That Old Feeling (09-21-09)

Saturday I got to do something I haven’t done for fifteen years: coach volleyball.

Now, as a small town principal, I am used to wearing a lot of hats. In the last four years, I have mopped floors and taught in classrooms, answered phones and built bookshelves. I have served food and taken out trash, driven suburbans and painted walls. Every now and then I even get to be a principal.

But before Saturday, I had never before been asked to coach.

This is not a bad thing. Of all my skills, coaching an athletic team is at the bottom of the list. Growing up in a big city, attending large schools, and not being much of an athlete, I never played any organized sports in school. Sure, there were plenty of pick up games, and I played a lot of tennis with friends, but I never was part of a team.

Then, during my first two years of teaching, I was given the opportunity to assist the Wheatland Junior High girls’ coach. Wheatland was such a small school, that both 7th and 8th grade shared a gym class at the end of the day, which was when they practiced junior high sports. During my first two years, my prep period happened to fall on the last hour. Seeing my lack of athletic experience, the superintendent encouraged me to help out with the junior high practices. Before I knew it, I was an unofficial assistant coach.

I was not paid to help, but the experience compensated me in many other ways. First, I finally got to feel what it was like to be part of a team. The camaraderie, the feeling that I was part of something bigger than myself, the adrenaline rush of competition, all these were tremendous rewards.

I also learned that while I could not play the sports I was coaching, I could still contribute as a motivator. While the head coach went over technique, I could offer my observations about things like teamwork, attitude and visualization. Overall, it was a tremendously thrilling time in my life.

My third year, the schedule changed and my prep period no longer lined up with gym/practice. I was content to lead the forensics teams, the student council, and direct four plays a year. I suppose growing up teamless made me a bit of a “team junkie,” as I have enjoyed leading teams (or directing plays) my entire career.

So when Coach Schulz asked if I could fill in as the “C” team coach during the Felton tournament on Saturday (during the times that all three teams were scheduled to play simultaneously), I was hesitant, nervous, but also excited. Basically, that old feeling had returned! I was part of a team again, and though I didn’t have the technical expertise, I could do my best to motivate.

We lost the first match in two games, mainly because of our serving. I talked to the girls about concentration and visualization. Mainly, I told them to slow down. “Breath, smile, and take your time. This is not life or death. This is supposed to be fun.”

I don’t know if my advice did any good, although I will say that the girls won their other three matches, and they did serve a lot better. But winning and losing isn’t the point. Playing together and learning together, winning together and losing together, that’s the value of team sports. There is nothing like being part of a team, and I am glad I got to experience “that old feeling” one more time.