Coach Gelwix and Highland Rugby: "Build Quality Boys"

Rugby Forever Strong: "Build Quality Boys"

Coach Gelwix 30 year tradition of leadership was dramatized in the movie, "Forever Strong". As a leader of boys highschool Rugby team in Highland Utah, Coach Gelwix used the opportunity to make a difference in boys lives.

Quality is on the inside. Strength from the team comes from each persons commitment to honor and listen to what is right, live clean, and never do anything to embarrass oneself, one's team, or one's family. Honor, Spirit, and Tradition (BYU Football, no?) provide a sense of duty to do one's best and honor those who have gone before.

The boy in the movie, "Rick Penny" is raised in a pretty heartless fashion by his father who blames his old Rugby coach for an ACL injury his senior year. The boy gets in trouble with the law, and ends up in Juvenile Detention where he can be released early if he plays well for the Highland Rugby team. Along the way he learns true friendship, putting the team first, that one cannot truly win without honesty, honor, clean living, and doing one's best.

Coach Gelwix wants each boy to do his personal best. When they lose, they did not play their best and he focuses on their efforts to improve themselves. He cares deeply about each one of the boys, and knows a quality rugby team will naturally result when quality comes from the inside of each of the boys.

This movie taught me that leadership is about also caring for your team members and wanting their success; realizing they can only attain it by not cheating themselves, and committing themselves to the highest principles possible. "Never embarass yourself, your team, or your family" is a key lesson for each player. "I am not building a quality team, I build quality boys" is the leaders lesson. This applies to my organizational efforts at work by caring about the person on the team first.