It's been a long time... yes... I know... but in all fairness, my boss (and daughter, thank you) has kept me quite busy... AND IT'S BEEN GREAT! You know I was never an assistant coach until last year. It's very much underrated! I mean... you get to work with kids in a sport you love and don't have to deal with their parents (sorry Christie, I did it long enough. Now it's your turn... :) )
Seriously, the thing that continually captivates me about the "assistant coach" thing is the freedom to truly observe the young student athlete. Although they come in all sizes and shapes (totally true even though I'm observing girls cross country and track) they, for the most part, have a few "in common" traits. They (at least at Kingwood) are mostly academically oriented... they (like HS girls across the land) want to fit in... they want to please (sometimes the coach... sometimes peers... sometimes boys... sometimes parents...etc), they often cry when they do well, and cry when they do not do well...
I suppose the word "freedom" would summarize an assistant coach's approach. Although that entails freedom from the "headaches" of dealing with parents, it also encapsulates freedom from the energizing motivation of having your every decision be scrutinized by, at the very least, self evaluation in light of ALL other programs past, present and future... Christie, Juris ... you're truly doing great!
