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(A letter from Kyle Lasseinge, Head Coach)

After receiving an email from the University of Texas about how the football program used “The Energy Bus” as a motivating tool, I ordered the book and read it during summer vacation 2009 while in Gulf Shores, AL. As a high school head football coach, I believe I was intrigued at how professional football teams and college teams had used this concept to move their programs forward and decided to implement it with my team. While my teams at E. D. White Catholic HS in Thibodaux, LA had moderate success, I never really thought we were reaching full potential. In my career as a head coach, our team record was as follows:

2004 5 wins and 5 losses (did not make playoffs)
2005 6 wins and 4 losses (lost in Rd. 1 of playoffs)
2006 7 wins and 5 losses (won Rd. 1 playoff game)
2007 8 wins and 5 losses (won 2 playoff games)
2008 4 wins and 6 losses (lost in Rd. 1 of playoffs)
2009 12 wins and 2 losses (won three playoff games: lost in semifinals)

Our program at E. D. White Catholic is made up of some tough, hard-nosed football players. We are not filled with Division I college signees. In fact, in my career at E. D. White Catholic, we have had 1 DI signee (Chase Clement, LSU). We do, however, work extremely hard at becoming stronger, more athletic players evidenced by our work throughout the off-season and in the summer. We usually have a comparatively strong group of athletes. And, our kids are generally fairly knowledgeable about the game and relatively smart. We do not recruit kids, but rather, take what walks through the door and do the best with them. My disappointment with our moderate success was drawn from other schools in our 3A classification who were in a similar situation but perennial playoff qualifiers and success stories. Why couldn’t we be like that? I thought it was all about ATTITUDE! We had never seen ourselves as successes and didn’t believe we could win the close game or the big game. We lacked some confidence in that area and it was my goal to get that attitude for the sake of our program. In turn, our kids responded in close, big games with unprecedented success.

I began the first coaches meeting of 2009 with my discussion of the energy bus concept and how we were going to implement it with our team. As expected, even the presentation of this topic to our coaches led to some snickers and laughter. So, I began even with our coaches that they were either with us on this bus ride or they could leave immediately. None of them did but the tone and expectations of our coaches were set. I expected them to coach with positive energy every day. I relayed my expectation to them: Coach with PASSION and POSITIVITY! I also relayed the idea that we all were on some days going to “fall off the bus” but someone else would be expected to get them back on the right track. I cannot count the number of times I or a coach said, “Man, I’m not on the bus today. Help!” And that help would come via a kind word, a positive action, or pat of the back. In fact, many times one of our athletes would get the coaches “back on the bus” by something he did or said.

For our entire team and coaches, “Get back on the bus” was a rallying cry to get each individual ready to practice or play. When first introduced to our team on July 29, 2009, I emphasized:

We are about to board a bus. It’s a bus filled with positivity and passion. We have the power to take this bus anywhere we want it to go. I believe that it is going to New Orleans and the Superdome for the 3A state Championships. If our bus is not directed there, then we are doing the wrong thing here. We are wasting our time if we don’t think that our bus is going that way. To be on our bus, you are expected to push yourself beyond your limits, be a positive teammate, and help get your teammates back on the bus when they fall off of it. If you don’t think you can fulfill the expectations of our bus, you need to leave. I am the driver of this bus and will not allow any member of this team to bring any part of us down. If you cannot stay on the bus, I will ask you to leave. We are going to do this as a team and no one of us is bigger than the team. If you make me choose between you or the team, the team will win out every time.

After this speech on the first day, we explained that not everyone would be positive everyday but some of us would be. It was our biggest job as teammates and coaches to “get people back on the bus” when they were off of it. We all knew that a bad test grade or breakup with a girlfriend would never be a positive thing but once each of us stepped onto the practice or game field, we were expected to become POSITIVE and PASSIONATE about the game of football. And there was never a day when someone this failed to happen. As we stretched before practice, shouts of “Get on the bus” could be heard. As we went through pre-game warm-ups, “Get on the bus” was a common phrase spoken. And after each game, the direction of the bus was always mentioned as we continued to roll toward the Superdome. After week 7 and a victory over district favorite Patterson HS, I was named the Saints Coach of the Week and camera crews came to interview some of our kids. Without prompting, our kids mentioned “getting on the bus” as one of the keys to the season. It was at that moment that I realized they understood what this was all about. They had grown into the closest-knit group of kids I had ever coached. And it continues today as kids routinely stop their work in the weight room to cheer on another who is attempting a personal best. It’s been amazing. The result:

2009 12 wins and 2 losses (won three playoff games: lost in semifinals)

Words of this bus trip were never spoken to our parents or fans. However, word of the “bus trip” quickly spread throughout the community. Signs were posted all over town saying “POSITIVE AND PASSIONATE” or “GET ON THE BUS” or “KEEP THE BUS ROLLING.” In fact, some of the signs remain in my front yard today and in our locker room. For me, the “bus trip” concept was never more beneficial than what it meant to the parents of our athletes. Emails, letters, and personal thanks for the message and the results, of course, were more abundant than ever. It was a uniting theme for all and will always be part of our program.

I personally am asked about the book almost daily. I know people that have ordered multiple copies and give them away as they see fit. I recently began to do the same. It has been a blessing.

Finally, I’d leave you with part of my speech from the 2009-10 Awards Banquet at E. D. White Catholic:

For most of the passengers of the bus, the ride ended a little too early. In fact, it ended a week early. However, for the driver, it was never about where the bus was going, it was all about the ride. Thanks to all of you for a wonderful and memorable ride this season.

And thanks to you, Jon. God Bless!