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Defining Success
On the eve of our next competitive season, anticipation is high as we think about what may happen over the next few weeks of games. Everything is at it's peak - parents are the most encouraging they will ever be. Coaches are enthusiastic and full of motivation for their players. And every young boy or girl putting on a uniform is full of excitement and eagerness to take the court and pursue a victory.
I've seen this same process every season for years now. Everyone is full of hope before the season begins. Yet, over time, something changes. It's very subtle. Slowly the postive feedback from the parents morphs to "constrictive criticism", and then often transforms to a car-ride-home-long dissertation about how their former "all-star" is now performing at sub-par levels, complete with play-by-play recounting of example after example of how "there just was not enough effort".
The change is not limited to parents, unfortunately. Players, especially youth athletes, feel many pressures to perform from many directions - mostly from themselves. The spring in the player's steps slowly is replaced by an intentional left-right-left-right march from practices to games and back to practices as their pre-season hopes are slowly dragged downwards amidst a flurry of self-criticism and cutting feedback from loves ones and coaches.
As coaches, we all start out preaching our comittment to a positive environment and building the youth of tomorrow through positive and encouraging interactions. But if we're not careful, we succumb to our competitive nature and we start coaching for scoreboard wins, rather than character wins in our players.
As I look forward to another competitive season, I would like to offer a definition of success by which we can measure this season, and every season hereafter. This is not my definition - I'm not nearly wise enough nor have I coached long enough to come up with this. Instead, I defer to one of the greatest coaches of all time, Mr. Jon Wooden. He defines success as follows:
"Success is peace of mind that is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming." - John Wooden, 1934
Whether we're a player, parent, or coach, I'd like to suggest that we hold firm to this time-tested definition and measure ourselves first by this standard, before we start analyzing others. Are we being the best parents that we are capable of being? What does that look like? How can we improve? Am I putting forth my best effort as a player and teammate? Do I give my team the best of my abilities and heart as a coach?
No matter what the scoreboards or standings may say at the end of this season, I know one thing for sure - Extreme Basketball will celebrate the successes throughout our entire organization. Every parent, every player, and every coach will look back on this season, like all of our seasons, with joy in our hearts knowing that when it comes to winning in our respective roles, we have given our best at all times.
Here's to another successful season! See you on the court!
Coach Rob
I've seen this same process every season for years now. Everyone is full of hope before the season begins. Yet, over time, something changes. It's very subtle. Slowly the postive feedback from the parents morphs to "constrictive criticism", and then often transforms to a car-ride-home-long dissertation about how their former "all-star" is now performing at sub-par levels, complete with play-by-play recounting of example after example of how "there just was not enough effort".
The change is not limited to parents, unfortunately. Players, especially youth athletes, feel many pressures to perform from many directions - mostly from themselves. The spring in the player's steps slowly is replaced by an intentional left-right-left-right march from practices to games and back to practices as their pre-season hopes are slowly dragged downwards amidst a flurry of self-criticism and cutting feedback from loves ones and coaches.
As coaches, we all start out preaching our comittment to a positive environment and building the youth of tomorrow through positive and encouraging interactions. But if we're not careful, we succumb to our competitive nature and we start coaching for scoreboard wins, rather than character wins in our players.
As I look forward to another competitive season, I would like to offer a definition of success by which we can measure this season, and every season hereafter. This is not my definition - I'm not nearly wise enough nor have I coached long enough to come up with this. Instead, I defer to one of the greatest coaches of all time, Mr. Jon Wooden. He defines success as follows:
"Success is peace of mind that is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming." - John Wooden, 1934
Whether we're a player, parent, or coach, I'd like to suggest that we hold firm to this time-tested definition and measure ourselves first by this standard, before we start analyzing others. Are we being the best parents that we are capable of being? What does that look like? How can we improve? Am I putting forth my best effort as a player and teammate? Do I give my team the best of my abilities and heart as a coach?
No matter what the scoreboards or standings may say at the end of this season, I know one thing for sure - Extreme Basketball will celebrate the successes throughout our entire organization. Every parent, every player, and every coach will look back on this season, like all of our seasons, with joy in our hearts knowing that when it comes to winning in our respective roles, we have given our best at all times.
Here's to another successful season! See you on the court!
Coach Rob
Keep your eyes on the fence
While I'd like to say that I get to coach basketball all the time, I, too, have a "regular job". And this reguar job has brought me to the wide open spaces of Wyoming this week, of all places. Now, for those of you who know me, I'm not exactly the cowboy country type. Fortunately there is a Starbuck's here in this town of 35,000, so at least I can cradle a 16 oz. cup of civilization while I watch the cows wander past. There is a lot of land up here, and as I look around me, it's as if the world goes on for miles and miles...and then just fades into the blue sky.
Being out here does give me time to reflect on the many blessings of my life, and really start to appreciate the many great people I have in my life. My wife, my best friend, is a gift from Heaven, and a perfect match for me. My kids are growing into wonderful young gentlemen. We have a good home, reliable transportation, and good health. Extreme continues to grow and attract talented young athletes who are genuinely good people. They are a blessing to be around, and I know I speak for our entire coaching staff when I say that we are humbled to have the opportunity to spend time with them, laugh a little, work hard, and play a little basketball.
Recently, I had a conversation with another coach about some decisions he needed to make for his organization. I could tell he was torn between choosing what would benefit him in the short-term, and what was right long-term for his team. We talked about it a bit, and I was saddened to see how strongly he was allowing himself to be influenced by the short-term opportunity he saw.
In a way, I can relate to that feeling. Building Extreme over the past 5 years has been a constant exercise in patience, hope, and most of all faith as we set out to make a difference for the youth that we work with, and to build an organization that will continue to grow and serve the community for years to come. There have been opportunities to take shortcuts, and we have probably made some decisions that slowed our growth along the way. But every time we come to an important decision, we ask ourselves, "What is the best thing to do for the Extreme organization 10 years from now?" By keeping our eyes on the futfure of Extreme and how we can make it better for our future players, we are offered a perspective on our present challenges that helps us make wise choices.
A rancher here in Wyoming told me that the best way to walk across a pasture is to keep your eyes on the opposite fence and keep walking. "Don't worry about what you get on your boots...you can scrape them off when you get to the other side." Unfortunately, my fellow coach was so focused on what he was standing IN, that he lost sight of where he was GOING. Perhaps you're going through something like this now? My encouragement to you is to keep your eyes on the horizon, make the best decisions you can that help you reach your goals, and I'll see you on the other side.
See you on the court!
Coach Rob
Being out here does give me time to reflect on the many blessings of my life, and really start to appreciate the many great people I have in my life. My wife, my best friend, is a gift from Heaven, and a perfect match for me. My kids are growing into wonderful young gentlemen. We have a good home, reliable transportation, and good health. Extreme continues to grow and attract talented young athletes who are genuinely good people. They are a blessing to be around, and I know I speak for our entire coaching staff when I say that we are humbled to have the opportunity to spend time with them, laugh a little, work hard, and play a little basketball.
Recently, I had a conversation with another coach about some decisions he needed to make for his organization. I could tell he was torn between choosing what would benefit him in the short-term, and what was right long-term for his team. We talked about it a bit, and I was saddened to see how strongly he was allowing himself to be influenced by the short-term opportunity he saw.
In a way, I can relate to that feeling. Building Extreme over the past 5 years has been a constant exercise in patience, hope, and most of all faith as we set out to make a difference for the youth that we work with, and to build an organization that will continue to grow and serve the community for years to come. There have been opportunities to take shortcuts, and we have probably made some decisions that slowed our growth along the way. But every time we come to an important decision, we ask ourselves, "What is the best thing to do for the Extreme organization 10 years from now?" By keeping our eyes on the futfure of Extreme and how we can make it better for our future players, we are offered a perspective on our present challenges that helps us make wise choices.
A rancher here in Wyoming told me that the best way to walk across a pasture is to keep your eyes on the opposite fence and keep walking. "Don't worry about what you get on your boots...you can scrape them off when you get to the other side." Unfortunately, my fellow coach was so focused on what he was standing IN, that he lost sight of where he was GOING. Perhaps you're going through something like this now? My encouragement to you is to keep your eyes on the horizon, make the best decisions you can that help you reach your goals, and I'll see you on the other side.
See you on the court!
Coach Rob
"...It came to pass."
The change of seasons marks the beginning of our busiest time of year. There seem to be so many things happening at the same time - tryouts, team registrations, coaching meetings, and somewhere in there we're all trying to spend time with our families. I'm blessed with a wife and family that understand and support my passion for this program, but even so, I never want to take that for granted.
With all the hustle and bustle going on, sometimes I find myself feeling anxious about how everything will work out. Have we forgotten something? Are we meeting all the deadlines? Do the newest players feel welcome and know what to expect? Are we making the best decisions that will benefit all the teams and players in the organization? All of this can be extremely overwhelming.
We all have coping mechanisms for times like these. It may be exercise, sleep, taking in a movie or trying a new restaurant, or simply going for a walk in the crisp fall air. There is a phrase that helps me remember to not get too deeply involved in my circumstances: "It came to pass." No matter how hectic life gets, situations always pass in time. Sure, it may take a while, but eventually everything restores itself to a natural order. It's the way life works. Our job is to stay persistent and patient through each season of our lives and we will find peace in time. I can do anything for a short time, and knowing that everything works out in time gives me the hope and energy to stay steady and keep moving forward.
As we all get pulled into the business of the Fall and Winter seasons, I hope we all remember to enjoy each moment, put our best foot forward and treat each other the best we can knowing that every one of our circumstances will pass in time.
See you on the court!
With all the hustle and bustle going on, sometimes I find myself feeling anxious about how everything will work out. Have we forgotten something? Are we meeting all the deadlines? Do the newest players feel welcome and know what to expect? Are we making the best decisions that will benefit all the teams and players in the organization? All of this can be extremely overwhelming.
We all have coping mechanisms for times like these. It may be exercise, sleep, taking in a movie or trying a new restaurant, or simply going for a walk in the crisp fall air. There is a phrase that helps me remember to not get too deeply involved in my circumstances: "It came to pass." No matter how hectic life gets, situations always pass in time. Sure, it may take a while, but eventually everything restores itself to a natural order. It's the way life works. Our job is to stay persistent and patient through each season of our lives and we will find peace in time. I can do anything for a short time, and knowing that everything works out in time gives me the hope and energy to stay steady and keep moving forward.
As we all get pulled into the business of the Fall and Winter seasons, I hope we all remember to enjoy each moment, put our best foot forward and treat each other the best we can knowing that every one of our circumstances will pass in time.
See you on the court!
New faces, new talent, new growth
It's 1:30am and we're just finishing the final roster selections for the upcoming 2010 Gold Crown Season. We had our most successful tryout yet, with players representing elementary and middle schools from all over Northern Colorado! All total, over 50 players, boys and girls, showed outstanding effort and enthusiasm under the watchful eye of the Extreme Coaching staff.
Standing in the gym this week, watching these young men and women compete against each other, and themselves was humbling for our staff. Not only did we see some impressive basketball talent, but more importantly we met many kids with outstanding heart and character. They pushed themselves to perform, and encouraged each other to achieve. It's too bad that we adults cannot always conduct ourselves in the same manner.
We look forward to this season, and to all of the breakthroughs we'll get to witness and share with the players. Thanks for a phenominal week!
See you on the court!
Coach Rob
Standing in the gym this week, watching these young men and women compete against each other, and themselves was humbling for our staff. Not only did we see some impressive basketball talent, but more importantly we met many kids with outstanding heart and character. They pushed themselves to perform, and encouraged each other to achieve. It's too bad that we adults cannot always conduct ourselves in the same manner.
We look forward to this season, and to all of the breakthroughs we'll get to witness and share with the players. Thanks for a phenominal week!
See you on the court!
Coach Rob
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