What kind of Hero?
Good day, Good tidings for the season everyone!
It has been quite a long time since my last piece and life has been busy- very busy. We are in the "Holiday Season" here in the states and mostly around the world. The season that begins with the US Thanksgiving holiday in November and extends through New Year's day. I have returned to my former profession since the last piece that I posted, and its an industry that is insanely busy during the fourth quarter of the year.
In the interim another season ended. Youth soccer season. I've been a youth soccer coach for a very long time. Most years I've enjoyed the leadership, mentoring and skill development of today's young players. I can say that this was a particularly enjoyable year and a great group of players and parents alike. I even convinced my longtime assistant coach from years back to come out of "retirement" and help me. The two of us make our own great team. Jim is calm and cool with a jovial sense of humor. I'm a rah-rah guy, loud, boisterous and exuberant. The best comparison made in the past was that I coach like my hair is on fire, Jim coaches like he has the fire hose that will keep things under control.
Now to transition, my best friend is a firefighter, the Captain of his firehouse. A volunteer firefighter. No pay. Long hours of training. Dangerous situations and conditions and with sometimes thankless people. He was drawn to it because he felt the need to volunteer, to do, as I remember "something, I have to volunteer to do something." Jeff is also a former sergeant and crew chief in the US Air Force. A natural leader, who worked around danger frequently in his decade plus time in the military.
I was drawn to coaching, I've never been paid and I've coached softball, fitness/speed/track and of course soccer. All on the youth level. I even coached Jeff's daughter for a couple years back when he was my neighbor. There was a long time when I was a board member and in charge of fundraising too. We all did a lot more that teach the game, taking care of equipment, field maintenance etc. None of it required running into burning buildings but we also deal with thankless people.
The biggest danger was dealing with unruly parents or getting hit by errant soccer balls. We attended training sessions at our own expense and for those that held board positions we volunteered much more time - just like my friend and his firehouse. The similarities really end there. Neither of us volunteer for adulation or hero worship. There's a dearth of volunteers for everything. Someone has to do it and for Jeff and me, we've never been the type to throw our hands up and say "why isn't somebody doing this stuff?" It happens. Volunteers are "doers."
I admit there was a time when I considered volunteering for my local firehouse. I was younger and my body wasn't telling my brain that my joints couldn't handle the activity. That's a daily message today. Anyway, I decided that between my job, parental responsibility and coaching that I would be out of time. I have a deep respect for the volunteer firefighters everywhere. They put themselves in danger for the well being of our world.
Volunteers all put in time in all kinds of ways to make the world a better place for everyone. To make a positive difference to everyone around us. There was never a time where I questioned that I should do more. A couple of weeks ago I was in a discussion at Jeff's house with a common acquaintance who is also a firefighter at his firehouse. There have been several times in the past when the alarm would sound while we were working on a project. They would drop everything to go and help someone that they probably didn't know. I admire and respect their dedication.
They had returned from a call and while we were talking they asked me why I don't volunteer. I explained that I do volunteer just not as a firefighter. The discussion turned and they felt that my coaching and board activities just didn't stack up as a give back to my township like the firefighters. Given that all firehouses are having a problem keeping staff that I should volunteer where I live. I was shocked, not that again, there's a lack of volunteers but that my best friend would question what I do as not being as valuable. This was a guy who used to ask me why I was so dedicated and put so much time into the soccer club. I always said "somebody has to do it."
We talked at length, all admitting that none of us were looking to be regarded as a hero. We all volunteer to contribute to society in a positive way. Coaches- good coaches that are good people actually keep our youth safe. Yes, we know that there are some evil ones that are well documented, particularly in the gymnastics, but I will stop the digression. The discussion bothered me. I'm over 20 years into my volunteer career. Many years were all 12 months and nearly 40 hours a week in the summer and fall. No, there was never a time where anything I did was life threatening. No I wasn't going to save someone.
There are those that say that youth sports do save our children from getting involved with bad activities, drugs, thugs-whatever. I have always enjoyed the "light bulb moment." The moment when one of my charges suddenly can do what we have been training. Watching with joy when the fictitious light bulb in their head goes off. I take pride in the fact that so many young men and women will run into me now years later and still call me coach. Parents from years past will stop me in the township and ask me if I'm still coaching. Jeff and his firehouse brethren don't have the same recognition because they are covered in gear and basically unrecognizable. Once again, none of us do it for the recognition. However, when we receive it then it make the effort so worth the time.
To some we are heroes. Firefighters, particularly those who volunteer, which is most are DEFINITELY heroes. They put themselves in harms way to protect us. Both types of volunteers make the world a better place in a different way. Our discussion wasn't an argument and I understood why they wanted me to volunteer for the firehouse in my neighborhood, but I was sitting there defending what I do. I coached for several years after my own daughters stopped playing. I ran fundraising for 10 years. After I stopped coaching the President of the club called me the next year because nobody took over fundraising. The club needed money to cover for the families that couldn't afford fees. I ran fundraising for an additional season.
Three years ago I had volunteered to help out the soccer club when my granddaughter started playing. I was made a head coach because there weren't enough coaches. Additionally, the board named me a subcommittee member without telling me- again not enough people from that current generation volunteered. I continue to do both. I do it for the kids, for the positive experience it gives them. Some of their parents are firefighters. I appreciate all that they do and it's mutual.
The Answerman says "We need more volunteers. The world needs more people to give freely of their time. To put effort into activities that will benefit the immediate world around you. Some are dangerous, some are not. All are time consuming. None should be done to be a hero...but to some you just may be one. Everyone should respect the different volunteers around us."
It has been quite a long time since my last piece and life has been busy- very busy. We are in the "Holiday Season" here in the states and mostly around the world. The season that begins with the US Thanksgiving holiday in November and extends through New Year's day. I have returned to my former profession since the last piece that I posted, and its an industry that is insanely busy during the fourth quarter of the year.
In the interim another season ended. Youth soccer season. I've been a youth soccer coach for a very long time. Most years I've enjoyed the leadership, mentoring and skill development of today's young players. I can say that this was a particularly enjoyable year and a great group of players and parents alike. I even convinced my longtime assistant coach from years back to come out of "retirement" and help me. The two of us make our own great team. Jim is calm and cool with a jovial sense of humor. I'm a rah-rah guy, loud, boisterous and exuberant. The best comparison made in the past was that I coach like my hair is on fire, Jim coaches like he has the fire hose that will keep things under control.
Now to transition, my best friend is a firefighter, the Captain of his firehouse. A volunteer firefighter. No pay. Long hours of training. Dangerous situations and conditions and with sometimes thankless people. He was drawn to it because he felt the need to volunteer, to do, as I remember "something, I have to volunteer to do something." Jeff is also a former sergeant and crew chief in the US Air Force. A natural leader, who worked around danger frequently in his decade plus time in the military.
I was drawn to coaching, I've never been paid and I've coached softball, fitness/speed/track and of course soccer. All on the youth level. I even coached Jeff's daughter for a couple years back when he was my neighbor. There was a long time when I was a board member and in charge of fundraising too. We all did a lot more that teach the game, taking care of equipment, field maintenance etc. None of it required running into burning buildings but we also deal with thankless people.
The biggest danger was dealing with unruly parents or getting hit by errant soccer balls. We attended training sessions at our own expense and for those that held board positions we volunteered much more time - just like my friend and his firehouse. The similarities really end there. Neither of us volunteer for adulation or hero worship. There's a dearth of volunteers for everything. Someone has to do it and for Jeff and me, we've never been the type to throw our hands up and say "why isn't somebody doing this stuff?" It happens. Volunteers are "doers."
I admit there was a time when I considered volunteering for my local firehouse. I was younger and my body wasn't telling my brain that my joints couldn't handle the activity. That's a daily message today. Anyway, I decided that between my job, parental responsibility and coaching that I would be out of time. I have a deep respect for the volunteer firefighters everywhere. They put themselves in danger for the well being of our world.
Volunteers all put in time in all kinds of ways to make the world a better place for everyone. To make a positive difference to everyone around us. There was never a time where I questioned that I should do more. A couple of weeks ago I was in a discussion at Jeff's house with a common acquaintance who is also a firefighter at his firehouse. There have been several times in the past when the alarm would sound while we were working on a project. They would drop everything to go and help someone that they probably didn't know. I admire and respect their dedication.
They had returned from a call and while we were talking they asked me why I don't volunteer. I explained that I do volunteer just not as a firefighter. The discussion turned and they felt that my coaching and board activities just didn't stack up as a give back to my township like the firefighters. Given that all firehouses are having a problem keeping staff that I should volunteer where I live. I was shocked, not that again, there's a lack of volunteers but that my best friend would question what I do as not being as valuable. This was a guy who used to ask me why I was so dedicated and put so much time into the soccer club. I always said "somebody has to do it."
We talked at length, all admitting that none of us were looking to be regarded as a hero. We all volunteer to contribute to society in a positive way. Coaches- good coaches that are good people actually keep our youth safe. Yes, we know that there are some evil ones that are well documented, particularly in the gymnastics, but I will stop the digression. The discussion bothered me. I'm over 20 years into my volunteer career. Many years were all 12 months and nearly 40 hours a week in the summer and fall. No, there was never a time where anything I did was life threatening. No I wasn't going to save someone.
There are those that say that youth sports do save our children from getting involved with bad activities, drugs, thugs-whatever. I have always enjoyed the "light bulb moment." The moment when one of my charges suddenly can do what we have been training. Watching with joy when the fictitious light bulb in their head goes off. I take pride in the fact that so many young men and women will run into me now years later and still call me coach. Parents from years past will stop me in the township and ask me if I'm still coaching. Jeff and his firehouse brethren don't have the same recognition because they are covered in gear and basically unrecognizable. Once again, none of us do it for the recognition. However, when we receive it then it make the effort so worth the time.
To some we are heroes. Firefighters, particularly those who volunteer, which is most are DEFINITELY heroes. They put themselves in harms way to protect us. Both types of volunteers make the world a better place in a different way. Our discussion wasn't an argument and I understood why they wanted me to volunteer for the firehouse in my neighborhood, but I was sitting there defending what I do. I coached for several years after my own daughters stopped playing. I ran fundraising for 10 years. After I stopped coaching the President of the club called me the next year because nobody took over fundraising. The club needed money to cover for the families that couldn't afford fees. I ran fundraising for an additional season.
Three years ago I had volunteered to help out the soccer club when my granddaughter started playing. I was made a head coach because there weren't enough coaches. Additionally, the board named me a subcommittee member without telling me- again not enough people from that current generation volunteered. I continue to do both. I do it for the kids, for the positive experience it gives them. Some of their parents are firefighters. I appreciate all that they do and it's mutual.
The Answerman says "We need more volunteers. The world needs more people to give freely of their time. To put effort into activities that will benefit the immediate world around you. Some are dangerous, some are not. All are time consuming. None should be done to be a hero...but to some you just may be one. Everyone should respect the different volunteers around us."
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