Coach Amy Rakers was the first female head coach of the varsity boys' basketball team, the Kodiak Bears. Coach Rakers, as well as the athletic director, received negative comments and feedback from students, team members, fans, and other coaches that were not supportive of the decision to hire a female to lead a boys' team. Rakers dealt with negative remarks that would be considered sexist and out of line. Though met with this challenge, Rakers was able to focus on coaching her team, teaching the game of basketball, and eventually getting to know the other coaches to obtain acceptance.

The Kodiak Bears faced travel and budget issues as the school did not have a lot of money to allow students to travel, and since there was no real competition on the island in which this team was located, teams that they could potentially compete against had more of an advantage. In order to make up for this short coming, Coach Rakers taught her players the value of hard work and team spirit, helping those players to see that although other teams may have an advantage in ways that they are not privileged, they are privileged in other ways that these competing teams could never understand. Rakers ensured that her players understood their role within the team and the game, but also that they understood how their role played into the bigger picture within the team.

Due to the hard work of the team, they went 25-0, making it to the championships. Because of the culture that was created by Coach Rankers, more than half of the town traveled to the championship game to support their team and community. The Kodiak Bears won their first championship and were later entered the Hall of Fame.

 

1. List and briefly discuss the various obstacles and challenges faced by the team.
2. Discuss the obstacles Coach Rakers personally faced, how did she address them.
3. How did Coach Rakers assist her team in maintaining motivation in the face of these challenges using four leadership styles (directive, supportive, participative, and achievement-oriented leadership) in response to those various types of challenges. In particular, how did Coach Rakers:
   • Help the team members feel confident?
   • Help them identify and meet their own expectations?
   • Help them to value what they did as a player and as a team?