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| You don’t realize how much you don’t know or understand until you’re expected to know it all. And the pressure to have that insight and knowledge for the betterment of your team can either be the internal motivation needed to be successful or an overwhelming feeling of inadequacy. You have to choose which attitude to have and it has to be a consistent, intentional choice and action. I’ve found that what drives me is the hope that in my words and actions, I can somehow serve those around me in the ways they need most. You have to listen before you can lead and you have to learn before you can teach (or coach). Admit mistakes. Accept failures as means to grow from. Know that with experience and patience comes improvement and wisdom. I believe if you put the team and the individual first, above the wins and losses, you gain something so much more valuable than the game itself. But I’ve also learned that as important as it is to know the person behind the player and to invest in their lives, that sometimes, in order to be a good coach of the game itself, you can’t let your relationship with the “person” influence or determine too much of how you coach the game. You can’t make coaching the game personal, or at least there needs to be a balance found within coaching between the person and the player. To make it work, I think a coach must know what to give on and off the court. But I know, as a coach, I want to always care more about the person behind the player. If you have a sound knowledge of the game, an open mind to continue learning and trying new things, and if you lead with passion and conviction, people will follow. And you must never lose your love for the game. But above all, I believe love and personal sacrifice must be laid as the foundation, and at the core must be something the entire team shares, which is a faith in Jesus Christ and the bond we have in each other. | | |
| Long time no talk. I'm beginning to see a pattern with my blogsite postings. Sorry 'bout that... Well, I'm afraid this one will be short, but hopefully now that I've at least taken the time to post this small entry, it'll motivate me to come back. I hear some of you check my site every day for a new post  . Sorry to keep disappointing.... Since my last posting, I've gotten a full year's worth of college coaching under my belt and have found out what it feels like to live in Upland for the summer when all the students are gone (a little creepy, a little lonely, a little boring). In my first year of coaching I got the chance to experience the National Tournament with my team and make it all the way to the Elite 8. It was an incredible trip and opportunity to compete at that level! I loved every second of it and was so proud of our team! The only thing that would've made it slightly better was if I was still sportin' the #32 jersey  ...I never got the chance as a player to go to the national tourny, so it was pretty awesome to go there as a coach....Classes start back up at TU next Tuesday and we'll have our team meeting that night and then get right into preseason that Wednesday. It's gearin' up to be a pretty fun season I think. We have a lot of talent returning and a solid recruiting class coming in. I'm really excited to see what the season has in store for us...so, if you were wondering, you've probably figured out by now, I'll at least be in Upland coaching at TU for another year. After that, it's pretty up in the air. Right now, I'm leaning toward looking for a full-time teaching job at a local area school, so I can still help coach at TU. Well, like I said, this would be short and sweet. Ehaus is coming down to work out with me before we go to dinner and a movie with Coaches. Should be a fun time!...hopefully I'll be talking to you all soon! And for your reading pleasure, I'm attaching my "philosophy of coaching". I wrote the first half of it back in October or November and finished the last paragraph after the season ended. Love and miss you all!! | | |
| Yes, after many months and then some, I've decided to do a little "tweeking" on my blogsite. And although this posting isn't going to be much of an update or anything really, think of it as a movie trailer--like a preview of a movie you REALLY want to see, but you have to wait what seems like forever in anticipation before the Oscar buzzing movie comes out to satisfy your appetite.......but just think, it'll make it that much more rewarding when I finally do post an update. Maybe I'll be married with two kids by then. I mean my brother has his own baby girl now since I've last posted. Which, by the way Ella Grace is the cutest thing I've ever seen!! And Ella, if you happen to be reading this over your mom or dad's shoulder, you know I'm your favorite Aunt ; ). But, I'll understand if you have to pretend that KT is your favorite. You can throw a few more smiles and adorable "coos" in her direction to make her feel better. It'll be our little secret....So there you go. The longer I wait, the bigger the post : ). It all works out, so quit complaining. I am a busy 25yr old afterall....maybe I'll be 30 in the next one. Until then, play hard and smile til it hurts! I love you and miss you all!! ...by the way, in case ya'll were wondering, I'm back at Taylor University in Upland, IN (close to the city where "cool" was born!) as an assistant coach to the women's basketball team. I absolutely love it! I love the girls, the game, and just learning as much as I can about coaching at this level. It's been a great experience so far. And the team is having a good season. We have a lot of talent...uh oh, my nutshell has potential to turn into a bucket of peanuts, so I better quit and talk about the team in my next posting.....oh, and I'm enjoying my apartment and my car still gets me from point A to point B. So I can't complain. GO BEARS!!! Superbowl bound.... | | |
| Well, I've decided instead of waiting 'til December to send out a mass mailing of Christmas cards with the impersonal insert telling you about my dog Spot's potty training adventures, a day in the life of the unemployed, and that I'm still not engaged, I figured, why not put xanga.com to good use. Oh, who am I kidding?...I don't have a dog  . And let's be honest, it's not like I've ever really sent out a mass mailing of Christmas cards either (that would be my dedicated mom and sister). But if I had, maybe it would've looked something like this. I don't know. And I suppose a weblog is pretty impersonal as well, but it is pretty dern convenient and kind of fun. So, this is my first attempt at a real posting. I'm trying to blend a little of my sister's sarcasm/humor and my brother's intellect into one, so just bare with me. If I come across sounding forced, unfunny, and cliche Katie, I apologize. Try to cut me a little slack... See, now I'm just being manipulative to my audience because I want to get feedback or whatever those eprops are. I think I've already racked up four. I was pretty excited about that. Ok, now to the good stuff...or maybe boring, depending on your interest level into my life  . Quick sidenote: You know, the more I think about it, how can you really trust the validity or sincerity of a weblog posting? For all you know, the author behind those words could merely be writing what he or she thinks would generate the most feedback. They may not actually believe a word they're typing...it's just fun to post things and get a response (Like what I'm doing right now). But, I guess that would be rather arrogant on my part, you know, assuming that you're actually still taking the time to read this entry. But who knows, maybe you find yourself enjoying my tangents or digressions......or rabbitt trails as my aunt would call them. Anyway, before I start getting into the benefits of reading Jane Austen novels, drinking coffee late in the afternoon, or the silliness of ironing one's cloth napkins...I'll get to the point... I've been living in Fort Wayne since last August. I can't believe I've been here for a year and haven't gotten fatter or dumber...well, at least not fatter, the latter is yet to be determined. It may be confirmed by the end of this posting. Or maybe it already has been. Ok, I'll quit being so random before this gets to be ridiculously long and well, just plain ridiculous. I may find that I'll delete this posting after a short period of time. Or at least do some major editing. We'll see. It all depends on your responses  . So, as I was saying, I've been in the Fort for a year. I substitute taught, coached girls basketball at Northrop HS, and worked at the Y, reffing little kids' basketball games on the weekends. The time in between, I mostly spent working out, eating, sleeping, and looking for another job. Apparently having a a college degree doesn't rank you too high in the part-time world. But, finally, after 6 months of trying to get another part-time job, I've been hired at Target to unload the trucks from 4am-8am 5 days a week. YES!!! I haven't started yet, but I have a feeling, I may have some postings about my early morning adventures. I took this job to help pay my bills in the meantime because at the end of August, I'll be moving back down to Upland to take a job as one of the assistant women's basketball coaches at Taylor University (I hope Target won't mind that I'll only be working with them for a month). I didn't really mention that during the interview...Anyway, I guess I could never completely let go of that place (TU) or my experiences there. I had to go back. Besides, it was too great of an opportunity to pass by. I'm really looking forward to taking on those responsibilities. I have a feeling it's going to be a pretty exciting year/season. I'll definitely have to give updates on that as well. Well, my hands are starting to cramp and my eyes are randomly twitching, so I think that's my cue to be more concise and wrap this up. Living up in Ft. Wayne on my own has been a great experience for me. It's been awesome to have so many of my friends close by, since being unemployed, single, and 24 (oh, and not having any AC in my car, a driver's side window that's stuck, and an oil leak) can, at times, be stressful (be honest, are the emoticons annoying? And now I'm forcing you to participate.). But no worries, I'm not looking for sympathy at all. It's been a good learning experience and of course my family has been there for me. Well, I think I'm gonna get back to dogsitting and watching Fletch on tv (I hear it's pretty funny). I'm sure, amazing as it sounds, I've left things out. But that's the beauty of weblog postings...I can just keep coming back to write more whenever the spirit moves me. And you have the privilege to read or not read as you so choose. Until next time, laugh hard, pray often, and workout whenever you get the time!! It'll do wonders for you. Promise ~ Me | | |
| So, I didn't even realize I had a xanga site that anyone could get to or leave posts on until I got an email telling me someone had signed my guestbook. Haha!! Thanks Mom! It was good to hear from you! I'm glad you're having a great time in the land down under. I'm excited to see your pics. Oh, and I had to dodge some snipers on my way back from Indy yesterday . I'll try and mess around with this site and see if I can figure out how to make it look pretty . | | |
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