a year of hockey coaching
So, we're at the end of the hockey season, in which I coached our D-grade team - lowest team of 3.
Let's say, there's a reason these players are Team 3.
The unfortunate part is that it's not all the same reason. Some are as good as they're going to get - older women playing socially for fun. Some are people who aren't good enough to be in Team 1 and who get into personality politics too much to be in Team 2 (the coach of whom is pretty particular). Some players are young and on their way up, and others are just new to the game, or coming back after an absence of several years.
Which makes coaching them all together a difficult proposition. Some need skills training, others need practise in trusting their team-mates and working as a team, and some just need to "play nice with the other kids".
And while I can do authority, I don't have the force of personality that makes people stop and take notice. I'm better as a quiet mover in the middle of the team, not leading from the front. So coaching them was a big challenge, and I don't know if I'm going to do it next year. Part of it depends if I can play myself - in which case, no, I'm not going to coach and play.
The coaching gig probably wasn't helped by the loss of a couple of 'anchors' from the team - one woman who's played in that team for about 6 years decided not to play because she works for the Electoral Commission (and it's a Federal Election Year, so her work = crazy), and last year's team captain who moved up to Team 2. None of the remaining personalities have the kind of 'mover in the middle' attitude that would have helped settle the team. Annoying Former President has the force of personality, but she's more focused on it being About Her And Her Opinions than about the team - which is why she doesn't play in Team 2.
There were saving graces.
A Team 2 player who dropped down to Team 3 at her request, and who I know from playing in Team 2 last year. Solid, she knows what she's doing, how to do it, and doesn't give trouble. (Thank God for Apes as a solid centre forward, because I had two wings who were pretty clueless and three inners who can't think ahead when the ball's in play.)
A young player who is a bottle rocket - she's only 14, although she's been known to the club for a good 10 years - her mum and older sister play in Team 1. However, while she's better than just about anyone else on the team as far as skills go, she needs to learn how to be a team player, not a solo star. If she comes back next year, then I'll push the passing-the-ball attitude on her.
A coming-back-after-decades player who threw herself fully into the game, came to training, listened, and learned, and who's going to get my 'Coach's Encouragement Award' because she's improved beyond all measure. She even brought her daughter into the comp (daughter was playing goalie for juniors), and her daughter is lovely - a sweet, shy teenager, without The Bottle-Rocket's confidence, but a different personality entirely.
A potential problem is one of the inners - a good runner, a good chaser of the ball, but has the potential to be as much of a personality problem with back-biting and gossipy talk as Annoying Former President, just in a different way. And her 'friend' is Belligerent Drunk from my previous post - who generally has problems with authority and being told what to do even when sober; not a good combination for a player in a team.
You see what I mean about why these people are in Team 3? Personality counts for a lot - if you can't manage your personality within a team context, then you're more or less useless to a team. This isn't the Olympics; we're not going to forgive your asshole behaviour in the name of winning. And - at least when we're talking Team 2 and Team 1 - if the coach doesn't like you and your attitude, they're not going to put up with your play.
Anyway, Presentation Night is this Friday. We'll see how it all goes...
--
On another note; if Division Chief emails me again today to 'see how it's all going' then I'm going to assume I'm under Serious Surveillance, and it might be time to go looking for another job.
This is mostly a memory-dump for future reference.
Let's say, there's a reason these players are Team 3.
The unfortunate part is that it's not all the same reason. Some are as good as they're going to get - older women playing socially for fun. Some are people who aren't good enough to be in Team 1 and who get into personality politics too much to be in Team 2 (the coach of whom is pretty particular). Some players are young and on their way up, and others are just new to the game, or coming back after an absence of several years.
Which makes coaching them all together a difficult proposition. Some need skills training, others need practise in trusting their team-mates and working as a team, and some just need to "play nice with the other kids".
And while I can do authority, I don't have the force of personality that makes people stop and take notice. I'm better as a quiet mover in the middle of the team, not leading from the front. So coaching them was a big challenge, and I don't know if I'm going to do it next year. Part of it depends if I can play myself - in which case, no, I'm not going to coach and play.
The coaching gig probably wasn't helped by the loss of a couple of 'anchors' from the team - one woman who's played in that team for about 6 years decided not to play because she works for the Electoral Commission (and it's a Federal Election Year, so her work = crazy), and last year's team captain who moved up to Team 2. None of the remaining personalities have the kind of 'mover in the middle' attitude that would have helped settle the team. Annoying Former President has the force of personality, but she's more focused on it being About Her And Her Opinions than about the team - which is why she doesn't play in Team 2.
There were saving graces.
A Team 2 player who dropped down to Team 3 at her request, and who I know from playing in Team 2 last year. Solid, she knows what she's doing, how to do it, and doesn't give trouble. (Thank God for Apes as a solid centre forward, because I had two wings who were pretty clueless and three inners who can't think ahead when the ball's in play.)
A young player who is a bottle rocket - she's only 14, although she's been known to the club for a good 10 years - her mum and older sister play in Team 1. However, while she's better than just about anyone else on the team as far as skills go, she needs to learn how to be a team player, not a solo star. If she comes back next year, then I'll push the passing-the-ball attitude on her.
A coming-back-after-decades player who threw herself fully into the game, came to training, listened, and learned, and who's going to get my 'Coach's Encouragement Award' because she's improved beyond all measure. She even brought her daughter into the comp (daughter was playing goalie for juniors), and her daughter is lovely - a sweet, shy teenager, without The Bottle-Rocket's confidence, but a different personality entirely.
A potential problem is one of the inners - a good runner, a good chaser of the ball, but has the potential to be as much of a personality problem with back-biting and gossipy talk as Annoying Former President, just in a different way. And her 'friend' is Belligerent Drunk from my previous post - who generally has problems with authority and being told what to do even when sober; not a good combination for a player in a team.
You see what I mean about why these people are in Team 3? Personality counts for a lot - if you can't manage your personality within a team context, then you're more or less useless to a team. This isn't the Olympics; we're not going to forgive your asshole behaviour in the name of winning. And - at least when we're talking Team 2 and Team 1 - if the coach doesn't like you and your attitude, they're not going to put up with your play.
Anyway, Presentation Night is this Friday. We'll see how it all goes...
--
On another note; if Division Chief emails me again today to 'see how it's all going' then I'm going to assume I'm under Serious Surveillance, and it might be time to go looking for another job.
This is mostly a memory-dump for future reference.