Game Two for the Mighty Elephants

"Do you want to keep playing or go sit on the sideline?"  I inquired to one of my players.

"Sit on the sideline," she replied.

"Okay then. Ruby get out here," I yelled.

And so it goes, the continual prodding, needling, negotiating, and encouraging that you need as a coach to keep the four year olds motivated.  Sometimes they just want to sit out and be on the sideline with the other three girls, pick grass, and drink water from their squirt bottles. For at least three girls on my team, being on the team, is actually more important than playing the games.  I am pretty competitive and winning was always priority number one for me, but we are all wired differently and recognizing those differences goes a long way toward understanding what makes these kids tick.

My wife reminds me that Ruby is not me.  This is a fundamental lesson that all coaches must learn quickly if they are going to coach their own kids.  I get more frustrated with her than any other kid on the team. My expectations are higher (we practice at home almost every day) and I feel like I know what she is capable of. On the other hand, Ruby just wants to run around and have fun, winning isn't even discussed with my team, because with four year olds, building a foundation of skills they can take with them is the most important part.  If I start allowing myself to be concerned about the outcome of a three on three game between four year olds, I have a serious problem.

As a coach, what you can take assurance in, is improvement.  When I see a girl do something we worked on last week correctly, or they offer to show me something (which happens a lot) it is an affirmation that something is getting through.  In no way can I take credit for much of this because I know lots of the parents are taking their kids home and practicing the same drills we use at the fields. Regardless, small steps are being taken and less tears are flowing.  Rule number three is working!!!

My goals for this coming Saturday are two fold, to get the girls to run as fast in the game as they do around their houses, and to make one of my timid ones smile.  If the kids don't want to be there and aren't having fun, then I'm not being a good coach.

1, 2, 3, GO PINK ELEPHANTS!!!