Multi sport athlete. Single sport coach.

Great people make great coaches. Great coaches make great people.  

It is a constant. The two are connected, and rely on one another. Thankfully so.

My question for today is:

What happens when a two or three sport athlete meets a single sport coach?

That happens more than is discussed, and often leads to some conflicts of interest, conflicts of purpose, and conflicts in the direction of the most important person in the equation. The multiple sport student athlete.

I feel like I need to repeat this. The most important person in the coach-athlete equation is the athlete. The student-athlete. The multiple sport student-athlete. As unpopular as this may sound, this little fact is far too often forgotten. Ready for this? The coaches are there for the student athletes interests. Not the parents. Not the administration. Not the fans. Not the coach himself. The coach is there for the student athlete.

It is far too common to hear stories of coaches coaxing, nudging, encouraging, and down right demanding that the student athlete not participate in another sport. Studies have shown that participating in multiple sports gives these student athletes advantages over their single sport counterparts. From developing a diverse set of skills, to better conditioning and the using of different muscle groups, there are many advantages.

Why would a coach push for single sport participation?

Selfishness. That is the answer that comes to mind immediately. Pure selfishness. Thinking solely about their team, their sport, and how the student athlete benefits THEM. I know that some coaches will say that its so that the player can pay more attention to the sport that they are best at, or more attention and time to develop the skills needed for them to play that single sport at the next level. Or maybe, they will say that the student athlete is not good enough, and needs to work harder. Or even that they are doing the student athlete a favor. They are helping them.

No. They aren’t.

Most high level, top of the standard college coaches will tell you that they prefer student athletes who have learned to use their skills in different situations. Each sport requires a different skill set, and different problem solving ability. A different conditioning program. Use of different muscle groups. Different abilities to adjust to what the sports puts in front of them.

I am not sure why this is still an issue. Coaches should be thrilled that the student athlete is learning to work in small spaces, getting longer in strides or shorter in strides, to be more explosive in traffic, and to be explosive in space. Most coaches would appreciate the assistance in getting an athlete better during his improvement season, rather than using the same muscles and skills that he or she already has. You would think that getting more comfortable with their bodies in different situations would be a benefit, and not a problem.

What I would hope is that the great coaches will remember why they are there, and for whom they are there. What I would hope is that the parents remind both the coaches and the student athletes of what their constant top focus and priorities are. The student athlete. And that the parents will remember that as well. They should be the light and not the corner. They should be the yes instead of the caution. They should be the parent, loving, directing, and celebrating the student athlete.

As for the student athlete, please remember why you are there. Why we are all there.

For you.

As a coach, parent, or other, please remember who you are there for.

Next question?

Why?

Great players and coaches make great plans. Great plans make great players and coaches.

Great plans make great players. Great players make great plans.  

Action in love. Love in action.

Re-read those sentences. I am posting this for the benefit of those coaches, parents, and athletes who are heading into their summer practices and seasons. I am here to help. I am here to tell you the truth. I am here to make this easier for you all.

You determined the path of your season and success before it started. No, not today. YESTERDAY. Whatever you did yesterday, and its yesterday, and another yesterday has already determined what will happen today and tomorrow. True story. What will be has already been done. You determined it in your actions and your love of what you are about to attempt. Already done. Did you do it? Did you do everything?

Wait. The regular season has not started yet. Its probably the beginning of two a day practices, summer conditioning, playbook understanding, scheme introduction, and technique refinement. How can the season be determined already? This regular season was determined in the improvement season. I did not say OFF SEASON. I did not say RECOVERY season. I said IMPROVEMENT season.  I could have said STRENGTHENING Season. Or LEARNING season. Or WINNING season. That is when all of those things are won. That is when all of those things are earned. A coaching buddy likes to speak on NOTHING GIVEN, EVERYTHING EARNED. This happens before the lights come on, before the jerseys are handed out, before the names go on the roster, before the schedules are released, and before anyone knows who you are or how good you are. This is when you build, strengthen, grow, and improve.

This is when you win. Or, lose.Some of you are asking what to do if you have not put in the work of those you are competing against. What do you do about competing at the same level as those who were already better than you? How can you make the team better if you have not bettered yourself? How can you go where you have never gone if you haven’t done anything to take you there? How can you shine under the lights if you have not sweated your way there in the dark?

Those players and coaches who win have done the work. They prepared. They pondered. They considered. That’s why they are better. You have to have worked harder than those who are in front of you. And, get this…you have to work harder than those who are behind you. They certainly are working hard to catch you. And, to pass you.

There is is. You have to work harder than you ever have. That is where improvement is. It is testing yourself. Expanding your skill sets. Strengthening your body. Sharpening your intellect. Raising your sport IQ. Being a great teammate requires trust. Trust from the coach or players in the work you have put in. Trust in your team or teammates in your being ready for each situation and circumstance. Trust in the person next to you that you are prepared, willing, and able to handle what is next.

That same coaching buddy and I often spout about THE VACUUM. What are you putting in your vacuum? What are you putting in our vacuum. Is it good? Because that will occupy the vacuum. If it is not, THAT will occupy it. WHAT ARE YOU PUTTING IN IT? What did you put in it yesterday?

That is the truth, and the truth is always shown under the lights. Always. Always.

If you have not put in the work as your season starts, my apologies. Not to you, but to those around you. They will know and they will pay. They are one coach, parent, or coach in the red. That payment always comes due when the lights come on.

If your season has not come yet, get to work. Fill the vacuum. Pay the debt. Be in the black. That is where the games are won. In the dark. In the off…I mean..IMPROVEMENT season.

Go. Epic awaits. In the dark.

Thank you, Teachers. LovePrints in action.

Great people make great teachers. Great teachers make great people. Action in Love. Love in action. Thy name is…TEACHER!

That sentence could be completed if I said parent, coach, mentor, etc. Today is about the teachers.

Those paid servers. (service not wait). Those paid babysitters, psychologists, nurses, therapists, doctors, father and mother figures, hand holders, back patters, smile inducing, future seeing, greatness cheering, knowledge giving, ambition feeding, gift shopping do gooders. Those under paid, over worked, over looked, underappreciated, over taxed, underfunded, over booked, under heard, over criticized, under loved, over scrutinized, under supported, and over scheduled society builders.

Whew. I feel better.

Those things can be said about parents, coaches, mentors, etc. Today is about the teachers.

Love in action. Action in love.

Teachers must wear several hats on those educator heads of theirs. On any given day, at any given moment, for any given student in any given situation. They must see, identify, calculate, conclude, consider, reconsider, adjust, predict, acknowledge, confirm, and direct.

Teachers are asked to direct traffic, reroute roads from dark streets to light. They are required to know more than they share, share more than they have, and have what everyone needs at any given time. On each day, a different group of young people show up than the day before, more knowledgeable than they were, wanting more than they knew, expecting to be greater tomorrow after they are informed. Teachers are successful is raising the masses, raising the standard, and raising the consciousness of generations.

Action in love. Love in action.

Each year, a new group of young people are poured into new clothes and shipped off each day to the trusted hands, hearts, eyes, and minds of teachers across the land. Each year, new problems will arise, new home issues will arrive, and new angst will be delivered to their classroom doors. The teachers will be there, waiting and ready. They will have answers to questions, solutions to problems, advice for the needy and love for the lonely. They will have hugs, smiles, and wisdom. They will be love, and loved.

That’s who they are. Every year. Every class. Every day.

Some of you are teachers, parents, educators, coaches, and mentors as well. If you are several of these, go on, put your superhero cape on and wear it proudly. Let it speak for you. You deserve it.

In the meantime, I will speak of you. Out loud.

Go on teachers. Be epic. Be love out loud.

LovePrints go a long way. Ed Hunter and the Hunter Family

Thank you is such a simple thing to say. It always means more than the two words themselves. Always.

Great people make great families. Great Families make great people.

One of the reasons why I started LovePrints was to be able to say THANK YOU to people for who they are, what they have done, and what they are doing. These are people who did something along the way to form my life as it is. Some did these things on purpose, out loud, and directly. Some did so in my sight line and path, and in the shared path, became a part of my journey. I have said repeatedly that I am covered in LovePrints, and I will continue to share the good people who did this.

As most of you know, I am proud of my beginnings. I was raised by a community of family, friends, teachers, and coaches who barked when needed, smiled often, guided with firm yet gentle hands, and gave me a well lit path to walk on. Some did so without realizing that they had an army of young people following them. Or maybe they knew, and simply made it look like they didn't. What I can tell you is that the neighborhoods that I was raised and ran in were diverse, colorful, and loving. They were also full of people who taught by doing, who were constantly present, and cared enough to tell you what you needed to know rather than what you wanted to hear.

I talk a lot about the Black Knights community, the family and families, the brothers and sisters, and the teammates. The Black and Gold always managed to make the world seem large and comfortable at the same time. The names meant something because of the people that carried and honored them. And the families extended beyond the games, the fundraisers, and the colors. They extended into homes, playgrounds, parks, and fields. Among the names, Hunter was one that shines for me, and there are several reasons. The Hunters were a family. They were friends. They were my home away from home, and a landmark to my life. The beauty of this is that there are several families that could and will be talked about. Today, I want to focus on this family.

From first to the last, this family was always present. No matter if i was playing games, watching games, coaching games, or working games, they were present. From mom to daughter to brother, in family and friendship, always present. To provide light, direction, and advice. From keeping score, drinks for the teams, snacks for the coaches, and a pat on the back no matter how those games went. Always present.

At the top of this family is Ed Hunter. Coach. Dad. Pops. Sir. Always present. Always a transport. Always a wave from the corner house. Always a boundary. Always there to keep the lights on. Always there to give structure. Always there to give advice. Always there to growl if he saw something beneath you. Always there to smile if you were being a better version of yourself. Always there. Always.

The same can be said for the family, as could be said for many of the Black Knight families. But Ed, Karen, Eric, and Stacey are a great example of LovePrints. Theirs are all over Arlington County, and beyond. I would be failing if I did not use this space to tell them so. Ed, you made the county home for many. You made it better. I am saying thank you for a lot of us. You deserve it. Thank you Hunters, one and all.

LovePrints-Lyle Milham

Great people make great coaches. Great coaches make great people.

Let us never underestimate the power of great sports parents, especially when they cross over into coaching with the sole purpose of helping everyone grow. It does not happen all of the time, so when someone puts aside the idea of their kid being first and priority, you lean in. And when they get a group of parents and young people to lean in, something wonderful happens.

Such was the case in Riverton, Utah back in the early 2000's. I went to a little league practice with my adopted family and the son that was playing on the team, and I took perch on top of a small hill so that I had a distant few of the goings on. (Yes, I also intended to not be the butting in guy that I have so much distaste for!). I sat up in the Utah summer sun, roasted a bit, and was called to lean in as I saw the coach really making a point to laugh with his players during a water break. I had seen the uncertainty of the team, really young kids who may or may not had totally committed to the idea of playing football in this heat, wearing all of the pads and uniforms and getting hotter, or the running into one another at the fastest pace they could muster. Among the kids were some stars, some studs, and a lot of question marks. I watched and clapped in my head at their successes, clasped my fingers together and prayed at their falling down, and cheering when the coach got one of the questions to become an answer. I saw some things that I could add, but resisted. Temporarily.

I watched another days work, sat through practice and eyeballed from my spot atop the hill, only to be called down by a player with tears. He did not want to hit. He just did not. So, I found my way to him and whispered "It's going to be okay." He looked at me with the oddest of looks and asked how did I know. I simply said "I've been there. I was you a long time ago. He laughed at the big black guy telling the white kid from Utah that they were the same. I laughed too. I walked him over to the coach and handed him off after introducing myself to them both. We started talking about the practice, and then the drills, and then...oh no...im butting in. Doggone it. Im butting in. Well, at least Im not coaching.

The coach and I talked a bit more, and as I stood there a football whizzed near, and old habits die hard, I caught it. I had their attention. Another kid asks if I coach. (Do not say yes DP. Do not say yes. )

"Yes."

The next thing you know, its days letter and I am in the drills with the coach and the kids, beginning years of laughs, car rides, bus rides, hugs, over night sleepovers, ballgames, snow games, wins, championships, and love. That coach became one of my best friends, confidants, and sounding boards. He led this team, program, and community to some great moments, and I can easily say that I am a better coach from having stood next to him on the sidelines in Utah. No matter little league or high school, the conversations were the same. They were about how to raise these young men, how to address their needs, and how to make the parents proud of us all. They were about being decent on the field and off, about taking care of each other, and themselves. And, about winning.

I won when I met Coach Lyle Milham. We certainly won a lot together. His LovePrints are all over the state of Utah.

Well done buddy!