Winners in the Game of Life

Last week’s post dealt with the topic of positive sports parenting. Within hours of hitting the “publish” button, this video came across my Twitter feed: http://usatodayhss.com/2018/video-massive-brawl-breaks-out-between-parents-at-youth-softball-game Um…folks, this is not good. Then, a couple days later I met a sports parent (thankfully not affiliated with any program with which I am connected!) who can only be described as crazy in an obsessive, compulsive sort of way. So to begin, let’s review some of the key points of what makes a great sports parent. They are moms and dads who encourage rather than coerce, who understand school-based sports programs are meant to be educational, who model sportsmanship, who leave the coaching to coaches, who value everyone on the team, who understand growth emerges from occasional disappointment, who keep sports in perspective, and who promote health, fitness, and fun above all else. Perhaps the key point in ...

Many variables influence the success of high school athletic teams. One of the most significant factors are the parents. Aside from the obvious genetic traits passed along to the youngsters, the individual and collective mindsets of the moms and dads have a profound impact on whether their children's participation in athletics is a positive experience. This blog post will outline some of the characteristics of positive sports parenting. Great parents encourage   Being a teenager is tough. The difficult period between being a child and adult inflicts a heavy toll on emotional wellbeing. Kids’ identities are evolving, social relationships can be unstable, roles and expectations frequently create strain or even conflict. Sports should not become just another source of angst for those who participate. Make sure your son or daughter knows your love and approval is not contingent on their performance. Few people would admit to doing this on a conscious level, however in s...

One of the prevailing values of the American culture has been our work ethic. Pretty much every person who has risen to the top in any field has had the value of work imbedded deeply into their character. A young man who I admire deeply wears his work ethic as a badge of honor. East High Scarlets basketball player and member of the graduating class of 2018 Osdy Villegas will not let you out work him. Coaches frequently sing the praises of their players, almost habitually saying this or that player is a hard worker. But in the case of Osdy, this compliment is quite literal. A basketball season is a grind. We practice or play six days a week. The workouts are always exhausting. The competition we faced was brutal. Osdy was always there for us day in, day out. But this is only a small part of the story. In addition to meeting and exceeding the high expectations which are normal for a varsity basketball player, Osdy took it a big step further. You see after a full...

With graduation season in full bloom, schools all over the country are saying goodbye to seniors who are moving on to the next chapter of their lives. Basketball coaches, like every other school coach, director, or sponsor are accustomed to this bittersweet process. The “sweet” side is knowing in ways both big and small we have played a role in shaping our athletes; not only for the battles on the court but also to equip young adults to embrace the opportunities and attack the challenges in life. The East Scarlets were blessed to have Scott Cooper as a senior/leader on our basketball team. Scott meant so much to our team and to me personally. It’s no secret our team struggled this year. We faced adversity in just about every way imaginable. If we had a Rock of Gibraltar keeping us grounded, it would definitely have been Scott. He was one of the first players I met at the introductory meeting with players. From that moment, through open gyms, into summer and fall ...

Last week’s post described the vital role which student coaches have played in our program over the past couple of decades. Each young person who has served in that capacity have brought their own unique qualities to the position.   This past year, the East Scarlets were blessed to have 2018 graduate Jocelyn Paredes as one of our two student coaches. Jocelyn came to use without any previous experience in the game of basketball, but the impact she made on our group was profound. Let it be said without hesitation that Jocelyn is one of the best student coaches we have ever had. Her level of maturity, respect, courtesy, and responsibility was off the charts. She took the initiative on multiple projects throughout the year and rarely had to be told what to do or how to do it. How many young people have that type of initiative! She interacted with both students and adults in her characteristic sweet and engaging personality. She was a key member of our ...

About twenty years ago we piloted a new idea within our basketball program by replacing the traditional ‘manager’ role with ‘student coaches.’ We wanted to get away from having student volunteers handing out and picking towels or filling up water bottles. After all, what did having fellow students waiting on our players teach our athletes about being responsible and self-reliant? Additionally, it reinforced a negative stereotype that ‘jocks’ are to be pandered to and that non-athletic students are rightfully in a position of servitude.   No way! But the most important reason for the change was a great deal of human capital was not being fully developed and harnessed. We had talented kids who were potentially great leaders not being encouraged to reach their potential. We could do better. So in the late 1990’s we started specifically recruiting prospective coaches from the student body. More often than not, these candidates were students who had previously playe...

This "kid" demonstrates what can be accomplished when natural born talent is combined with hard work and a commitment to mastering the details of one's craft.  See the full article which originally appeared in USA Today here:  Inside the Mind of a Sniper When I first met Kyle during the summer of 1995, he was an incoming freshman at Pella (IA) High School. He was tall, lanky, and obviously talented. As the brand new head coach, there was a decision to be made about where to place him in our program. We had a nice group of returning varsity players which did not have any obvious shortcomings, plus he needed to be seasoned a bit more both physically and emotionally. As a result, we kept him on the 9th grade team rather than rushing him up to varsity. When we made him a part of the varsity team during his sophomore year, we still had plenty of talented, older, more experienced players. Despite this, that year he became our leading scorer and rebounder . It was p...