I met this week with a man from the state department of education. He was reviewing our academic offerings at the high school and recommending changes that would help us improve. Over and over he would compliment our work and then say, "now, this is great but how can we take this good program and make it great?" He was a former coach so he kept using analogies like, "OK, this is a 7-4 team, how do we become undefeated." The amazing thing is, decisions were made that the teachers bought into and when the meeting was over everyone wanted to improve their programs because they liked being challenged.
I walked away from that meeting asking myself the same question about the football program. How do we take our 7-4 team and create a great program? There's no question that it's possible. Snowflake was a terror 15 years ago. Nobody wanted to play them because they were big, strong and they always won. Then I realized, that's a long time ago.
Therein lies the problem. I think I can illustrate it best by relating a visit I had recently from one of our coaches. After smalltalk, he asked if I knew the proud history of the athletic program. He was concerned that I was discounting all that had been accomplished at the school when I was asking for change.
I grew up playing Snowflake in most of the sports. I remember getting beat by them 60-0 my Junior year. They went on to win the State Championship. So, yes I had a pretty good idea of the things that had been done in the past.
My question is, and I directed it to this coach, "Yes, we had a great winning tradition, we had state championships, we were a feared school. But when was our last state championship? I don't mean individual championship like Wrestling, or cumulative championship like in track, but a team championship? This coach couldn't think of one in the past 10 years. My point was proven.
We are hanging on to a past life of greatness. I'm not a part of that past life. All I see is what is. Every coach laments for what they could have had if only something would have been different. I want to say at the end of my coaching career that I never sat back and waited for someone to do something so my teams could be successful. I don't care about what we were. That's for the old men to talk about. I care about what we are because that's what my players will remember when they are the old men.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
THINGS I WISH I KNEW IN HIGH SCHOOL
Everyone has a different experience with high school sports. I had the experience to be trained by one of the better coaches in the state in Coach Hoyt. When I graduated 8th grade, the weight program was non-existent and I watched as Coach Hoyt took that program from nothing to something special in four years.
With all this great teaching, I still look back and would improve on what I did. This list is short because of great coaching but if it helps anyone, then it's worth writing.
1. I would lift harder.
First of all I didn't start lifting until I was a sophomore. Lifting weights wasn't a part of the athletic programs like it is now. I lifted hard and had some good max lifts for a high school athlete but now that I know more, I wonder how much better I could have been if I'd actually been in a "program" that pushed me.
I think one of the reasons I really like the program that I'm using now is that it is what I wish I had when I was in high school.
2. Running long distance doesn't have much benefit for trained athletes.
I ran about 5-9 miles a week depending on what we were doing at practice. I had been told that running would get me in shape; so I ran. I didn't work on agility much and sprinting was a necessary evil that I would do once a month.
The real problem was that I burned off most of my calories by running. I'd eat like a horse, (8 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch) and then work out and then run 2 miles home. Instead of letting the calories build muscle, I burned them off by running. Make no mistake, I got ripped but not very big and my strength suffered for it as well.
3. Getting a scholarship takes effort and you need to start your sophomore year.
I was the typical small town athlete. I assumed someone would walk in and hand me a "full ride" if I was good enough to deserve it. Since then I've realized that getting a scholarship is all about networking and getting your name out to the coaches. I was offered a full scholarship to NAU because I attended one of their camps and they noticed me. I had letters coming from all over because my coach put my name on a mailing list.
4. You don't have to choose between going on a mission and getting a scholarship.
Knowing what you will do when you graduate will allow you to make good decisions. I sat across from the table from the NAU coach and he offered me a full ride and I had to turn him down because I was going to go on a mission. My mistake was trying to pursue two things that I couldn't do at the same time, a mission, and play football in college.
There's a rumor out there of the phantom "school that will hold your scholarship" but most of the time that's just a promise to look at you again when you get back. BYU now has a "prefered walk on" program for athletes they are interested in that have recently returned from missions. But make no mistake, no school is going to keep a scholarship in their hands when they can give it to a good player immediately. If you come back and they want you bad enough, they will find a scholarship for you.
If I could do it over again I would pursue a college scholarship differently. I would make it very clear to all the coaches that I was interested in playing for them after I returned from my mission. Then instead of remembering me as the kid that lead them on and then dropped the "mission bomb", I could be the kid that was a good player that was worth talking to when I got back.
5. Having no regrets is awesome.
I can honestly say I did everything I knew how to do to improve and to play hard. The awards and certificates don't compare. When the final whistle blows, it's a great feeling to know that you left it all on the field, not only in how you played, but in how you prepared. If I could give my athletes one thing it would be the experience of walking off the field having spend their time wisely.
6. You don't need a girlfriend, parties, or video games to survive.
This is more of a truth than a regret. I never had a girlfriend and I still survived socially. My parents made the expectations very clear and I'll set those expectations with my kids. "DON"T GET A GIRLFRIEND." It just makes the world less complicated and safer. I was focussed and I was good and that helped more than any physical preparation I could have done.
As for parties, I'm talking about booze and drugs. Obviously you don't need those.
Video games are a scourge to our kids. They are an alternate reality that makes us feel like we've accomplished something. There's nothing wrong with taking time off every once in a while but don't sacrifice your time for worthless play.
It takes hard work to be great. It takes more now than it did 10 years ago. What I did in high school isn't enough to win now. As the sports world gets more competitive Snowflake is going to stay on top because we like hard work and we're willing to do it.
With all this great teaching, I still look back and would improve on what I did. This list is short because of great coaching but if it helps anyone, then it's worth writing.
1. I would lift harder.
First of all I didn't start lifting until I was a sophomore. Lifting weights wasn't a part of the athletic programs like it is now. I lifted hard and had some good max lifts for a high school athlete but now that I know more, I wonder how much better I could have been if I'd actually been in a "program" that pushed me.
I think one of the reasons I really like the program that I'm using now is that it is what I wish I had when I was in high school.
2. Running long distance doesn't have much benefit for trained athletes.
I ran about 5-9 miles a week depending on what we were doing at practice. I had been told that running would get me in shape; so I ran. I didn't work on agility much and sprinting was a necessary evil that I would do once a month.
The real problem was that I burned off most of my calories by running. I'd eat like a horse, (8 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch) and then work out and then run 2 miles home. Instead of letting the calories build muscle, I burned them off by running. Make no mistake, I got ripped but not very big and my strength suffered for it as well.
3. Getting a scholarship takes effort and you need to start your sophomore year.
I was the typical small town athlete. I assumed someone would walk in and hand me a "full ride" if I was good enough to deserve it. Since then I've realized that getting a scholarship is all about networking and getting your name out to the coaches. I was offered a full scholarship to NAU because I attended one of their camps and they noticed me. I had letters coming from all over because my coach put my name on a mailing list.
4. You don't have to choose between going on a mission and getting a scholarship.
Knowing what you will do when you graduate will allow you to make good decisions. I sat across from the table from the NAU coach and he offered me a full ride and I had to turn him down because I was going to go on a mission. My mistake was trying to pursue two things that I couldn't do at the same time, a mission, and play football in college.
There's a rumor out there of the phantom "school that will hold your scholarship" but most of the time that's just a promise to look at you again when you get back. BYU now has a "prefered walk on" program for athletes they are interested in that have recently returned from missions. But make no mistake, no school is going to keep a scholarship in their hands when they can give it to a good player immediately. If you come back and they want you bad enough, they will find a scholarship for you.
If I could do it over again I would pursue a college scholarship differently. I would make it very clear to all the coaches that I was interested in playing for them after I returned from my mission. Then instead of remembering me as the kid that lead them on and then dropped the "mission bomb", I could be the kid that was a good player that was worth talking to when I got back.
5. Having no regrets is awesome.
I can honestly say I did everything I knew how to do to improve and to play hard. The awards and certificates don't compare. When the final whistle blows, it's a great feeling to know that you left it all on the field, not only in how you played, but in how you prepared. If I could give my athletes one thing it would be the experience of walking off the field having spend their time wisely.
6. You don't need a girlfriend, parties, or video games to survive.
This is more of a truth than a regret. I never had a girlfriend and I still survived socially. My parents made the expectations very clear and I'll set those expectations with my kids. "DON"T GET A GIRLFRIEND." It just makes the world less complicated and safer. I was focussed and I was good and that helped more than any physical preparation I could have done.
As for parties, I'm talking about booze and drugs. Obviously you don't need those.
Video games are a scourge to our kids. They are an alternate reality that makes us feel like we've accomplished something. There's nothing wrong with taking time off every once in a while but don't sacrifice your time for worthless play.
It takes hard work to be great. It takes more now than it did 10 years ago. What I did in high school isn't enough to win now. As the sports world gets more competitive Snowflake is going to stay on top because we like hard work and we're willing to do it.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
IT STARTS THIS SUMMER
I've spent a lot of time looking into different strength programs and researching the programs that bring the best results. I believe I've found the program that will take us to the next level. Now, before we break out the party hats, you have to remember some things.
First, programs are tools and they only work as well as they are followed. We will see results when the athletes comply with the workouts. I think these workouts are fun and challenging and leave enough room for variety that the athletes will want to work out.
Second, we still have a lot of work to do to get a weight room that meets the minimum needs of the atheltes. I'm not talking about machines. I'm talking about good old fashioned dumbbells. I know it's hard to believe but we need about 30,000 to get the weight room into decent shape. However, we'll make due and improve what we can.
I'm going to adopt Joe Defranco's training system that he's used for years to train some of the best atheltes in the country. The results of his program speak for themselves. The workouts are exciting and, more importantly, are built on good science.
I've included a link under the "LINKS" section to the right if you'd like to do some research of your own on what he does.
First, programs are tools and they only work as well as they are followed. We will see results when the athletes comply with the workouts. I think these workouts are fun and challenging and leave enough room for variety that the athletes will want to work out.
Second, we still have a lot of work to do to get a weight room that meets the minimum needs of the atheltes. I'm not talking about machines. I'm talking about good old fashioned dumbbells. I know it's hard to believe but we need about 30,000 to get the weight room into decent shape. However, we'll make due and improve what we can.
I'm going to adopt Joe Defranco's training system that he's used for years to train some of the best atheltes in the country. The results of his program speak for themselves. The workouts are exciting and, more importantly, are built on good science.
I've included a link under the "LINKS" section to the right if you'd like to do some research of your own on what he does.
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