State Finalist

2000 – State Finalist

2001 – State Finalist

2002 – State Finalist

2004 – State Champion

2005 – State Champion

2006 – State Champion

2007 – State Finalist

2008 – State Champion (10 innings)

2011 – State Champion

2012 – State Champion

2014 – State Finalist

2015 – State Champion

2016 – State Champion

2017 – State Champion

At the helm of this program for nearly four decades has been one head coach, Gary Mullins. Mullins has over 1,000 wins as a head coach between 3 sports over his Hall of Fame career. His softball program has over 600 wins while his boys’ basketball team has over 300 wins. He is one of the winningest coaches in all sports in all of New England.

A college soccer player, Mullins gives credit to all his mentors, role models, and coaches that took them under their wing. His biggest coaching influence was his father, whom the Unsung Hero Award at Smith Academy is named after. The award is given to players who show great character, commitment, and humility both on and off the field. 

Within a year of being hired as a teacher, Mullins found himself applying for the head softball coach position. The team was 30-156 prior to Mullins. The team saw instant success with Mullins changing the culture rapidly. The culture was contagious, to the point where many of his former players have gone on to very successful. During one stretch starting in 2004, the team went 96-4 with 3 state titles in a row. The team duplicated the three in a row again in 2015, 2016, and 2017.

That is the one word coach Gary Mullins used to describe the culture of the Turner Falls girls’ softball team. “We have just a great bunch of kids. I think it is enthusiasm for each other; coaches and players. We have superstitions and traditions, all the things that I have developed over my 36 years. I have coached 5 or 6 of these players moms. Last year, MassLive did an article and video about the kids and the moms. It has become a family.

When I first started coaching was playing, I slow pitch at the time. Volleyball and girls’ basketball were good at the time. Softball never had a winning season. I asked, why can’t we also be successful in softball?

I was very fortunate to have great kids that year and we qualified for the state tournament. Fast forward a few decades and we now have so many kids that have gone on to play college softball. We now have kids who consider softball to be their primary sport. They play travel team in the summers. The youth kids are aspiring to make a college roster. Now we have as many as 3-4 kids each year that go off to play in college.

We started a suburban summer team. They play a few games per week in the summer. The key to softball is to see a variety of pitching. The development of the game, pitching especially, dictates your success. We have many pitchers playing year round now. There are more places around now where kids can do hitting pitching in the winter. Parental support in time and energy is critical. Not to just win games but, to win championships.

Several years ago, I sat down with the kids about writing down goals. I had read a Harvard study talking about setting goals and writing them down. The goals that boys write are completely different from goals that girls write. Girls is state championships while boys is to qualify for tourney.

Our seniors are terrific with how we have done things in the past.They make sure the goals are reachable and not just a dream. The bar is raised very high and these kids want to be champions and know what it is like to be champions.

During practice we are not nit picking, but we put a huge emphasis on discipline and fundamentals. This could mean the difference between win and loss. I am coaching you to be the best kids you can be, so you can beat the best teams in the state” shares Mullins.

“We will hit 10 ground balls and kids will judge if they get perfection on the drill. This way they set the expectations on themselves. This has grown. The kids are taking ownership of the process. I can walk away from practice and the leaders are having the other kids do a drill with them. Not sitting down. That is terrific leadership that is developed over time.

Softball is a game in which repetition is so important. If you do 10 a day vs the athlete that does 20 a day, the 20 a day athlete will have a better chance at getting it right time and again” expresses coach Mullins.

“We don’t use running as punishment. When we grew up, we saw it this way. Running was something that was not fun. We do not do penalty running. I tell them “if you guys don’t want to put the effort into this stuff, alright, then let’s pack it in and go home for the day.”

In our program, the penalty is, if you are making bad choices or being a negative influence on the team, we will get somebody else. If you are late for practice for good reason, which rarely happens, we understand. If it becomes habitual, then I recommend another sport.

Oftentimes I allow the captains to deal with it. We are very fortunate now that a lot of this stuff does not happen” shares Mullins.

Mullins reflects “Coaching is something I have been doing for a long time. I love to play the games. I have had lots of coaching experience. Now, I am at the point where I am disappointed in myself if don’t do well; not win or lose, but how we played. It is my fault.

I think when they are inside the white lines, I am coaching the athlete, then outside the white lines I am coaching the person. In our program, the freshmen don’t do the menial tasks, we all do. Between the white lines it is about the best effort to make a great play. Outside the white lines it is about the best effort to be the best student, daughter, sister, community member, and person. 

I definitely try to do both. I have been told by some of the coaches, when you show up the kids are different, they are more focused. Maybe the aura precedes me prior to walking out on the field. We care about the kids as much off the field as we do on the field.”.

Mullins shares “I think that trust is extremely important. I am there to try and help those kids, and they should know that. Their parents need to see and know that as well. If they believe in you and you are doing the right things for the kids, and what you are doing is backed up by success, you don’t get much questioning of what are doing.

The irony of the whole thing; when parents question about kids, the kids all know who is the best. We do not have many disciplinary issues at all as these kids want to be a part of something so successful.”

Mullins reflects “We had a loss in a tournament game. One of our kid’s had a parent who passed away. Something traumatic happened, and we as a team, considering ourselves a softball family, combined with our expectations for the next season. Everything else has to come after family. School second, then softball. The kids understand the rules but still never miss practice.

In the past 4 or 5 years, kids have said I am not going to play because it is too much of a commitment. That has happened while other kids look forward to playing.

A girl that used to pitch for us, played for UMASS, sent me a letter 2 or 3 weeks ago. She told me that she still remembers the things I taught her about not just softball, but everything in life. I have received a few letters like that over my career.”

“I point to examples on our team. This way kids see it and can learn from it. Girls that are at every single practice even when injured, they are dying to play. We point out the play of the day in practice, etc. To define it exactly is difficult, but you can recognize it though. Turner Falls is not a well off town. We have a lot of kids on free or reduced lunch. These kids may come from a situation of getting screamed at by mom or dad all afternoon and have to put their uniforms on right after and come out and play. That is mentally tough.

It boils down to just getting something done. If you don’t believe in it, then you may have fear. If you conquer that fear, you will have a lot of success. Our kids are mentally tough and resilient. Our expectations are high, and they are not settling for less” shares Mullins.

“The kids go out to dinner once in a while and get together as a team. I don’t organize a lot of team building situations. The more they hang around together the better the team unity is. That is developed by the kids. It is their team. I can help direct it, but it is their team. This makes it real” states Mullins.

Mullins shares his thoughts “Initially strategy, teaching how to win is very important. Afterward, maintaining culture and desire to win/expectations is critical”

“Commitment, dedication, care about the people you are playing with. You owe them your best effort. If not, do something else. We all spend a lot of time trying to improve. All these things we try to do as a coach.

During the season, we have two and half hours at practice. I am always looking for better ways of teaching. We watch tape on people and figure out ways to help them become better softball players.

Softball is on my mind roughly 6 hours a day during season. I look forward to going to practice. I get to see the kids make great plays in practice. What an awesome experience to give the kids. The more positive you are to the kids, the more they respond to you” expressed Mullins.

Mullins shares “This is the little stuff based on effort, but it is real. This is who we are supposed to be. Somebody asked me when I will be done coaching: I said when I retire to the casket. Paul Raymond, the Olympic softball coach, is still coaching a team out of Worcester. He is my hero and role model. He coached all the stars to Olympic championships, and he coaches right here with the Worcester hawks. I have learned so many things from him.”

“I don’t care what we do, but we better do the right thing and do it with humility. If we are ahead of team by a good amount of runs, then I will get us out. I absolutely positively hate to run up scores. There are ways of getting a team out.

There are no excuses for running up scores. We are going to have class and respect for an opponent. We will never embarrass an opponent. No throwing helmets, kicking chairs, temper tantrums, etc.

I believe we need to teach young kids to have fun. I ran a softball camp. I told the kids “while you are here, we are trying to accomplish this, but we want to make sure we have fun while doing it.” I teach older kids and younger kids the same things, but just have different expectations” shares Mullins.

Mullins expresses “I tell kids, here is a list of priorities, the W is 4^th or 5^th on the list. We have played some great softball and walked off on the losing end and have played bad and walked off winners. The measuring stick has to be effort.

The W can be misplaced. The problem is coaches are measured by their wins. If I was a .500 coach, we would not be having this conversation. Being ripped by parents inspires coaches to re double the efforts to do things right.

Now our expectations are to go 25-0 whereas prior, it was to qualify for state tournament. I have been fortunate to have kids whose parents played for me. This has all played a part in building the culture, traditions, and expectations.

One year we came back, just won the state title, got off the bus, and everybody went home in the end. There was no party, etc. I went home and thought that was okay. The kids knew what the process was about, the amazing journey.”

For more Building A Winning Culture in Team Sports be sure to check out our other blog posts or pick up a copy of the book Building A Winning Culture in High School Sports….and Beyond.