It has been a bit since my last blog post, and it is crazy to think of how fast time has been flying by. When sitting here pondering everything that has transpired lately, it made me realize the value and importance of living in the present and making the most of what you have. No matter where you are in your life, it is crucial to make the most out of the time you have. I am always telling my players we need to take each practice and work as if it is our last one. Each time you step out onto the ice, I tell them to leave everything from their day behind them and work to the fullest now. These words, in my opinion, are extremely useful to anyone. Life can pass you by and in this are teaching moments that should be capitalized upon. As a coach before I go on the ice, I always have my practice plan ready. However, I think what is more important then just going out on the ice and running drills are the moments where you pull a player aside and help them with various skills sets when the opportunity presents itself within the practice. Each day I try to pull a different player aside and work on their individual skills or maybe something they did in the locker room that was not the smartest that we could improve upon and use as a learning tool. No matter what,I try to help and guide each player in getting the most out of their life everyday. Some coaches today forget to take the small moments in the day and use them as a tool and opportunity to teach a player something. If we all just ran our practices and left the players would not be fully learning the sport and growing as individuals. I hope as coaches go through the season they continue to reach out and make the most out of their practices and teaching their athletes to be better players and individuals. The best way to capitalize on these opportunities as they develop are to learn to live in and appreciate the moment.

Recently, I have been thinking about how leadership effects a team.  Working at a boarding school I am privileged to see many kids who earn leadership roles throughout the campus.  We have the president of the school, the president of each dorm, captains on a team, etc.  The campus is full of leaders.  As a coach and administrator,  I believe that leadership roles are crucial to the development of young athletes both as an individual and a team. When I look at my team specifically, we commonly will have two captains in traditional leadership positions, but sometimes I think we forget about the others on the team who are leaders as well.

Thinking back on my ice hockey team last year, I had three captains who wore “C”’s on their jersey. Reflecting upon the discussions in the locker room and plays on the ice, however, I can’t help but think that we had way more then three leaders on our team.

A team is truly successful when they have a variety of leaders who take charge in different ways.  A silent leader can be an individual who goes on the ice and demonstrates their leadership through skills and mannerisms on the ice.  Similarly, I had leaders on the bench who did not get a ton of ice time, but would provide vocal motivation at each game with the same passion and intensity as if they were on the ice the whole time.  This involvement of leadership in multiple facets of the game is what makes a difference in a team.  A team that has several leaders of varying styles that can come together as one unit will be the successful team in the longrun.

You know it is getting close to the end of summer and approaching the beginning of fall when you see college football and the US Open on TV. A few weeks ago Andy Roddick retired at the US Open. In his television interview he discussed not wanting to go through the motions and instead end his career on a good note. This statement got me thinking about mediocrity and coaching.

When is it time to call it quits? I know as a player your body can only go so long before you start to feel the muscle aches and the skills start to slowly diminish. Now, what about coaching? Should there be a certain age when a coach should stop and retire from their vocation? Regarding this question, a few things come to mind. The first thought, is about Joe Paterno, who was still coaching until the Penn State scandals came into the forefront of public knowledge. Was he too old to coach? Many people have numerous conflicting opinions about the topic. Another factor that crosses my mind is what happens when the coach is not able to keep up with the craziness of the in-season schedule that takes place when games and practices start. The last factor I think about is what about the coach has lost all passion for the sport and is going through the motions? This is perhaps the worst of all scenarios, the blind acceptance of mediocrity.

I believe all these are factors which could happen in the real world. From my personal experience, I know a coach can only last so long. I think there comes a time, when one might get too old, where the repetitive nature gets to be too much. Maybe the passion is still there for the game but an individual can only take to such an extent the daily grind and monotony. More importantly, when a person loses the drive to coach then it is definitely time for them to get out and allow someone with more drive to fill their role. Many of my friends are coaches, but many more have quit because the schedule became too much for them to handle. They started to just go through the motions and not enjoy or even remember why they got excited about coaching in the first place. Coaching should be rewarding and everyday you should be excited to work with a player and help them. If this is not how you feel each day, then you might want to consider another career choice, for both your own benefit and more importantly for the athletes.

Today I was thinking about the older generation and how many of them are scared to take chances and stay active.  Many older people think they are getting too old too fragile to compete with the younger generation.  As I thought about this, I decided I will be active at an older age.  I will always be passionate about sports and continue to do whatever I am capable of completing.  Diana Nyad, an endurance swimmer, was just in the news recently.

At age 62, swimmer Diana Nyad continues to try and be the first person to swim from Cuba to Key West in open waters which is 103 miles.  This was Nyad’s fourth attempt at making this journey and she had to end it on August 22^nd due to a storm and jellyfish stings.  After hearing about this story, I was thinking about how older people can continue to stay active and still achieve lifelong goals at an older age.  Another name that comes to mind is Dara Torres who still competed in the Olympic Trials this past summer to try and make it to the London Olympics.  She did not let her age stand in her way, just as Diana Nyad is not letting her age prevent her from the goal she has longed for.

I think as coaches many of us forget we should continue to work toward our passion.  After playing hockey for some 25 years, I have found new passions in the sports world such as tennis and biking.  Yes, I still love the sport of ice hockey which I did for my whole life, but as I get older I find myself wanting to try new sports.  At times, I hear people say I am too old to try that sport, but look at the role models around us.  Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and instead challenge your mind and body.

The summer is flying by and for a person who has off in the summer, it can get depressing when you know the mid way point is approaching. Although this summer has moved quickly, it has been one full of new adventures and growth as both a person and a coach.

It is nice to have the summer to review what you have learned and grow, however not everyone has this option. Whether you are a full time professional coach or a hobby volunteer, I believe it is important for both to take time and grow in both coaching and personal aspects. This summer I took time out for myself to recharge my batteries and challenge myself in ways I never have before. In pushing myself to different limits I was able to think about my upcoming season and how there will be new challenges this year to evaluate and tackle. Taking the time to grow personally will ultimately help me as a coach to be in better mental shape for my athletes. In the past, I have filled my summers with a lot of other things and never took the time to just enjoy my time and do something I want to do for a day, weekend or week.

I talk to a lot of other coaches who run themselves into the ground and by the time the season takes off they feel like they might be going through the motions. It is very easy to allow your passion become a chore when you do not allow yourself to take a step back and recover even when you love what you do. Don’t let yourself get to this point. I hope we all as adults make the conscious decision to do something for ourselves, which in the end will only end up benefiting your team in the long run.

Nike Athlete

Summer’s are filled with sports, especially this summer due to the Olympics being held in London. Many people are already focusing in on the athletes and their favorite sports to watch. The sports craze has begun with the start of the Olympic trials, which I find myself glued to the television watching to see the inspiring stories of the athletes’ childhood to where they are now. This weekend while watching the Olympic trials, I saw an inspiring video (above is the link to the commercial) from Nike. When one watches the video, I’m sure it will hit home with a lot of female athletes.

The commercial includes top female athletes such as Diana Taurasi and Picabo Street talking into a microphone almost yelling they have something to say about female athletes. The one line from the commercial says, “Female athletes have to overcome the bias that their game isn’t as good as the men’s game.” It continues with Picabo Street saying the half pipe doesn’t know she is a girl and another female athlete saying yes men are stronger and faster, but this does not make an athlete. This line really had me thinking, what does make an athlete?

An athlete does not need to be the fastest and strongest, which is what many people today believe makes a true athlete. However, the truth is deeper and more involved then that. Watch the Olympic Trials and soon the London Olympics and then you will see what makes a true athlete. It is an individual pursuing their passion in the sport they love. An athlete is an individual who has the skills and perseverance to go out day in and day out to try and perfect their sport in order to be the best. Yes, when you watch men’s tennis they will hit the ball harder and in ice hockey the men will check and fight, but this does not change the fact that the females playing these sports are just as talented as athletes. Serena Williams is still an athlete who has perfected the art of her serve and can move around the court just as well as Nadal.

We live in a world that at times can be narrow minded and when it comes to female athletes the audiences watching can hold those same biased view points. I hope as these commercial are viewed through the Olympic Trials and the Olympics other people will take the time to see what truly makes an athlete. In the end females’ sports are just as exciting as males’ sports since we are all athletes playing with passion to be the best we can be.

It is tough for women’s athletics to continue to move forward when stereotypes are still consistent within the world of sports. Growing up, I had to play on an all boys’ hockey team because there were not any girls teams around and traditionally the sport was viewed as a male sport. Even recently, when people ask me what sport I played in college, I receive the dumbfounded expression that is usually followed by, “they have girls’ ice hockey in college”. Honestly, I understand not everyone is able to follow sports in college, but what upsets me more are the comments of “wow girls play ice hockey”. Females can play any sport they choose as long as they have the passion and desire to do so.

Thinking about this issue makes me recall the movie “A League of Their Own”. Men are away at war so women are going to play professional baseball, which is looked down upon. These women who want to play baseball are supposed to be in the kitchen making dinner and being a housewife. These stereotypes may be dramatic in today’s society, however a barrier between gender equality in athletics still very much exists. This will not change unless we as a society start to view women’s sports differently.

This past weekend, I was furious when I looked at the ice schedule at a nearby rink and saw they had “father-son” skate. This drove me crazy because first of all what about all the girls that play hockey and more importantly what about all a mothers that may want to take her son or daughter to practice. These terms and stereotypes just continues to hinder the growth of women in sports. Instead, lets change the terms we use and what we think about the capabilities of gender. Instead of “father-son” skate lets change it to parent-child skate. This way nobody is stereotyped and everyone can pursue their passions and play the sport of their choice. This does not only occur in ice hockey, there are many other sports, which take a metaphorical beating in regard to the stereotypes. I hope as our society pushes forward and women continue to stand up for what they believe that we will be able to break down these walls and be looked at as equal in all regards with our male counterparts.

I have found myself attached to the television lately not only with the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but also to watch the beginning rounds of French Open. Today, a top tennis competitor, Serena Williams, was defeated in the first round of the Open. This was something that had never happened to her before. Watching her interview and how she handled the questions from the media, I took a moment to think about how she must be hurting so badly inside from this setback. I watched as Serena Williams said she would look ahead and start practicing hard for Wimbledon, which will be her next open. As I heard these words, I developed an even greater respect for her as an athlete. How gracefully she handled the loss and immediately went towards preparing for future success was a great example for athletes and coaches of all ages. Dealing with setbacks in athletics is something each one of us will deal with over our career.

Looking back on my playing and coaching career I have had a variety of setbacks each year. The important thing however, is how one responds to the setback and moves forward. This season my team was plagued with injuries and concussions. Our squad was already hurting for bodies, but we dealt with the setback and made the best of the situation. Setbacks in athletics can come in a variety of aspects. Just recently I had a player who was dealing with an injury and trying to move forward so she can get back playing right away. As a coach and role model, this is frustrating because it hurts to see your athletes struggling with setbacks, but it is our job to guide them in the right direction. Setbacks are part of the lessons in sport and like I tell each of my players “things happen for a reason”. It might not be the ideal situation nor what you want at that time, but in the end the setback makes you a stronger competitor, individual and athlete. In hindsight each setback I dealt with while playing, made an everlasting impact. There are many I wish never happened, but I can now look back and say they happened for a reason and have played a huge part in making the coach I am today.

As coaches, I hope we learn to embrace the setbacks we deal with during the season and make them into the best situations from which to grow and excel. It is obvious, Serena Williams had a coach/role model who guided her over her career to deal with these setbacks and move forward and is now proving to be that role model for future generations.