Viking Coach

Today, the most recognizable name of a naval officer of the American Revolutionary War is that of John Paul Jones.

On September 23, 1779, Jones fought one of the bloodiest engagements in naval history. Jones struggled with the 44-gun Royal Navy frigate Serapis, and although his own vessel was burning and sinking, Jones would not accept the British demand for surrender, replying, I have not yet begun to fight. More than three hours later, Serapis surrendered and Jones took command.

Right now it feels like I am commanding a ship that is in similar situation to John Paul Jones.

Kelcey Lass, my main gunner is out for the season and now Katie Mattern, my steadfast first mate, is hobbling around on crutches after severely spraining her foot. The ship was a little short handed to begin the season so having two of our top players out of action it feels like we are on a burning ship.

We will go into the next three games with an “iron six”. (Sarah Voigt, Haley Hoyer, Chelsea Bjerke, Steph Torkildson, Lexie Thorson & Kendra Coleman)But like John Paul Jones there is no room for the thought of surrender. There is still so much we can learn as players and as people so we must weather this storm and keep on fighting because in the end, we will be stronger.

This is the part of basketball that will hopefully help kids learn how to handle tough "life situation" in the future. Like life we sometimes have had to deal with the fact that things don’t always go as planned and you have to make the best of tough breaks.

The fact is that we could easily be 9 - 9 right now instead of 6 - 12(we have had three losses by a combined six points) makes a person wonder. . . "why us". There is no doubt that people being out of the line up has definitely been a part of the reason we do not have a better record. But that’s our state of affairs and it is up to each one of us to make the best of the moment.

Right now the key to our successes comes down to the team deciding to forge ahead. . . to keep on keeping on. . . to be relentless in your pursuit of bigger things.

If ten years from now the girls that are playing on this team are better at handling the challenges of life because they were tested and found not lacking. . . I would say that this season is truly as successful as any season I have coached.

I love the following story:

"As Time Runs Out" By Gary Smith

The following is excerpts from an article written on Jim Valvano in Sports Illistrated January 11, 1993. Pages 10-25

"GRAVELY ILL WITH CANCER, JIM VALVANO (Head Basketball Coach of the 1983 NCAA National Champion North Carolina State University Wolfpack) IS FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE THE SAME WAY HE COACHED BASKETBALL, BY LEARNING ALL HE CAN, TALKING UP A STORM AND INSISTING ON THE LAST SHOT"

FLASHBACK --- Jim Valvano at age 23, When he was the Head Coach of John Hopkins...

...His players called him to the back of the bus. "Why is winning so important to you?" they asked. "We've never seen anything like it. You’re irrational."

"Because the final score defines you," Valvano replied.

"You lose; ergo, you're a loser. You win; ergo, your a winner."

"No," the players insisted.

"The participation is what matters, the constancy of effort. Trying your very best, regardless of wether you win or lose--that's what defines you."

It took Valvano 23 years of living....to admit it:

"They were right. The kids at John Hopkins were right. It's effort, not result that define you. It's in trying that we define ourselves.”

Being the relationship of the player and the coach is confined to the gym and locker room not a lot of people get to see what really goes on between players on a team or between the players and their coaches. People come to the game and get a small glimps of this relationship but it is much like seeing a movie trailer and deciding the worth of a picture by the thirty to sixty second blip.

Other times the general public will get information about the team from players or players parents.

Too often, it seems, the public hears the comments made by players who feel they have been "wronged" by the coach or by the parents of these players who will, naturally, feel that their child has been treated unfairly.

What these players and/or parents say is often seen as the truth, the whole truth and sometimes nothing but the truth.

There is, however, two sides to every story. I hope people understand that sports are emotional and that often a person's perspective is colored by intense situations. Unfortunately, the coaches side of the situation is seldom heard and the coach is sometimes vilified in the court of public opinion.

For example. . .when people try to explain the reasons why a coach may play one player over another they often bring up the philosophy of “favoritism.” (Especially if they disagree with the coach’s choice) Sometimes a high school player will also believe that a coach is playing one player over another because of "favoritism". A high school player often doesn’t see or doesn’t believe that other players on their team are more athletic, have better skills, and/or have a better understanding of the game than they do. So they see decisions made by the coach in a different way.

Do coaches have favorites? You bet!

My “favorites” are the ones that work their tail off, listen to directions, treat their coaches with respect, and are just flat-out coachable. These players are often the ones that give the team the best chance of winning the game because they are the “team-first” players that are crucial to creating good chemistry on the court.

Does this mean that the more talented players who are not as coachable as a coach would like don't get a fair chance to play? The answer is no. A coach at the varsity level, is trying to win the ball game and not all of the players that get quality minutes are as "coachable" as the coach would like.

Yes, there are times when a player with less talent gets more playing time than one with more talent but this generally occurs when the talent level is fairly close and the attitude of the player with more talent is so bad that it effects the entire team.

I wish people would understand how dramatically a player’s attitude really affects a team. Sometimes a player comes in with such a “chip on their shoulder” that it just destroys the chemistry of the team. (Read Poem Below) Rarely do these players see their attitude as a problem or that they have an “attitude” at all. Instead, they look at the “injustices” that continue to occur to them and the coach bears the brunt of the blame for these situations.

I really think that you need to understand that most of what you hear in the public comes from disgruntled players who don’t understand their own abilities or their lack of coachability.

Recently I was visiting with a former boys basketball player from Pelican Rapids. He was recounting his days as a player and how he was always frustrated with how little playing time he got back then and how he did not understand why the coach didn’t play him more.

He then went on to explain that it wasn’t until he started coaching himself that he really understood the reason why his coach didn’t play him more.

In his own words. . .”I sucked as a player."

This young man had the opportunity to discover that coaches make decision based on what is best for the team and that there are reasons besides "favoritism" that goes into these decisions. There are a lot of factors that go into deciding who gets the playing time but the four overriding factors are skill, athletic ability, game understanding and coachability.

Winning games is something that is sought after at the varsity level. For this reason, some players will not get the same amount of playing time and this is going to cause conflict, misunderstanding and at times ill feelings.

Because of these feelings some players are bound to drop out of a program and probably will not have a lot of good things to say about the coach. This isn't something that is new and I don't think there is a way to stop the process. It is unfortunately a by-product of the activity we call competitive sports.


ATTITUDE

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than the past, than education,

than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes,

than what other people think or say or do. It is more important

than appearances, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a

company...a church...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a

choice regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We

cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will

act a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only

thing we can do is play the one string we have, and that is our

attitude....I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and

90% how I react to it. And so it is with you....we are in charge

of our attitudes. "

Charles Swindoll

"Hold fast to your dreams, for if they die, you are like a broken-winged bird that cannot fly." (Langston Hughes)

If you think about it, falling in love and having big dreams have a lot in common.

When you fall in love you are pretty focused on that one person and if you want things to work out you make sacrifices for the person you are attracted to. You buy into this relationship with your whole heart and work to make this love last. You are somewhat afraid of this feeling because you fear that your love will not be returned and you do run the risk that, one day you may be left with a broken heart as the relationship just doesn’t work out.

The same holds true for dreams. . . Once you really buy into a dream you need to be pretty focused on that dream. You need to make sacrifices in order to get close to that dream. You believe in the possibility of the dream and like love, you do run the risk of being disappointed by not achieving our dream.

For the same reason that some people shy away from relationships, a lot of people often find themselves not dreaming big enough dreams.

Maybe you start to feel that you are not worthy of someone’s love or some higher goal or maybe it is your fear of failure or being hurt that over rides your desire for love and/or success. Either way people create “roadblocks” in their pursuit of love and dreams. In sports we identify these roadblocks as confidence and fear. These “roadblocks” often keep us from experiencing the joys and the challenges that really are the spice of life.

It is so important for all of us to dream big dreams because what you gain by pursuing your dreams, by far makes up for the disappointment of maybe not reaching your dream.

Like the great country philosopher Garth Brooks states in one of his songs; “Life isn’t tried it is merely survived if your standing outside the fire.” Life is about taking chances and no matter what the outcome you grow as a person and you experience the “excitement” of life.

We need to start dreaming bigger dreams!

I recently read the following in a magazine. It is from Lewis Carrol’s story “Through the Looking Glass”

“I can’t believe that!” said Alice.
“Can’t you?” the queen said in a pitying tone. “Try again, draw a long breath, and shut your eyes.”
Alice laughed. “There’s no use trying,” she said. “One can’t believe impossible things.”
“I dearsay you haven’t had much practice.” Said the queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

In our program I really want the girls to dream of one day cutting down the nets after winning a section championship! I want them to vividly see themselves doing this in their minds. Why??? I hope it inspires them to set goals that will help them one day turn their fantasies to dreams and dreams to bigger, things.

It is important to understand that it isn’t enough to just dream. . . dreams alone are really just fantasies. Turning these fantasies to dreams require that you actively work towards achieving the dream. You do this by setting goals. Goals are the baby steps that you start taking as you move towards your dream. Simple goals, tough goals, short term goals, long range goals . . . the key is to set them and work towards them while, all the while, you keep your eyes focused on the dream.

In the end, dream fulfilled or dream unmet, you will find you are on to “bigger things” as you have improved as an individual because you have fought the good fight, you have finished the race, you have kept the faith

Q: When the chips are down what keeps you going as a coach?

A: When it comes down to the bottom line. . . I flat out love the game of basketball! Some days that "love" is what keeps me going as a coach. In fact. . . if you are going to invest as much time as most coaches do you better love what you are doing.

Q: What about the money coach?

A: A coach who is worth their salt doesn't even want to think about that aspect of the job.

Q: Why is that coach?

A: If you add up the hours that are spent coaching the pay probably is close to the minimum wage. Let's take a look at a typical year of coaching:

IN SEASON WORK
Practice's - Around 55 practices @ about 2 hours = 110 hours
Scrimmages - Generally 3 a year @ about 8 hours = 24 hours
Home Games - 13 @ 4 hours = 52 hours
Away Games - 14 @ 6 hours = 84 hours
Stat Recording - 27 games @ .5 hour = 14 hours
Scouting - Let's say 7 games @ 3 hours = 21 hours
Watching Game tape - 27 plus occasions at 1.5 hours = 37 hours
Press Reporting - 27 games @ .5 hours = 14 hours
Working the Christmas Tournament = 10 hours (PA Announcing)
Saturday Morning Hoops - 10 sessions @ 3 hours = 24 hours
Coaching Clinics - Generally 15 hours worth = 15 hours

I'm at around 400 hours. . . just in season stuff. . . the job is just beginning.

OFF SEASON WORK
Player Conf./equipment collection - 20 players @ .5 hours = 10 hours
Post Season Banquet preparation & banquet = 10 hours
5 on 5 tournament = 20 hours (raise money for program)
Elementary Night School (4 nights - 2 hours in the Spring) = 8 hours
Organization of Summer Basketball = 8 hours (includes a meeting in D.L.)
Summer Morning Hoops - 3 days @ 2 hours x 7 weeks = 42 hours
Thursday night travel league - 7 nights @ 3 hours = 21 hours
Shada 3 on 3 Tournament - 80 hours
(This is the prep work time I do. I get paid extra for the weekend of the shada)
Summer team tourneys - Usually all day events = 30 hours
Fall Gym Supervision = 30 hours
Help with Junior High hoops when it starts = 10 hours

At this point I have put together a total of around 700 hours.

Q: What's your point?

A: The point is not to gain sympathy, far from that. . . I love what I do. . . you don't need sympathy when you feel good about what you are doing. I guess I have multiple points:

#1 - To be your best. . . to be better than the rest. . . you need to love what you are doing and take pride in what you are trying to accomplish.

#2 - There is more to coaching than just showing up at practices and games. . . a coach is doing his program a disservice if that is all they do.

#3 - I guess I also want readers to understand that most head coaches go above and beyond just what the public thinks when it comes to coaching.(practice and games). The hope is that the reader will gain a better appreciation for the dedication of a coach

Brian Bordwell was a great coach, is still a super friend and is even a better person. He and I were assistant coaches together when we first came to Pelican Rapids and he eventually was my assisstant for a couple years before he moved to Brainerd. He was famous for being a "shouter" and one of his favorite saying was "I yell because I care!"

This really hits the nail on the head when it comes to why I yell as a coach. Although I am constantly aware of the fine line between constructive criticism and the possible destructive aspect of being critical of my players, I still feel that there are times and places where yelling is needed in the arena of sports.

Most people would be surprised at the number of times that coaches actually say positive things to their players versus being critical. The reason you probably hear about the negatives or remember being "scolded" yourself is because it seems to be human nature for humans to latch on to the negative. We often remember those negative situation more than the times where a coach might say. . ."that was a good decision.", "great hustle.", "Hey, great job in practice tonight", etc. . .

Negative comments stick in our mind because they are an attack on who we are. . . we all want to believe that we are doing what we should and doing it well! As a coach, one of my challenges is to push the girls farther than they think they can go. We have to challenge them to go beyond their comfort zone. For me, yelling or being critical is like "highlighting" something important, much like you would do when reading a book.

Often times the player gets frustrated with the coach. I can recall that at one time or another I did, in fact, REALLY DISLIKE MY COACH! When I go down the list of coaches for whom I played, I can remember specific times for each of them when I really didn’t care for them as people, or as coaches.

Now, when asked if I disliked my coach(es), the only thing I can think of right now is…NO…not ONE of them. In fact, it was their combined caring and effort that led to who I was as an athlete. They made me do things I didn’t want to, when I didn’t want to do them. They demanded performance when I didn’t want to give it. They taught me techniques that I didn’t think would work, but really did. They did their job, which meant that sometimes they had to sacrifice being popular for doing what was necessary to create successful athletes, me being one of them.

Today, I LOVE each of my coaches for helping me get through all of those rough days.

When you experience tough days with your coaches, please understand that they are really trying to help you become successful. It’s their job to pull from you the effort a “sane” human doesn’t want to give. It’s their job to make you do things you wouldn’t normally do. To reach expectations that a teenager doesn't think possible.

The author of “Raising An All-American: Helping Your Child Excel in Athletics (And in Life)" Has a great chapter that addresses this aspect of coaching. I added a web-site in which you can order this book to my contact list. I really want to encourage all parents to purchase this book. The author does a great job of explaining aspects of sport participation and gives a path in which a parent can help their child be a success. Like the title indicates this is not just about athletics. This book is also about being a success in LIFE! You may even find that you can apply some of his same principle to your life.

Reading my Sports Illustrated(Dec. 25, 2006 - Jan. 1 2007) this past week I came across an advertising feature called "A Playbook for Parenting".

The article was called "Kids Need Professional Fans" and it was written by Cris Collingsworth. Collingsworth was a proffesional football player who played eight seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals and went to two superbowls. He is the father of four and is now an award winning commentator.

He starts out his article by relaying advice his father-in-law once gave him. He calls it the best advice that anyone could offer a parent and I totally agree! Here is what his father-in-law said to him:

"You know those golf clubs you have? Stick 'em in the closet. They'll still be good by the time your last child goes off to college."

The point. . . "As long as your kids are living in your house, they should be your No. 1 priority!"

Collingsworth sums up the reasons why you want to make your kids your top priority. He states. . ."When parents act like their child is number one, the child learns that their pursuits in life - whether it's schoolwork, cheerleading, a dance reciteal or a ballgame - really matter, and they learn to truly devote themselves to what they love."

I love stuff like this. I think it is important for a person to seek out and read, listen to and/or watch self improvement type information.

I love listening to motivational messages. . . I read a lot of articles on basketball coaching. . . I watch a lot of programs on the History Channel. . . and I even read articles in Good Housekeeping on topics that range from cooking to how to get a stain out of the bathroom tub.

I'm sure a lot of you do the same. However, if you are a parent, your most important job is to be the best parent that you can. I have a card I received from my wife that now hangs on my bulliten board at school. The card is a constant reminder of my role as a dad. It's message is simple but powerful.

"When you teach your son, you teach your son's son."

So I encourage you to seek out information that deals with better parenting. It is a job that nobody does perfect but one in which everybody should work to do better. I added the "mvparent.com" website to my list of connection sites. Check it out if you have the time.

Being a head coach is tough. I don't tell you that because I want sympathy I'm just stating a fact. We have to make some tough decisions involving who should play and who shouldn't, who gets the minutes and who doesn't, who starts and who comes off the bench.

Sometimes it is cut and dry. Other times the decision is a gut feeling and often it is long thought over decision.

As a coach I understand that my views of how things should be done are sometimes much different than the players, parents and fans. I accept the fact that my decisions may not please a lot of people. I also know that my decisions also can make the player feel hurt, discouraged, or any number of different emotions along that line. That is the tough part.

Believe it or not it is hard for me to make these tough decisions. I'm sure it isn't as tough as it is for the player who finds their time cut or the one who doesn't get that starting position but it still is hard for me. One of the things I love most about coaching is building relationships with my players. Imagine how much work needs to be done in a relationship when you have to tell the other person they can't have what they want.

I totally understand if a player is frustrated by my decision. I also think it is normal for them to be angry at the decision and at me. I hope they feel this way because it means they care. After I make these decisions, I feel that it is now up to me to show the player that I also care.

I care if they are hurting. . .I care if they feel slighted. . .I care if they feel frustrated. . .I care about who they are as an idividual.

My greatest fear. . . Having a team who doesn't feel I care about them

So goes the battle in Bedford Falls

This Saturday, after Saturday Morning Basketball, I will be meeting with parents of 4th, 5th and 6th grade to help organize the development of teams to participate in Spring tournaments.

This is the first time that I have tried to organize the parents in this way. We need to get more parents involved in our program. A parent is such an important element to a players success. With out the support and encouragement of parents players are left on their own to really get involved in a sport.

Over the years I have noticed that the boys in our community get way more parent involvement than the girls. I think we are really short changing our girls. I would llove to see parents start to become more involved in their daughters athletic pursuits. Below I have a few suggestions that I try to do with my own kids:

Parent Suggestions:

1) Go out and shoot around with your child. . . Especially if they are the ones that ask you to go out and play!!! Helping your child achieve success is as easy as rebounding shots, playing "HORSE" or driving them to the gym when they want to go. Even if it means you drive them in at 7:00 A.M. in your pajamas!

2) Help them dream big. Talk with them about one day being a star. Pick out role models and players you see as being great. Tell them why you think these people are good players for them to use as models. Be it an athletic skill or how they handle themself be specific as that will help them uderstand what is the "right way" to be.

3) Don't worry about being a "pushy" parent. I really feel too many parents are so afraid of being too overbearing that they don't help guide their child at a very impressionable age. Competitive sports are such a valuable activity for your child to become involved that putting an importance on you wanting them to be involved is a good thing.

4) Talk with them about the importance of working hard to achieve a dream. Help them understand that practicing is such a rewarding aspect of sports. . . much more so than winning itself!

5) Be willing to invest some of your time in helping out. Sometimes you are going to really want to keep laying on the couch on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon but bying getting involved you are showing an interest in what they are doing. . . Remember the days when your child would constantly say. . . "Hey look at me daddy!" or "Watch this mommy!"??? They are still like that.

6) Find out when the gym is open and ask your child if she wants to go play. It doesn't hurt to ask!
Open Gym on Sunday's is from 1:00 to 4:00 (High School and Elementary)

7) Get them involved in local basketball activities. . . Saturday morning basketball, traveling teams, summer basketball camps.

8) Attend as many events as you can. Make it a priority to be at their games.

9) Set up an allowance system based on doing a basketball related activity for a certain amount of time. I set up a system where the boys could do a dribbling work out in the basement for 20 minutes and if they did this they could earn $1.00. One of my boys did it quite a bit and the other occassionally. I didn't demand it. . . I just offered it.

10) If you don't have a hoop outside in the driveway. . .by all means. . .put one up!!!!

11) Watch basketball games together and comment on good moves.

These are just a few of the things you can do as a parent. . . The biggest thing is to encourage action and then support it with all your resources.

What's Happening:

*Took a "blogger" holiday break

*Team played in our Holiday Tournament. . . Won our first game against Norman County East but lost a close one to Clinton Graceville in the finals. . . Really would have been nice to have Haley Hoyer in that game(She was vacationing in Florida) not to mention Kelcey Lass.(injury) Really I feel we could just as easily be 6 & 4 at this point rather than 4 & 6. . . The girls are improving.

*The 7th graders have now joined the 8th graders and will form a single unit and compete at the C-Team level. I was really pumped to see all the 7th graders come back out for a second season. We are back to the original "Fantastic 4" with the 8th graders. In just 3 days of practice we have had the opportunity to really work on some fundamental skills with these girls. What a great opportunity for them to out work the competition!!! Our focus with this group is totally on skill improvement as individuals and as a team. Games will be played but winning is totally on a back burner for this group. We want their focus to totally be on becoming the best player that they can.

*We will find out the results of Kelcey Lass' MRI next Tuesday. Best case is that she can play with a brace but will be limited by pain and will be a much slower version of the player she was. Worst case. . . her high school career is over.

*We are in the organizational stages of creating traveling teams for upcoming Spring hoops tournaments. We will have a parent/player meeting next Saturday, January 13th at the elementary at 11:00.

*After school basketball sign up for girls in 5th and 6th grade went out this week. Players will meet from 3:15 to 4:30 two days a week at the elementary. Cost is $20.00 with scholarships available to those who can not afford the fee. Dave Driscoll will be our 6th Grade coach on Tuesday's and Friday's and Heidi Isaman will work with our 5th graders on Mondays and our varsity coaching staff will come down and work with this group on Thursdays.

5th Grade Dates: (Monday & Thursday)
January 18th, 22nd, 25th, 29th
February 1st, 5th, 8th, 12th, 15th, 22nd, 26th,
March 1st.

6th Grade Dates: (Tuesday & Fridays)
January 16th, 19th, 23rd, 26th, 30th
February 2nd, 6th, 9th, 13th, 16th, 20th, 23rd, 27th
March 2nd.

*I'm really enjoying this year. Two biggest reason's for job satisfaction:
A) My relationship with the players
B) The enjoyment I get out of helping my players become better.

*The most important coach in the development of an athlete. . . it's the ATHLETE. The only person that can really push themselves to their full potential is the individual. They must be eager! Most junior high players are only working at 30% to 40% of their potential. . . at the varsity level it can get up to 60% or so on average. The athletes that excell give 75% to 90% effort towards their sport.

Some say that there is really little difference between a good player and a great player. It is that "little difference", however, that makes the BIG difference!

Parents. . .inspire your children to dream big dreams and then help them find the "little difference" that will make them get out and work their tails off to reach that dream.