MVC student-athletes build leadership skills at annual conference | Coulee Region News

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WXOW) – More than 150 student-athletes from across the Mississippi Valley Conference (MVC) spent Thursday learning how to build confidence, communicate under pressure, and grow as team leaders.

The leadership conference brought together athletes from Holmen, Onalaska, Central, Aquinas, Tomah, and Sparta for hands-on activities focused on mindset, teamwork, and handling adversity.

One of the most talked-about exercises was a “Simon Says” challenge led by Craig Hillier, owner of Winning Edge Seminars.

Hillier said the simple game was designed to show athletes how quickly emotions can shift when mistakes happen.

“The Simon Says is all about—it’s a simple game, and how are you going to respond when you made the mistake? I played the game knowing that 99% are going to make a mistake,” Hillier said. “So, when they make the mistake, what’s the process up here? Are they the winner, or are they the whiner?”

For many of the students, that message resonated.

Allison Gerhard, a Central High School sophomore, said one activity revealed how easily her confidence can change.

“We made an X, and we had to try and get out of it, and I was not successful with my partner,” Gerhard said. “And then [Hillier] taught us how to do it, and I was like, ‘okay.’ Then I gained my confidence back, so it made me realize more about myself.”

Onalaska sophomore Madison “MJ” Heit said the conference helped her understand how her attitude affects her teammates.

“I learned that having the positive mindset will help you grow and break through,” Heit said. “That no one can be perfect and everything, so you just got to see the positive side of things and it’ll help a lot of your team chemistry and everything.”

Thomas Check, a sophomore at La Crosse Logan, said the lessons reinforced what leadership looks like on and off the field.

“Being a leader, you can’t be pouting in the corner,” Check said. “It’s a really hard task, but you got to be up to the challenge and be able to be there for everybody and for the team.”

Holmen junior Miles Vang said the day helped him think about how to support teammates during difficult moments.

“It’s really important for me that I need to know how to work with everyone on the team and have good teamwork—have integrity,” Vang said. “And what possible mindsets everyone’s in and how to help them pull out of a bad mindset or get them into a good mindset.”

For some athletes, the conference was also a chance to get to know the people they typically face as competitors.

Aquinas junior William Horihan said it was refreshing to connect with other students away from the field.

“I really only see them on the field or on the court,” Horihan said. “So, it’s just good to know them and interact with them and know them personally off of a sports-level.”

The MVC has partnered with Hillier for more than a decade to host the annual event, which focuses on helping young athletes develop leadership skills they can use in sports, school, and everyday life.

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