Coaches and Their Impact

I have a saying, "A good teacher makes a difference and a bad teacher makes a bigger difference." This is especially true for coaches. Coaching, when done right, can be an extremely powerful tool in helping mold young men and women into successful adults. Every athlete who had a positive experience can point to a coach's impact on them. Good coaches teach players to be competitive while remaining a good sport, to deal with loss (something they face the rest of their lives), how to set goals and how to reach those goals, the art of time management, and most importantly the fact that anything worth while is worth working hard for.

Coaching gone bad can be devasting. The world of sport is filled with martinets, petty tyrants, selfish and self-centered coaches whose impact is akin to a meteor strike. For these types of coaches it is about self-promotion or all about the "sport", forgetting that there is a very real human factor involved. How many guys have played for the "factory" coach, where the player is just a number, another cog, which can be easily replaced or tossed on the heap? These type of coaches take away the joy of sport and replace it with dread and loathing.

As a case in point, I remember when my oldest son began his football playing career. As young boy it was impossible to contain his enthusiasm and excitement for what promised to be a wonderful eight years. I also remember how this same enthusiasm was crushed by coaches who were insensitive, did little to teach the technical skills needed, and showed favoritism. While my son would later go on to a fanastic football career (marked by 1st team all-state honors), he never rekindled his passion for the game and demonstrated a lack of trust in those who coached him later on.

Have I succumbed to the forces of political correctness? Absolutely not, I believe it is critical for coaches to maintain good discipline, demand excellence, and to push the physical limits of their athletes. However, they must do so while always remembering that they are dealing with human beings. A coach must be flexible and adapt to the modern era. So often I have heard the complaint that modern players are whimps, lazy, and self-centered - if they could only return to the old days, blah, blah, blah.... A good coach looks for ways to overcome these obstacles by understanding his players and finds the tools that will motivate them.

One of my coaching heroes, Coach John Wooden, coached during the turbulent 1960s, when all of society was complaining about how worthless and out-of-hand the younger generation was. How then did Coach Wooden win all those championships with that generation? He treated his players like men, set expectations, demanded excellence, all while maintaining his own self-control. Wooden understood that while "the times may be a changing," people never do. To understand players as people translates into success, and when it is done in a positive, rather than manipulative fashion, it is magical.

My hope is that our young coaches look to the past and use men like Wooden as an example, remembering the positive difference they can make in a young person's life, while at the same time understanding the impact they have if it is done wrong. This type of coaching is not politically correct, but the key to success. Wooden demonstrated that contrary to Leo Durocher's comment, "Nice guys finish last", in fact, nice guys win championships (Wooden won 10 NCAA championships in 12 years). So heres to coaches who make a difference - a POSITIVE difference!

A Pilgrim to Aggieland

Last weekend I had a sporting experience that transcended the football game which I had traveled to see. My family and I were invited to go to the Texas A&M v. Baylor game. I was very excited as I enjoy visiting College Station (my oldest son is a freshman there) and this game had bowl implications. If the Aggies won, they would be bowl eligible for the first time in a while with six wins. In addition, I have a distant connection to the Aggies as I coached Matt Sherman (son of Aggie Coach) at STH. I really believe his dad will be a huge success in Aggieland. However, the biggest reason for my excitment was due to the fact that this was my first gametime visit to Kyle Field. Despite having watched a large number of A&M games in my almost 21 years in Texas, I had never gone to one of their games - I could not have imagined how amazing the experience would be.

The experience began shortly after our arrival with the Corps "Step Off". Watching the entire Corps of Cadets marching to the stadium reminded me of my time in the Army. We were in the middle of the boulevard as they marched past - very cool to see them on both sides of you and chilling at the same time. After watching the Corps march we moved through the hordes of supporters and tailgaters. It was a fantastic festival atmosphere in which everyone seemed to be full of excitment and anticipation. A visitor is struck by the friendliness of everyone, of course it does not hurt if you have Aggie kit on!

The pre-game rituals (yell leaders and drumming the team on the field) were impressive, but not as impressive of watching roughly 40,000 students file into the student section. Amazing! The 12th Man support throughout the game is truely unique to college football and perhaps in all of college sports. However, my favorite part of the day was the halftime performance of the Fighting Aggie Band. I have seen them on TV, but nothing beats being there and man, the band was something to brag about!

I remember ten years ago when the Bonfire tragedy occured and while I shared the sorrow of all my fellow Texans, I was a bit perplexed by the outpouring of grief by Aggies I knew. I didn't get it. My day in Aggieland gave me to a sudden understanding of it all. Aggies love their school, the team, and each other. The traditions which are a part of their four (or five or six) years at A&M meld them together with a shared experience. It becomes a part of who they are - and they spend the rest of their life serving as keepers of those traditions. They take care of their own and delight in allowing the uninitiated to share in their experience. Thank you Aggieland for a great day and an experience that was only remotely about a football game. I drank the Kool-Aide and man does it taste good!

Former Eagles and Future Eagles

Former St. Thomas Eagles Varsity Rugby players Andres Diaz and Conor Mills were named to the USA U20 All American squad which will compete against the New Zealand U21 Academies squad in Santa Barbara, California over Christmas break. Diaz, currently a sophomore and playing for Texas A&M University, was named to the U20 squad last year and competed at the Junior World Cup in Kenya. Diaz was also a member of the U18 squad that went to England in 2008. Mills, a freshman who is also at A&M, was named to the U18 USA National team last year. He was a starter on the U17 squad that went 2-1 at the prestigious Millfield Tournament in 2008. Both players are starters for the A&M squad that is currently ranked #11 in the United States.

Texas A&M v. University of Texas

The Texas A&M Aggies squared off against long-time rival the Texas Longhorns at the Polo Grounds on Saturday Nov. 14. As always, there was a large and vocal crowd there to support both squads. The Aggies were looking to establish their dominance in TRU Cup play. They had easy wins early in the season against Sam Houston State(48-3), Oklahoma (51-3), and Nebraska (57-7) and felt that an improved Texas squad would provide a stiffer challenge. The Longhorns had added a number of new players (Australians, English, and Irish players) and looked to provide some serious competition for A&M.

In the end, the Aggies dominated the game from start to finish for a 42-12 win. While Texas was very physical they had trouble containing the athletic Aggie backline. Led by freshman #10 Conor Mills, the backline used hard-earned ball from the forwards and scored repeatedly. The Aggie forwards, led by #8 Conor Bertrand and #7 Chris Parker controlled the breakdown and were absolutely ferocious defensively. #13 Joey Talley made a number of vicious hits on his Longhorn opposite number, making a huge impact on the match. As a result of the physical defensive play, the Longhorns had virtually no "go forward" ball. In the end, the Aggies' physical dominance and conditioning paid big dividends in the win.

Mills, who scored 17 points in the match (2 tries, 2 conversions, and 1 penalty kick) was named Player of the Game for his performance.

Fans v. Supporters

It has been a fascinating football season and I had the good fortune to attend a ton of games. Based on observations from around the city I see a disturbing trend that has increased in negative "volume" over the years. The observation in question is fan behavior. Long gone are the days of "my team win or lose." They have been replaced by a growing number of "experts," who seem to know more than the coaches, and boo birds who vocalize their disenchantment loudly and proudly. Based on the fan behavior I have witnessed, I have come to the conclusion that "fans" are displaying a sense of entitlement to say whatever, whenever, they desire. While there have always been disgruntled supporters, what shocks me, is their derision is now directed at their own team- sometimes even their own kids. Wow, when did high school football get replaced by the NFL? It is one thing to beat up on a grown man making millions, but an entirely different issue when directed toward an adolescent who is giving his best to represent his school. I fear we have truly lost the plot!

While I fear that soceital trends cannot be changed by one man, it is often one man who makes a difference, so in that light I offer my solution to this growing problem. We need to adopt the rugby model of supporter rather than fan. To be sure, rugby has it share of hooligans and idiots who attend matches, but their loyalty to their team is never in question. A supporter is someone who gets behind their team and regardless the score is there to cheer and lend moral support- win, lose, or draw.

A perfect example is 2008 European Champion Munster (Ireland). Munster is an amazing story which bears some examination. Munster is famous for their support of their side and their stadium in Limmerick is considered one of the loudest in the world. They consistently travel with more supporters than their opposition has at its own home stadium. While they are intense in their support of the homeside, they show their opposition the respect accorded to an opponent well-met on the field of competition. Last summer Munster played the New Zealand All Blacks in Limmerick. The match was a brilliant one and it all came down to a All Black penalty kick for the win. One could imagine that the stadium would be deafening in an effort to throw the kicker's concentration off, but instead there was absolute silence. When Dan Carter made the kick, the crowd applauded his efforts. What an amazing display of sportsmanship! I cannot imagine an American crowd responding that way.

Poor fan behavior is symptomatic of the "win at all costs" attitude that permiates our society. What are sports really about? The giant high school stadiums, millions in resources, and win at all cost mentality seems to reflect adults vicariously basking in the glory of their youth. God help the team and coaches when they lose, because this is wrongly seen as a personal affront - a poor reflection on the adults. Perhaps its time we give the game back to the kids and use it once again as a vehicle to teach sportsmanship, work ethic, teamwork, love of comrades and the game. Maybe we can learn something from our Irish cousins and go home from the game with a smile on our face, win, lose or draw - because we supported our team, who played their hearts out for us and demonstrated all those virtues that make sport such an amazing experience. Lets be supporters and let the fans go to the Texans' games.