Sports Story of the Week
The Tarp Monster Strikes Again
Anyone that has been around baseball or softball for more than one season has had to deal with being on the "Tarp Pull Team". The group of people that have to run out and unroll the massive tarp from its resting place onto the field to cover the dirt that can get ruined in rain. Sometimes alone in the early morning, sometimes after a weather report changes in the late night, and sometimes, in front of a stadium of fans that are disappointed in the rain delay that just happened.
This public tarp pull is the worst. Fans, with not much entertainment available to watch, begin to watch the field as the team pulls the tarp. Its never easy, its always a bit different depending on wind, who rolled it up last time, the height differential of the team, etc, etc. And then, as much as you don't want to care, you know that most of the eyes are now on you. So, the tarp pull begins.
If you have never done it, it looks a lot easier than it is. The coordination, when executed seamlessly, makes it go smooth, but when the coordination isn't there, or there is a hiccup in the pull, the momentum of the group and the tarp can cause chaos. Usually there is one person that pays the price. The one that goes down, usually also goes under. Most of the time its doesn't even have to be their mess up. But they go down. Hard.
And it happened again as it does at least once per season. Monday night with the Rockies vs. Orioles. In the top of the sixth inning while the game was tied 1-1, a pop up storm brought rain and lightening. As the grounds crew hustled out to tarp the infield, the tarp monster struck and one of the groundskeepers lost their footing, tripped, and landed under the tarp. Eventually, he emerged, first as a blob in the freshly laid tarp, then a moving blob, and finally, to cheers of the crowd, a human who came out of the edge of the tarp.
After they pulled the tarp back off the field, the evidence of his episode remained, his hat sitting right in the place where he fell.
Here is the crazy thing about the tarp pull, the momentum makes it nearly impossible to stop. So when someone falls, the tarp has to continue. While I can't confirm, I'm told its physics.
As mentioned above, the thing about this is that usually the ones that succumbs to the monster isn't always at fault. It might be the team who rolled it up the last time. Or its the wind. Maybe its their position in the line that particular day. Or maybe its just bad luck. No matter what, there is no way to know, and also no way for those around them to help. They have to watch their fellow tarp puller go down and keep it moving. Its embarrassing, its inevitable to happen at least once a season, and its almost always hilarious.
3 Lessons from The Tarp Monster
1. Sometimes you have to just keep pulling.
When the momentum is strong and you are in the middle of working to a goal stopping to analyze everything isn't an option. The situation is already moving, and the team needs you to stay engaged no matter what. In leadership, setbacks are inevitable. Sometimes you make the mistake; sometimes you simply get caught in circumstances outside your control. Either way, the team can’t stop moving because one person stumbled. Sometimes you have to keep moving and help the person once the goal is met.
2. Embrace Stumbles with a Sense of Humor.
Falling under the tarp in front of thousands of people is no doubt embarrassing. Then having to army or bear crawl out of the tarp in total darkness can't be any fun, but emerging to the crowd's cheers shifts the moment. It reframes the situation from failure into a shared, human moment. Effective leaders don't pretend failures didn't happen, instead, they own the moment, laugh at the absurdity, and understand that this isn't a defining moment, even if it is a very highly visible one.
3. Recognize that there are variables, and focus on what you can control.
Pulling the tarp is a demonstration of all the variable forces involved a task. The wind, the uneven roll, the inherent difficulty of pulling that massive amount of vinyl. If you are trying to exert absolute control over every detail, you will end frustrated. True leadership isn’t about preventing all potential setbacks, it's recognizing your limitations and accepting that there are factors outside of your control. Instead of fixating on all the variables that caused the issue, focus your energy on what can be done now. The coordination of the team, the communication, the overall strategy for getting the job done. Accept the variables, and channel your effort and energy into what you can control.
