Coaches, Teachers, Mentors and Parasites
Good day my friendly blog readers! I hope that everyone has continued to find some new energy to keep your worlds turning. The recent end to the college football season has made me think a lot about coaches, teachers and mentors. To many, including myself the three are synonymous. I have always taken great pride in coaching, mostly youth sports, but also lead some adult league teams.
There is a huge responsibility that comes with being a coach. The same can be said for anyone that decides to teach-whether academically or as a professional mentor or counselor. Some embrace the responsibility, some ignore it, and it is with great disdain there are others who take the responsibility twist it, use it as an opportunity to prey upon our youth with stolen trust. The trust of parents and youth alike. We must be vigilant and expose them, crush them and drive them out at every turn. They are parasites. I will go into that as part of a separate piece.
I believe in creating a positive vibe, and we will together. The great academics at Cambridge define Coach this way; noun (teacher) A person who is responsible for managing and training a person or a team. What's a teacher? A person who instructs or trains others, especially in school (noun). The last piece of the synonym pie is mentor; (noun) An experienced and trusted person who gives another advice and help, especially related to work or school, over a period of time.
Thanks to Cambridge we see that a coach is a teacher. Based upon the definitions we can also see that a mentor is a "trusted" person who gives advice. While Cambridge did not include "trusted" in the coach or teacher definition I say that there's no one among you who want to place your child under the guidance of someone you don't trust. If you don't trust them it should be an issue that is addressed immediately.
I've learned a lot from all my coaches - the good ones and the bad ones. I decided to coach so that I could represent those that made such a positive impact on me. At the same time it prevents a bad coach from taking the spot. On the youth level coaching is about leadership, teaching and mentoring. This is where a positive competitive environment is created and should be sustained as the kids grow. It should not be about the persons ego or drive to use the most athletic kid in the bunch or push their own child as if using the joystick on a gaming console.
Coaches like to share ideas and experiences so that we can learn from each other. Our stories can be cringe inducing and laugh out loud funny. The one thing most of my coaching colleagues share is that if every player improved we were a success. If the least athletic player had fun, enjoyed being part of the team and became a better athlete that was the result we sought.
Throughout the season when a kid finally got "it," whatever we were teaching, it was great. These were what I called "lightbulb moments." When a kid got it the mythical lightbulb over their head would light up. The competitiveness, athletic progress combined with the joy, the hapiness "and appreciation for teammates and coaches is really what I and most of my brethren seek. The feeling of joy and hapiness we feel is what I have called the "soulful return.
The additional responsibility is to mentor, to lead and guide the players...and their parents by training and example. Take a moment... it is a leadership position. I have coached mostly girls teams in my life because I have daughters. As part of the soccer program, which was about 10 months a year, I would have guest speakers at the end of the Fall season. The speakers were more than just athletes and presented subject matter on sports, life, academics and professionalism. By design all were female. This was part of my mentorship program. The speakers were mostly teenagers or college students that had come through the program.
This is part of the responsibility of a coach - to lead in every way, to mentor and teach. At very least it is how I view the responsibility. Additionally the responsibility is to protect the players- on and off the field. The state soccer association in my state has made it a coaches responsiblility to contact authorities if there is any evidence of abuse. This not just a responsibility but an offense if a kid reaches out to a coach and it is not reported. Big stuff. Lead, mentor and protect.
The Answerman says "Coach, teach and mentor for all the right reasons. Lead the charge with positivity. Teach every player to be the best they can be on the field, the classroom and life. Protect them and weed out the parasites." If all of this is accomplished you will feel the soulful return.
There is a huge responsibility that comes with being a coach. The same can be said for anyone that decides to teach-whether academically or as a professional mentor or counselor. Some embrace the responsibility, some ignore it, and it is with great disdain there are others who take the responsibility twist it, use it as an opportunity to prey upon our youth with stolen trust. The trust of parents and youth alike. We must be vigilant and expose them, crush them and drive them out at every turn. They are parasites. I will go into that as part of a separate piece.
I believe in creating a positive vibe, and we will together. The great academics at Cambridge define Coach this way; noun (teacher) A person who is responsible for managing and training a person or a team. What's a teacher? A person who instructs or trains others, especially in school (noun). The last piece of the synonym pie is mentor; (noun) An experienced and trusted person who gives another advice and help, especially related to work or school, over a period of time.
Thanks to Cambridge we see that a coach is a teacher. Based upon the definitions we can also see that a mentor is a "trusted" person who gives advice. While Cambridge did not include "trusted" in the coach or teacher definition I say that there's no one among you who want to place your child under the guidance of someone you don't trust. If you don't trust them it should be an issue that is addressed immediately.
I've learned a lot from all my coaches - the good ones and the bad ones. I decided to coach so that I could represent those that made such a positive impact on me. At the same time it prevents a bad coach from taking the spot. On the youth level coaching is about leadership, teaching and mentoring. This is where a positive competitive environment is created and should be sustained as the kids grow. It should not be about the persons ego or drive to use the most athletic kid in the bunch or push their own child as if using the joystick on a gaming console.
Coaches like to share ideas and experiences so that we can learn from each other. Our stories can be cringe inducing and laugh out loud funny. The one thing most of my coaching colleagues share is that if every player improved we were a success. If the least athletic player had fun, enjoyed being part of the team and became a better athlete that was the result we sought.
Throughout the season when a kid finally got "it," whatever we were teaching, it was great. These were what I called "lightbulb moments." When a kid got it the mythical lightbulb over their head would light up. The competitiveness, athletic progress combined with the joy, the hapiness "and appreciation for teammates and coaches is really what I and most of my brethren seek. The feeling of joy and hapiness we feel is what I have called the "soulful return.
The additional responsibility is to mentor, to lead and guide the players...and their parents by training and example. Take a moment... it is a leadership position. I have coached mostly girls teams in my life because I have daughters. As part of the soccer program, which was about 10 months a year, I would have guest speakers at the end of the Fall season. The speakers were more than just athletes and presented subject matter on sports, life, academics and professionalism. By design all were female. This was part of my mentorship program. The speakers were mostly teenagers or college students that had come through the program.
This is part of the responsibility of a coach - to lead in every way, to mentor and teach. At very least it is how I view the responsibility. Additionally the responsibility is to protect the players- on and off the field. The state soccer association in my state has made it a coaches responsiblility to contact authorities if there is any evidence of abuse. This not just a responsibility but an offense if a kid reaches out to a coach and it is not reported. Big stuff. Lead, mentor and protect.
The Answerman says "Coach, teach and mentor for all the right reasons. Lead the charge with positivity. Teach every player to be the best they can be on the field, the classroom and life. Protect them and weed out the parasites." If all of this is accomplished you will feel the soulful return.
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