Way of Champions Podcast

#472 Dr. Jean Cote on Transformational Coaching, Enjoyment, and his new Research on the Factors that Promote Continued Interest in Youth Sports,

11 snips
Mar 11, 2026
Dr. Jean Côté, a Queen's University professor who studies children in sport and coaching, joins to discuss what keeps kids playing. They explore how situational sparks become lasting interest, why sampling sports helps, and how caring, person-centered coaching and family co-participation sustain engagement. Practical strategies for designing fun, flexible practices and avoiding early selection are highlighted.
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INSIGHT

Link Coach Behaviors To Outcomes

  • Coaching effectiveness must link specific coach behaviors to athlete outcomes rather than inferring effectiveness from wins alone.
  • Jean Côté explains observational studies showing similar outcomes can occur without a coach, so we must identify what coaches actually do to cause change.
INSIGHT

Interest Is Bigger Than Fun

  • Interest is broader than momentary enjoyment and includes situational triggers that can develop into lasting individual interest.
  • Côté describes situational interest (context like friends or nearby facilities) that, over time, becomes individual interest tied to identity.
ADVICE

Design Practices To Trigger Interest

  • Design youth sport experiences to trigger situational interest by making activities relatable and accessible to kids' lives.
  • Use examples like local friends, nearby courts, or family involvement to create the context that draws kids in.
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