Brick by Brick

By Anthony St. Amant, FWRC Outlaws Head Coach

This summer, the first for the Fort Worth Outlaws sevens program, has been a process

of evolution for the team. We began with high expectations to be competitive in every

tournament we entered and aimed to leave our mark on other teams that we were to play

against. We prepared well for six weeks before our first tournament. We had a plan but then we

were proverbially punched in the mouth. Unfortunately, we’ve dealt with several injuries to

players; ankles, separated shoulders and head knocks since then. Our record has been left

wanting. The summer has not gone as planned.

In dealing with adversity, which I’m sure every team does, Fort Worth has had to

reevaluate who we are as a sevens program. The game plan we had at the beginning of the

summer has been adjusted. Players who are new to the sport or new to the club have stepped

up into new roles and a core club identity is being forged. One of resilience, hard work, and self-

improvement. As one player stated, “the Coliseum wasn’t built in a day, it was constructed brick

by brick.” This represents the mentality of the program now. We’ll build our program, our

Coliseum, brick by brick. Every try, every tackle, every time we improve, we lay another brick.

Although we’ve had to readjust, there’s much to count as victories. We see player skills

improving, fitness improving, and everyone is getting experience that will benefit both

themselves and the club for the 15’s season. More bricks. Additionally, the players’ ability to

hold themselves and each other accountable for their actions (both on the field and off) is

another bright spot. The team regularly discusses what has to be done for us to improve game

to game and week to week and these discussions have yielded real results, more bricks.

The summer hasn’t gone according to plan but this team is moving in the right direction

and improving everyday. The growth mindset is a great foundation for a Coliseum.