So Long Summer

Today is our first day of junior high football.  Thankfully.  The varsity folks have been grinding away for a couple of weeks now, but we start late.  And end early.

And that's alright by me.

When I was in high school, I loved football.  It was practically all I thought about all summer long and all offseason.  Captain's practice couldn't come quick enough for me when I was in my teens.

Now, though, it can take its sweet time coming around.

And I've made my peace with that.

Someone told me that the life of a hunter goes in three stages.

First, when you're young, you want to kill anything that moves and bring home the big game.

Then, as you get older, you don't care about killing innocent fuzzy animals anymore and see hunting for what it really is, a means for some to provide food, and more importantly I think, the chance to be around family and socialize and carry on traditions.

Finally, as you get even older, and maybe don't carry a gun anymore, you realize you just like hunting and you go with because it's an excuse to be around family and to feel part of that tradition.

I think this applies to coaching too.

When I first started coaching, 15 years ago, I thought I could scream loud enough or hide the less talented players enough to go undefeated every year.

Then later on in my career, I realized that I had it all wrong.  It didn't matter how much I yelled or tried to hide less skilled players, that stuff was all for me, not for the team.  And I changed how I coached.

Now, though, I'm certainly in the last stage.  I just like to be around the kids.  In a few weeks when we actually get into our season, I'll have my defense huddled up on the middle school practice field while we're waiting for the offense to get their play down, and I'll be quizzing the kids on their favorite books, what they're learning in history, what they're discussing in English and so on.  Then I'll look up and see that the offense is waiting for us to quit talking and get lined up.  I'll have them break the huddle and scurry to their spots for the offense.

The point for me is trying to model that school (and education) and being a life long learner is what it's all about . . . not scoring a touchdown or catching a big pass.  Because, honestly, who remembers that 20 years down the road anyway?  If you do, that scares me a little.  I hope the skills these kids pick up over the next six years will impact them far more than their accomplishments on the field.

I wouldn't have it any other way.