The privilege of coaching

I am using this blog post to remind my brothers and sisters out there who volunteer to coach youth teams how important it is to put the kids first and foremost every time you step on the field, court, or diamond.  Later this week I will update the blog about the past couple weekends of the Adrian College Baseball Bulldogs.  I spend a little time working with kids and coaches in our local communities. Below is a reminder I recently sent to many of or great community volunteer coaches:

Since many teams are now beginning to play games and compete in tournaments, especially in the pre-high school age groups, I thought it might be an appropriate time to remind coaches what a great privilege it is to have the opportunity to be a leader of young athletes.

 

The position of coach rates right up there with parents, teachers, and clergy members.  We sometimes need to be reminded that with this privilege comes responsibility that is bigger than the idea of winning games.  As a matter of fact, if we win games but are not outstanding role models then we haven’t really won at all.

As we head onto the softball and baseball fields each day it would be a good idea to take a silent moment to have a some self-reflection and remember that the children we work with are the main priorities.  Each individual athlete is more important than the outcome of any game, tournament, or season.  If we let one kid down, or fail to live up to the words we have spoken to them, or contribute to damaging their self image and self worth in any way, any championships won will be shallow and pointless.

Each of us has a life outside of coaching.  We have families at home and professional responsibilities at work.  We often have stressful circumstances at home and work that can result in heavy burdens as we go from one place to the next and put on our coaching hats in place of the other hats we wear away from coaching.  Though it can sometimes be difficult to leave the thoughts of those stressors behind, the clay-like psyches of the kids we work with are so important to take care of.

I first started coaching in the late 1970s and haven’t stopped.  I have been guilty at times of carrying my own frazzled self into the coaching arena and acted unreasonably toward the athletes and toward the sport itself.  That was an unfair and selfish thing for me to do.  As we gain in experience and maturity it usually becomes easier to understand that our young athletes are always the number one priority in our coaching situations.  As the saying goes, kids don't care how much you know until they know how much you care!

Take care of yourself, check your thoughts, clear your mind, and love the kids you coach!!