Coach's Favorite

It is completely expected, at this point in a winless season, that frustrations will start to emerge. One expressed concern that I recently heard was that I have "favorites" and that those players are the only ones who get any playing time. I was initially defensive about that comment, but as I let the thought settle on a reflective heart, I started to admit to myself, that my accuser may actually be on to something.

I absolutely admit that I do indeed play my favorite players, but not for the reasons that calling them my favorites might imply. As a player, and now as a coach, when there is discussion of a"coach's favorite," it is never a compliment. It often refers to the players who have the best relationship with the coach and who sidle up next to him/her weasling playing time that is often undeserved. My issue with that definition is that it is not the way I would define the favorite players who play for this team. For this team, the players who earn playing time are favored for hard work, experience, consistency, commitment, talent, dependability and guts. Unlike the perception of players who are feeling unfavored, the players who play are not "given" favors, they absolutely earn them.

Our team has regular opportunities for players to get some extra shooting or technical work. The shootarounds are open to any and all players who hope to improve in some skill area. Monday's shootaround included 3 of my "favorite" players, a back up goalie and me. I don't expect that all of the players will be there, but the consistency of voluntary practice pays off in improvement for the players who attend. Technique can be tweaked, and repetition and individualized instruction can happen there.

It is not the taking advantage of opportunity that makes a player the coach's favorite, but what is borne out of making the most from the opportunities given is favorable for any player who truly wants to get better.

The traditional "favorite" player doesn't have to even show up for extra work...they get the advantages without trying. My favorite players keep working no matter who or where they are and strive to keep the spot that they have worked so hard to earn.

Family Weekend

There is a reason the women on this team are of such great character, and the reason becomes clear when they are each flanked by supporting family and friends. We enjoyed the presence of many parents and siblings at the family weekend festivities this past weekend, and although the performance at the game was lacking, the company at the potluck and the fun at the golf outing partially made up for the disappointment of the non-conference loss.

The players all introduced the visitors who joined us for the day, and then the entire group participated in a rousing game of ultimate ninja. It was entertaining to watch how the competitive streak runs so deep in some families. Sunday morning, a handful of players, alums and parents met at the local country club for a fun morning of golf and socializing. The weather could not have been better, and it was truly an amazing weekend.

Practices have been better the past two days, and the team is determined to show better in the next few matches. Tomorrow we will open our WIAC conference games with UW-Eau Claire, and then follow it up immediately with a game Friday against UW-Stevens Point. Both Eau Claire and Point have traditionally done well in both WIAC conference play and on into the NCAAs. We aspire to compete with such programs, and tomorrow will be a great test of the mettle of this team.

We are coming off a disappointing performace against Augustana. The team who had competed so well in the previous games, was not the team that took the field on Saturday. It was a lull the team hopes not to repeat, and it will take focus and intensity from the entire team to pull off wins in the two upcoming games.

Optimistic Losers

You would think after three straight losses, we would be hanging our heads and disappointed about how things are shaping up, but we are not. Don't get me wrong, we would be happy to be on the other end of these 1-0 losses, but there is so much to be excited about, it is hard to remember that we have not scored a goal yet, and we are winless for the 2009 season. True, we have not scored a goal, and ties and wins have eluded us, but so many great things have happened.

We are creating opportunities, possessing with purpose, defending with intensity and continuing to get better each half. It is our goal to improve each half that we play, and so far we have accomplished that goal. We have some bigger goals that we need to start scoring and winning to achieve, but I think we can all sense that the flood gates will eventually open. We have half returners and half freshmen, and that makes for an interesting mix. It has potential for difficulty, but these women have decided that it is going to be a non-issue. They have come together so quickly and with more chemistry than we could have hoped for, and the goal now is to keep that going as classes start and people begin to flood the campus and dorms.

We are in phase two of our three phase motto this year. We want to "come together, stay together, work together." We have come together just fine, and now that there are a number of distractions that could seep into the mix, we need to focus on staying together. When those two things happen, it will be easier to continue to work together, and I have every confidence that good things are going to happen for this 2009 team. Records cannot speak to how entertaining and well-played our first three contests have been.

The next three matches will be just as entertaining as we come upon some tough competition, but I feel we are more prepared for that portion of our seasonhan we would have been had we chosen to lighten our load at the start. Playing good teams only makes us better...and that is working so far.