Trust can not be taught nor can it be coached.
It’s the uncoachable qualities such as trust that tend to separate the good teams from the great teams.
Unsurprisingly, Florida soccer coach Becky Burleigh has a symbol for trust: a carabiner.
It’s an object Burleigh says has stood as one of the older forms of symbolism that she uses to help her team head in the right direction.
Following Friday’s 4-1 win over Ole Miss, as part of the team’s "see the play, meet the person" program, juniors Gabby Seiler and Betsy Middleton gave out carabiners to the children in attendance.
They also provided words pertaining to trust.
Seiler, a transfer from Georgia, spoke about being trust-willing.
The key to having the willingness to trust someone is based on an open mindset.
"You have to open the carabiner," Burleigh said. "So you have to open up to be trust-willing."
Middleton, a Miami transfer, talked about being trustworthy.
"She was saying to the kids, ‘if you’re climbing a rock, a really high rock, with one of these on, do you want it to work 100 percent of the time or just 50 percent of the time?" Burleigh said.
"Betsy said, ‘well that’s the same with our team, we want to have each other’s back 100 percent of the time’"
Burleigh noted that trustworthiness works in correlation with reliance.
The reliability factor is one that came into play when preparing for the No. 12 Gators’ 6-1 win on the road at Florida International.
Burleigh texted the team’s leadership group on the bus to Miami, asking them what they felt the game required of them.
They had the answers that made Burleigh believe that they were "equipped for the moment."
As a result, Burleigh gave the tactical information to the team — to prevent FIU from solving their own problems early in the game — and let the leaders prepare the rest of the players mentally and emotionally.
Forward Savannah Jordan and goalkeeper Val Tysinger emphasized the need for urgency and a quick start against the Panthers.
The team rose to the occasion, scoring inside the first ten minutes en route to a 6-1 thrashing in South Florida.
But trust isn’t isolated to just standing as a team attitude.
After struggling to score in Florida’s first four games, junior forward Brooke Sharp has emerged as one the team’s most reliable players in the offensive third.
In the five-game span since, Sharp has scored six goals, including two game-winners.
The first game-winning goal came in the first game of the span, as she scored with just 20 seconds remaining in overtime in a 3-2 win over Oklahoma State.
With the second one coming in a 4-1 win against Ole Miss on Friday.
The Ponte, Vedra native, came into the season scoring just five goals in her first two seasons.
Burleigh credits Sharp’s turnaround with self-trust.
"She’s willing to shoot, she’s done a really good job of protecting the ball for us and keeping possession when we need to or in the middle third," Burleigh said.
"She’s also willing to take more risks in the final third."
Self-trust goes a long way in a sport like soccer.
All eyes are on the player with the ball, and it can be a lot of pressure when the actions of the other 21 players are dependent on the ball handler.
"That self-trust that she has has led her to not be afraid of the outcome, and go for it," Burleigh said.
"And provides some results for her."
Follow Kyle Brutman on Twitter @KBrut13
UF soccer coach Becky Burleigh talks with her team following Florida's 2-1 loss to Texas A&M on Sept. 10, 2015, at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
