🏆 The Second Bus Ride

There’s nothing like the silence of a second bus ride. The second bus ride doesn’t define your season, but how you respond to it can define your program.

Greg Berge
November 06, 2025

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💭 ONE THOUGHT
The Second Bus Ride

There’s nothing like the silence of a second bus ride.

A couple of years ago, we lost the section championship on a last-second, hail-mary shot.

One of those plays that lives in your head for a long time; the kind that replays in slow motion, whether you want it to or not.

That night, the first bus ride to the game was filled with focus and confidence. We were a team good enough to win the state championship.

The ride home was different. Nobody spoke. Heads were down. Seniors were quiet. Coaches staring straight ahead. The sting was real.

But that second bus ride became fuel. 🔥

For returning players, it became a mission for the offseason. Every rep, every summer workout… that moment was sitting in the back of their minds.

We didn’t talk about revenge. We talked about finishing and leaving no doubt.

The following season, our returning players came back with purpose. They were sharper. Tougher. Hungrier. They didn’t take anything for granted.

We won the section championship, leaving no doubt.

And a few days later, we were playing in the State Championship Game, and only one possession away from a storybook ending.

That’s the power of the second bus ride.

Every team experiences disappointment. What separates great ones is what they do with it.

Some let it break them. Others let it build them.

The second bus ride doesn’t define your season, but how you respond to it can define your program.

Reflection:

How does your team handle heartbreak?
What “second bus ride” moment could you use to build your next season’s purpose?
Are you teaching your players that pain, handled the right way, can be the ultimate teacher?

Good Luck!
Greg

P.S. If you want your players to take ownership the way ours did after that second bus ride, check out the Team Leader OS: The ultimate leadership system for athletes. It provides coaches with the tools to train captains, build accountability, and foster the kind of player-led culture every great team needs.

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📜 GREAT QUOTES

“The culture precedes positive results. Champions behave like champions before they’re champions; they have a winning standard of performance before they are winners.”

Bill Walsh

“In every successful team, nothing becomes bigger than winning. And when other things become bigger than performing, and the will to win, that is when the culture is no longer good enough.”

Carli Lloyd

𝐗 POSTS FROM OTHERS

Every young athlete should listen to how Jameis responded to being QB3.
— Lawrence Tynes (@lt4kicks)
11:15 PM • Sep 12, 2025

— Jon Gordon (@JonGordon11)
12:16 AM • Sep 13, 2025

You can care about people without leading them, but you cannot lead people well without caring about them.
— John C. Maxwell (@TheJohnCMaxwell)
6:24 PM • Sep 13, 2025

🔗 LINKS FOR LEADERS

🎥 Video: Coach K’s Most Important Leadership Lessons [LINK]

🆇 ICYMI: Coaching Defined [LINK]

📰 Article: The #1 Gap in Team Leadership

🏆 The #1 Gap in Team Leadership (And a Free Resource to Fix It)

Kids can’t hold teammates accountable if they’ve never practiced it. Here’s how to train them.

gregberge.beehiiv.com/p/the-1-gap-in-team-leadership

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Contact Me: Greg Berge, [email protected]

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