Well, its Monday We start tomorrow, and I am getting that feeling in my stomach again. I have been coaching about 25 years now, and I still get that "sick" feeling before every game, and before we start a new season. Why? I don't know, it just happens. Its been this way with me since I was a kid. Nerves I guess! Generally before games, I get really keyed up and nervous; then, I go out back and throw up. After that, I am good to go. I have learned not to eat anything to heavy before games. Food never taste as good coming up as it does going down. Pretty Gross, huh? LOL.
Speaking of gross. In the coaches portable, we still have food left in our refrigerator from last year. We will fill the fridge with all sorts of things such as bottled water, sports drinks, bread, lunch meat, cake pops, leftover chicken wings, Publix fried chicken,...whatever. Sometimes we will get the leftover food the church cooks (for the kids after games) and sometimes we will put leftover biscuits, gravy, chicken and grits that Marty may have cooked for Saturday morning breakfast. Believe me, food does not last long around here. The rule of thumb is: If it enters the portable, it is fair game for everyone to eat. We generally look at the food, and if it does not smell or look too bad, we will generally eat it during the week. This year, at least the fridge was still plugged in; therefore, none of the food rotted too badly. LAST year, the fridge was somehow up-plugged. Now THAT was gross.
Coach Jefferson has a magic backpack. I have seen Jefferson pull all sorts of food from that thing. I think the backpack may have refrigeration as well. Last year, I saw Jefferson pull out a fully cooked ham slice and enough stuff to make a sandwich. I have seen him pull out sport's drinks, bottled water, chips, sunflower seeds and pizza from that thing. When he reaches into the backpack, he may come out with Subway Sub, or he may come out with defensive playbook. You just never know. LOL. On the serious side. Chris is a fantastic young coach, and he is very good with the kids. Someday, you will see him coaching at the next level.
Back in the early days, I was never really sure if all the players were eating at home. It was amazing how many parents would just drop their kid off at practice and just assume the coaches would take them home. I have taken many, many kids home at night to a completely dark house. I would casually ask if they had eaten that day since school lunch. Some would say: "I'm OK Coach" This would (and does) just crush me. I just had to make sure the player was eating. I wish I had a nickle for every kid I bought home with me to eat. I may have been a hard ass on the field, but I had (and still have) a soft spot for my players. I am going to make sure they have what they need.
I am going to bed early tonight. Tomorrow is a big day.
Later.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Sunday. Why am I looking at LAST YEARS film?
Today is Sunday, so we are not meeting. I put on my I-Pod and fired up the lawnmower. My I-Pod is filled with Military Running Cadence...........and George Strait! Since Mike joined the Army, I am fascinated with military running and marching cadence. I have been listening to the same CD's full of running cadence since Mike got out of basic training, and I have run miles and miles keeping a military beat. It really does work. Mike says that running or marching cadence is really a teaching tool for the military. The goal is to get everyone stepping with the same foot at the same time to teach teamwork.. Some of the Drill Sergeants (DS) are very colorful calling out their "Jody" cadence, and you can certainly hear the old grizzled DS's bark the marching beat with their hoarse voices straining against their throats. If you listen carefully, you can hear: "When that left foot hits the ground" (soldiers repeat) "I wanna hear that clapping sound!" Simply amazing. What a testament to the importance of teamwork. Imagine that! Not much different than calling cadence from the line of scrimmage, is it? LOL.. "Lessons in Life."
When we met last Friday, Randy assigned coaches to one (of 4) stations to work right after stretch. Florida rules say that we must have three (3) full practices in just shorts and helmets before we go into pads. I really don't know the reason for this, but it has always been this way, so we do it. This year we will have ropes, grass drills, cones, and bags. We quickly divide the kids into four groups and each group will go to a certain station. Randy will blow his whistle to begin the drill. We put the kids through a very fast paced series of drills designed for our station, for a set amount of time. When Bethel blows his whistle again, ALL the players (in that group) will rotate to another station. Again, very fast paced. The goal is to get as many reps as possible to every player. Personally, I depend on the senior players to help me out with my drills. I like to put them up front as examples to younger players and help demonstrate the drills. I usually run the ropes station, but this year Randy gave me grass drills with Coach Joe. I like this! Grass drills are really old school football, and I was raised by the MASTER of grass drills........my dad.
Back when MY DAD was a young buck, he and another group of guys formed the areas (Louisville, KY) ) first organized youth football league. It was a monumental task to form a league in those days. NO one, and I mean NO one played youth football in the area. They did not even have a place to play. But somehow, they started the Prairie Village Youth Football League. The games were to be played behind Stonestreet Elementary School (where we played baseball) Registration was open to all boys ages 7-12 years old. There was going to be four (4) teams: Packer-Rams-Colts-Giants. We were The Packers. Now, all ages played together, ages 7-12 years old. In today's world, this would never happen.
My Dad was a brutal, but greatly-loved coach. He molded his coaching style after Vince Lombardi who was the Tom Coughlin of his day. Dad taught toughness and he commanded respect from everyone. Even some of our parents feared the wrath of Coach Don. Dad hated for players to be late for practice....drove him crazy. I remember this player showing up about 20 minutes late for practice: Dad yelled: "START RUNNING" ordering the player to start circling the practice field. The players father said: "HEY COACH, its my fault he is late!" Dad said: "THEN YOU START RUNNING!" I don't think we saw that man again at any practice or game, but the player stayed. LOL.
Our teams were VERY physical, and it showed on the football field. We would have our normal 2 hour practice, but we ended every practice with a brutal and physical drill my Dad called: The MEAT GRINDER." There were many different versions of The Meat Grinder. (1 on 1) (2 on 1) (3 on 1) (2 on 2) and so forth. The combinations were endless, but the goals all remained the same. HIT SOMEONE and BE PHYSICAL. Later in the season, it got dark earlier. We (as players) thought: "Cool! Practice will be ending early!" LOL. No way. Dad asked all the parents to circle the field with their cars and trucks, and asked each of them to turn on their headlights. We sometimes ran The Meat Grinder until late evening. No one else was doing anything like this. We were known to be a brutal team: Dad won the League Championship three (3) straight years. Everyone wanted to be a Packer.....still do! I sometimes joke: "There are 2 types of people" Packers, and those who WANT to be Packers!" Man, I really miss my friends back home.
Today, when I go home to Kentucky, former teammates will always ask about Coach Zaleuke. My father was a tough and rough Coach, but every player he had still loves him to death. This is an example of the power we have as coaches. These "Lessons in Life" will stay with our kids forever.
When we met last Friday, Randy assigned coaches to one (of 4) stations to work right after stretch. Florida rules say that we must have three (3) full practices in just shorts and helmets before we go into pads. I really don't know the reason for this, but it has always been this way, so we do it. This year we will have ropes, grass drills, cones, and bags. We quickly divide the kids into four groups and each group will go to a certain station. Randy will blow his whistle to begin the drill. We put the kids through a very fast paced series of drills designed for our station, for a set amount of time. When Bethel blows his whistle again, ALL the players (in that group) will rotate to another station. Again, very fast paced. The goal is to get as many reps as possible to every player. Personally, I depend on the senior players to help me out with my drills. I like to put them up front as examples to younger players and help demonstrate the drills. I usually run the ropes station, but this year Randy gave me grass drills with Coach Joe. I like this! Grass drills are really old school football, and I was raised by the MASTER of grass drills........my dad.
Back when MY DAD was a young buck, he and another group of guys formed the areas (Louisville, KY) ) first organized youth football league. It was a monumental task to form a league in those days. NO one, and I mean NO one played youth football in the area. They did not even have a place to play. But somehow, they started the Prairie Village Youth Football League. The games were to be played behind Stonestreet Elementary School (where we played baseball) Registration was open to all boys ages 7-12 years old. There was going to be four (4) teams: Packer-Rams-Colts-Giants. We were The Packers. Now, all ages played together, ages 7-12 years old. In today's world, this would never happen.
My Dad was a brutal, but greatly-loved coach. He molded his coaching style after Vince Lombardi who was the Tom Coughlin of his day. Dad taught toughness and he commanded respect from everyone. Even some of our parents feared the wrath of Coach Don. Dad hated for players to be late for practice....drove him crazy. I remember this player showing up about 20 minutes late for practice: Dad yelled: "START RUNNING" ordering the player to start circling the practice field. The players father said: "HEY COACH, its my fault he is late!" Dad said: "THEN YOU START RUNNING!" I don't think we saw that man again at any practice or game, but the player stayed. LOL.
Our teams were VERY physical, and it showed on the football field. We would have our normal 2 hour practice, but we ended every practice with a brutal and physical drill my Dad called: The MEAT GRINDER." There were many different versions of The Meat Grinder. (1 on 1) (2 on 1) (3 on 1) (2 on 2) and so forth. The combinations were endless, but the goals all remained the same. HIT SOMEONE and BE PHYSICAL. Later in the season, it got dark earlier. We (as players) thought: "Cool! Practice will be ending early!" LOL. No way. Dad asked all the parents to circle the field with their cars and trucks, and asked each of them to turn on their headlights. We sometimes ran The Meat Grinder until late evening. No one else was doing anything like this. We were known to be a brutal team: Dad won the League Championship three (3) straight years. Everyone wanted to be a Packer.....still do! I sometimes joke: "There are 2 types of people" Packers, and those who WANT to be Packers!" Man, I really miss my friends back home.
Today, when I go home to Kentucky, former teammates will always ask about Coach Zaleuke. My father was a tough and rough Coach, but every player he had still loves him to death. This is an example of the power we have as coaches. These "Lessons in Life" will stay with our kids forever.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Anxious but Excited
Today is Saturday, and we do not have a formal meeting today; however, I am still doing the football thing. I need to finish up with the water situation today. The machines are ready to go, but now I am dealing with the hoses that supply each coil machine. One hose that supplies the coil cooler must reach 200ft to the center of the practice field. I am constantly fighting bulges and holes in the water hose. We will sometimes use the coil cow during home games too. The water hose must run down the sideline, across the track, across the sidewalk, and back behind the stands to the nearest hose bib. Naturally, the band (and fans) walk all over the hose and it takes a beating. It sure would be easier if we had a hose bib on the sideline near our bench. I am now in the process of washing (and bleaching) our wrist bands and getting them ready for Tuesday. These 3 page flip bands are really expensive to buy, so I take good care of them. I'm also looking at our flip board (I built this) to make sure it is OK to use. Using this flip board and the wrist bands is how we relay information to our offense. I am not going into too much detail about our system, but it is completely unique and designed for what we want to do offensively. Coach Bethel puts a lot of trust into me; naturally, I do not want to disappoint him, so the "system" must be ready to go. Bethel can be pretty intense if things are not working correctly.
I am an offensive coach. I have coached every position on the offensive side of the ball, but I am known for my work with the "skill kids." Right now, I am listed as a QB coach,but truthfully, we all coach everything on our side of the ball. Coach Bethel serves as his own Offensive Coordinator, so it is ultimately his call on what we are doing offensively. Luckily, he lets us coach our position kids and leaves us alone for the most part.....as long as the job is getting done! I do not get a chance to use much of my own ideas offensively at the varsity level, but I still attend clinics, research and study other offensive systems to make myself a better coach. Every now and then I will see something at a clinic and bring it back to Coach Bethel who may, or may-not use it. LOL. Thats OK. I usually just repackage it and try it again later. We have a well seasoned staff, so he rarely says much to us at this point. Anything that is said is done behind closed doors, and we all appreciate that. We are not puppets, and we don't always agree on every single point; HOWEVER, when we come out of the coaches portable, we are all on the same page. This is the reason our staff is so close. I am going to figure out a way to introduce all of you to the staff on this blog. I just have to make sure it is cool to do so.
When I was a young head coach, I would always run my own offense. I was known for innovation and having strong well-coached offensive teams. My teams would sometimes be like juggernauts, just pounding the other team's defense with a mixed offensive attack. The Recreation Department (RD) used to throttle dominate football teams. If a team went up by more than two TD's, the penalty flags usually started flying. At the time, the RD LOVED tied football games, or a 12-6 score would be ideal. Naturally, I did not always agree with this policy. I usually just poured on the coals and kept scoring. Of course, the scores usually were called back by penalty. I would have a parent keep track of the actual score so I could stew on it for the next week. Like I stated in an earlier posting, I was pretty intense when I was a young buck. We were a pretty rowdy bunch. I fed off the my sideline and they fed off of me. I am now going to tell you about my lowest point as a coach, and how this "Lesson in Life" changed me forever.
The RD used regular high school referees if possible. They were a mixed group of young referees (just learning) and at least one experienced referee to run the game. For the most part, they did a good job considering the special "rules" the RD put into place. I was a young hot headed (and ignorant) coach who loved to argue every call. Here is what happened:
My team was just pounding the other team. We drove the ball 60 yards in five plays and had the ball 1st and goal from the 5 yard line. I sent my QB (Cole) on a play-action boot expecting him to score easily. Our blocking broke down, and he was stuffed with no gain. Unfortunately, he did not get up from the hard tackle. Cole was hurt, and an officials time-out was called. His dad (Jim) was one of my assistant coaches, so he ran onto the field to see about his son. Jim walked past our huddle and shouted: "You guys punch this in for Cole!" Next thing I see is a yellow flag flying through the air. I shouted: "What is that for?" The head referee (lets call him Bob) said: "Coach, you cant coach the kids during an injury timeout!" 1st and Goal from the 20 yard line. I said: "WHAT? That's a bullshit call!" Another Flag. 1st and Goal from the 35 yard line. I went a little crazy. Another flag...and I was ejected from the game! My sideline was going crazy, and so was I. I had to leave the field. I shouted to Bob: "I will find you after the game!" My fans were absolutely going nuts.
Right after the game, I ran up to my assistant coaches and said: "Take the team, I'm going after the referee!" I look across the field and I see the referees running for the endzone toward the parking area. I ran after them shouting: "I want to talk with Bob!" By the time I caught up with them, they were well into the endzone corner. I stopped and challenged Bob to "speak" with me. I had one city official holding one of my arms, and another city official was standing in front of me. Seeing this, Bob turns around and starts coming our way shouting something about young punk coaches. By the time he reaches me, I threw an overhand right hook and caught him in the eye. Down he goes. I then proceeded to finish the job when I was tackled from behind by a city official. It was mayhem. My kids (known to be fighters) were going nuts shouting "kick his ass coach" Fans were wanting to fight. It was a bad, bad situation, and it was my fault. Sheriff's department was already there and regained order.
Bob (the referee) did not press charges. I was allowed to go home. I had to appear in front of the City RD and I was suspended and banned from city property for the rest of the year. I thought my career was over. I embarrassed myself and embarrassed my family. I did not set a good example for the rest of my kids who looked up to me (even though it almost made me a folk hero) and this upset me greatly. I was just devastated by my actions. The RD decided to speak with Coach Livings about this situation. Billy told them: "The only thing he did wrong was not completely whipping his ass!" (I was told this by a city official) This officially started my career at the High School level. I never returned to the RD. More to this story in later blogs.
What was the lesson? It NEVER pays to argue with the referees. A coach will never win that fight. In fact, it hurts the kids and sets a bad example. Today, people always ask why I suck up the the referees before every game. Number one, I have known most of them for years, and I make damn sure I do not give them any reason to get pissed off at me. I found that if you show them some respect, they will respect you in return; then, maybe a close call will go your way. Piss those guys off and your team will have a long night, I guarantee it.
Although this incident happend over 20 years ago, to this very day, I will always say a prayer (before a game) asking the Lord not to let me embarrass myself or my school during the game. I also ask that the Lord not let me make a stupid decision DURING a game to cost the team. I am the type of coach who always second guesses myself, and I lay awake at night worried about what I could have done better. I love this game, and I love my kids. I worry about the "Lessons in Life" that we are supposed to be teaching. Its a big job.
Later.
I am an offensive coach. I have coached every position on the offensive side of the ball, but I am known for my work with the "skill kids." Right now, I am listed as a QB coach,but truthfully, we all coach everything on our side of the ball. Coach Bethel serves as his own Offensive Coordinator, so it is ultimately his call on what we are doing offensively. Luckily, he lets us coach our position kids and leaves us alone for the most part.....as long as the job is getting done! I do not get a chance to use much of my own ideas offensively at the varsity level, but I still attend clinics, research and study other offensive systems to make myself a better coach. Every now and then I will see something at a clinic and bring it back to Coach Bethel who may, or may-not use it. LOL. Thats OK. I usually just repackage it and try it again later. We have a well seasoned staff, so he rarely says much to us at this point. Anything that is said is done behind closed doors, and we all appreciate that. We are not puppets, and we don't always agree on every single point; HOWEVER, when we come out of the coaches portable, we are all on the same page. This is the reason our staff is so close. I am going to figure out a way to introduce all of you to the staff on this blog. I just have to make sure it is cool to do so.
When I was a young head coach, I would always run my own offense. I was known for innovation and having strong well-coached offensive teams. My teams would sometimes be like juggernauts, just pounding the other team's defense with a mixed offensive attack. The Recreation Department (RD) used to throttle dominate football teams. If a team went up by more than two TD's, the penalty flags usually started flying. At the time, the RD LOVED tied football games, or a 12-6 score would be ideal. Naturally, I did not always agree with this policy. I usually just poured on the coals and kept scoring. Of course, the scores usually were called back by penalty. I would have a parent keep track of the actual score so I could stew on it for the next week. Like I stated in an earlier posting, I was pretty intense when I was a young buck. We were a pretty rowdy bunch. I fed off the my sideline and they fed off of me. I am now going to tell you about my lowest point as a coach, and how this "Lesson in Life" changed me forever.
The RD used regular high school referees if possible. They were a mixed group of young referees (just learning) and at least one experienced referee to run the game. For the most part, they did a good job considering the special "rules" the RD put into place. I was a young hot headed (and ignorant) coach who loved to argue every call. Here is what happened:
My team was just pounding the other team. We drove the ball 60 yards in five plays and had the ball 1st and goal from the 5 yard line. I sent my QB (Cole) on a play-action boot expecting him to score easily. Our blocking broke down, and he was stuffed with no gain. Unfortunately, he did not get up from the hard tackle. Cole was hurt, and an officials time-out was called. His dad (Jim) was one of my assistant coaches, so he ran onto the field to see about his son. Jim walked past our huddle and shouted: "You guys punch this in for Cole!" Next thing I see is a yellow flag flying through the air. I shouted: "What is that for?" The head referee (lets call him Bob) said: "Coach, you cant coach the kids during an injury timeout!" 1st and Goal from the 20 yard line. I said: "WHAT? That's a bullshit call!" Another Flag. 1st and Goal from the 35 yard line. I went a little crazy. Another flag...and I was ejected from the game! My sideline was going crazy, and so was I. I had to leave the field. I shouted to Bob: "I will find you after the game!" My fans were absolutely going nuts.
Right after the game, I ran up to my assistant coaches and said: "Take the team, I'm going after the referee!" I look across the field and I see the referees running for the endzone toward the parking area. I ran after them shouting: "I want to talk with Bob!" By the time I caught up with them, they were well into the endzone corner. I stopped and challenged Bob to "speak" with me. I had one city official holding one of my arms, and another city official was standing in front of me. Seeing this, Bob turns around and starts coming our way shouting something about young punk coaches. By the time he reaches me, I threw an overhand right hook and caught him in the eye. Down he goes. I then proceeded to finish the job when I was tackled from behind by a city official. It was mayhem. My kids (known to be fighters) were going nuts shouting "kick his ass coach" Fans were wanting to fight. It was a bad, bad situation, and it was my fault. Sheriff's department was already there and regained order.
Bob (the referee) did not press charges. I was allowed to go home. I had to appear in front of the City RD and I was suspended and banned from city property for the rest of the year. I thought my career was over. I embarrassed myself and embarrassed my family. I did not set a good example for the rest of my kids who looked up to me (even though it almost made me a folk hero) and this upset me greatly. I was just devastated by my actions. The RD decided to speak with Coach Livings about this situation. Billy told them: "The only thing he did wrong was not completely whipping his ass!" (I was told this by a city official) This officially started my career at the High School level. I never returned to the RD. More to this story in later blogs.
What was the lesson? It NEVER pays to argue with the referees. A coach will never win that fight. In fact, it hurts the kids and sets a bad example. Today, people always ask why I suck up the the referees before every game. Number one, I have known most of them for years, and I make damn sure I do not give them any reason to get pissed off at me. I found that if you show them some respect, they will respect you in return; then, maybe a close call will go your way. Piss those guys off and your team will have a long night, I guarantee it.
Although this incident happend over 20 years ago, to this very day, I will always say a prayer (before a game) asking the Lord not to let me embarrass myself or my school during the game. I also ask that the Lord not let me make a stupid decision DURING a game to cost the team. I am the type of coach who always second guesses myself, and I lay awake at night worried about what I could have done better. I love this game, and I love my kids. I worry about the "Lessons in Life" that we are supposed to be teaching. Its a big job.
Later.
Friday, April 27, 2012
4 Days to go!
Yesterday, we gave out equipment to the players, so we did not bring them in today. Giving out equipment is never any fun, but we have to do it of course. Several years ago, I attended a clinic sponsored by Riddell, and I learned how to properly fit a helmet and shoulder pads to each body type, so I guess that knowledge comes in handy. We generally line the kids up by class. Rising seniors go first, then juniors and so on. Every player wants the newest equipment we have, but seniors go first, so the new stuff goes quickly. Truthfully, there is no real difference in any of our equipment, for we have all equipment re-certified every year. We actually send out all of our helmets to a company which specializes in examining each helmet for cracks in the shell, replace missing or worn padding, replace worn face masks, and paint the shell to any color we choose. When completed, we get the "re certified" sticker on each shell, and we are good to go. We then have a good safe helmet to use. Helmets are not cheap, so we must take good care of them. The new thing for kids today is the "Xenith" helmet, which costs around $400 (maybe more) per helmet. This helmet is considered the very best equipment available. Sure beats the old helmets we used to wear. I remember when the new "water helmets" came onto the market. Little bags of water surrounded the helmet, and you could add or remove water to get the "custom fit!" Problem was, they were so damn heavy. By the end of practice, your neck hurt from supporting the extra weight. I was glad to see them go.
Funny thing about kids. When they are young, they want to wear every piece of safety equipment available. The older they get, the less padding they want to wear. It is comical to watch some of our 8th graders report for their first spring practice. Most of them have never even worn a football helmet before, and putting pads in their pants is always a teaching session. Some kids come out of the locker room looking like a transformer robot with arm pads, elbow pads, hand pads, neck rolls, new cleats, new socks, etc.. Some kids have no idea about how to adjust their chin strap or strap up their shoulder pads. LOL. I love these kids. At least we have pads to give them.
In 1984, I coached in the Recreation Department's (RD) Football league. On an earlier posting, I explained the type of kids the RD used to give me. Unfortunately, many of these kids came from homes that were challenged financially. The RD used to supply the kids shoulder pads and a game jersey. That's it. The kids had to supply a helmet, practice pants, game pants (if not the same) mouthpiece and cleats. This usually created problems for many kids.....big problems. I remember Coach Livings had an instructional clinic for the kids in the area. I looked onto the field and I see a player with (what I thought was) long brown hair hanging under his helmet. I walked a little closer to the young boy and I realize this was not hair, for this boy had a large bath towel hanging under his helmet to make it fit better. Man, I felt so bad for him. This was the day I formed a relationship with the owner of a local sporting goods store. The boy did not have to wear a towel under his helmet any longer.
I had another sad situation that year. I ended up with a pair of twins on the team. I asked each of them what position they wanted to play. One brother said Running Back, and the other brother said Safety. PERFECT I thought! Over the next few weeks, I noticed that one brother always had his helmet off. Then he would have it on. Then he would have it off. I finally realized what was happening. The boys actually shared a single old helmet, and they shared a single pair of cleats and YES, even shared a mouthpiece. One brother would play offense, then run off the field and give his helmet and cleats to his brother, and into the game the other brother would go to play defense. When I found out what was happening.... well, you can guess the rest. When I see some of the fantastic equipment some of our players (today) are wearing, I often think about my early days of coaching. Those early "Lessons in Life" formed who I am as a football coach today.
I hope you are not getting tired of my old coaching stories. I am really trying to move past this time in my life, but a rush of memories keep coming back.
GZ
Funny thing about kids. When they are young, they want to wear every piece of safety equipment available. The older they get, the less padding they want to wear. It is comical to watch some of our 8th graders report for their first spring practice. Most of them have never even worn a football helmet before, and putting pads in their pants is always a teaching session. Some kids come out of the locker room looking like a transformer robot with arm pads, elbow pads, hand pads, neck rolls, new cleats, new socks, etc.. Some kids have no idea about how to adjust their chin strap or strap up their shoulder pads. LOL. I love these kids. At least we have pads to give them.
In 1984, I coached in the Recreation Department's (RD) Football league. On an earlier posting, I explained the type of kids the RD used to give me. Unfortunately, many of these kids came from homes that were challenged financially. The RD used to supply the kids shoulder pads and a game jersey. That's it. The kids had to supply a helmet, practice pants, game pants (if not the same) mouthpiece and cleats. This usually created problems for many kids.....big problems. I remember Coach Livings had an instructional clinic for the kids in the area. I looked onto the field and I see a player with (what I thought was) long brown hair hanging under his helmet. I walked a little closer to the young boy and I realize this was not hair, for this boy had a large bath towel hanging under his helmet to make it fit better. Man, I felt so bad for him. This was the day I formed a relationship with the owner of a local sporting goods store. The boy did not have to wear a towel under his helmet any longer.
I had another sad situation that year. I ended up with a pair of twins on the team. I asked each of them what position they wanted to play. One brother said Running Back, and the other brother said Safety. PERFECT I thought! Over the next few weeks, I noticed that one brother always had his helmet off. Then he would have it on. Then he would have it off. I finally realized what was happening. The boys actually shared a single old helmet, and they shared a single pair of cleats and YES, even shared a mouthpiece. One brother would play offense, then run off the field and give his helmet and cleats to his brother, and into the game the other brother would go to play defense. When I found out what was happening.... well, you can guess the rest. When I see some of the fantastic equipment some of our players (today) are wearing, I often think about my early days of coaching. Those early "Lessons in Life" formed who I am as a football coach today.
I hope you are not getting tired of my old coaching stories. I am really trying to move past this time in my life, but a rush of memories keep coming back.
GZ
Thursday, April 26, 2012
5 Days and Counting.
Only five days until we start practice. Right now the coaches are handing out equipment, assigning lockers, checking field equipment etc... Exciting stuff, right? There is just something about the smell of a locker room. They all smell about the same....sometimes a little more "ripe" than other days. Sweaty T shirts, practice pants, socks and practice equipment left to dry in a locker gives it that "special" odor that all athletes are familiar with. Most mothers would walk into a locker room and say: "This place is Disgusting and it Stinks" Most fathers would walk in a locker room, take a deep breath, smile and say: "This place smells like a Locker Room!" Lol. Marty says my truck smells like a cross between a locker room and my dog Raleigh. . I think my old truck smells just fine. In fact, I would like to bottle the smell and sell it as a man's cologne! My daughter (Kristin) used to hold her nose when she rode in my truck. She would say: "DADDY, it stinks in here!"
Let me tell you something about my kids (Kristin and Mike) I must have been a horrible father and a lousy role model. Like I said in a previous posting, I was pretty intense when I was younger. Both of my kids were raised on athletic fields, and they certainly saw the best....and worst of their father over the years. I can only hope to be a good father and grandfather from now on, and perhaps I can make amends with each of them.
My daughter (Kristin) was literally raised on the football fields. I remember when she was little, the cheerleaders adopted her as a mascot and she used to cheer at all my games. I remember seeing her on the top of pyramids when she was tiny. She was so cute. I used to love her cheerleader's outfits and her little white shoes. Kristin played a little softball and girls Lacrosse in high school but she was a good utility player at best. She never really had the size and body type to be a great athlete, but she was a good field general for sure....a true student of the game. She would study the rule books and know the game inside and out. I could see her coaching and barking orders to the other girls on the field when she played. Kristin really shined as a cheerleader though. She was not one of those teeny tiny little girls you see flying all over the place on TV, Kristin was a powerful leader of the squad. She was a coach's daughter for sure, and she knew football inside and out. Even as a freshman cheerleader, she would know exactly what was happening on the field, and she would select the correct cheer for the situation. Kristin lettered four years as a cheerleader, and she lettered in Lacrosse as well.
Kristin really shined in the classroom. She was/is one of Sebastian's original "superstar" students and graduated with an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma back when it meant something to get one. This diploma landed her into Vanderbilt University (when she was 17 years old) where she earned her Master's Degree. She later earned another Masters Degree from Clemson University. Schooling always came very easy for Kristin; yet she still had the drive to work hard and be the best at what she was doing. She gets her drive-to-succeed from her daddy I think . I wish I could bottle her work ethic and drive-to-succeed and pass it around to other people I know. Kristin is an educator, and she is taking some time off to raise her family while working from home for a publishing company. In my eyes she is still the little girl sitting on my lap and saying: "Daddy, just listen!"
My son Mike was a handful. I was a single father who pretty much raised my son by myself. He is several year's younger than Kristin, so he was the baby of the family. I had dreamed of having a son I could play ball with, maybe fish together, and just hang out. Naturally, Mike was raised on the football field as well. I think this is where I made a mistake. Mike was never given the choice to play football...he was told he WAS going to play football. As a youngster, he was not a great athlete, but we used to practice and practice to make sure he was going to be successful. Everyone had high praise for his skills as QB, and he was certainly growing into the part as well. In HS, he was already 6'3" tall and 180 lbs. He attended the Nike Combines in Miami, and the Elite 11 QB Camp the very next day. He had a good showing and it put him on the map. A few weeks later, we attended the Scout Combines in New Orleans and he again had a good showing. I think the stars were aligning for a good senior year and perhaps college after that. All eyes were on Mike, and he did not like it. Mike and I developed ways of communicating on the football field without ever saying a word. I could just look at him or give a hand signal, and he would know exactly what I wanted to do next. The pressure of the game was nothing compared to the pressure I put on him at practice. I regret that now. Mike suffered a career ending ankle injury during his senior year, and he was never the same again.
After college, Mike joined the US Army. In fact, he trained with the football team to prepare himself for the rigors of basic training. One of my proudest moments was during Mike's boot camp graduation. Mike was flying on his own without any interference from me whatsoever. He was dominating, and I loved hearing about it. I also got paid that weekend as well. Mike said that he uses all the "Lessons in Life" I was trying to teach him everyday in the Army. The Army is all about teamwork, and the leadership skills he now uses was taught on the football field! I have tears in my eyes right now just thinking about that moment. Mike is now stationed in Vilseck, Germany with one tour of combat duty in Afghanistan under his belt. Mike sent me one of his Unit's Black Stetson Cavalry Hats, and I proudly wear it on our game days. There is only one other achievement I would like for Mike to obtain. He knows what it is.
GZ
Let me tell you something about my kids (Kristin and Mike) I must have been a horrible father and a lousy role model. Like I said in a previous posting, I was pretty intense when I was younger. Both of my kids were raised on athletic fields, and they certainly saw the best....and worst of their father over the years. I can only hope to be a good father and grandfather from now on, and perhaps I can make amends with each of them.
My daughter (Kristin) was literally raised on the football fields. I remember when she was little, the cheerleaders adopted her as a mascot and she used to cheer at all my games. I remember seeing her on the top of pyramids when she was tiny. She was so cute. I used to love her cheerleader's outfits and her little white shoes. Kristin played a little softball and girls Lacrosse in high school but she was a good utility player at best. She never really had the size and body type to be a great athlete, but she was a good field general for sure....a true student of the game. She would study the rule books and know the game inside and out. I could see her coaching and barking orders to the other girls on the field when she played. Kristin really shined as a cheerleader though. She was not one of those teeny tiny little girls you see flying all over the place on TV, Kristin was a powerful leader of the squad. She was a coach's daughter for sure, and she knew football inside and out. Even as a freshman cheerleader, she would know exactly what was happening on the field, and she would select the correct cheer for the situation. Kristin lettered four years as a cheerleader, and she lettered in Lacrosse as well.
Kristin really shined in the classroom. She was/is one of Sebastian's original "superstar" students and graduated with an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma back when it meant something to get one. This diploma landed her into Vanderbilt University (when she was 17 years old) where she earned her Master's Degree. She later earned another Masters Degree from Clemson University. Schooling always came very easy for Kristin; yet she still had the drive to work hard and be the best at what she was doing. She gets her drive-to-succeed from her daddy I think . I wish I could bottle her work ethic and drive-to-succeed and pass it around to other people I know. Kristin is an educator, and she is taking some time off to raise her family while working from home for a publishing company. In my eyes she is still the little girl sitting on my lap and saying: "Daddy, just listen!"
My son Mike was a handful. I was a single father who pretty much raised my son by myself. He is several year's younger than Kristin, so he was the baby of the family. I had dreamed of having a son I could play ball with, maybe fish together, and just hang out. Naturally, Mike was raised on the football field as well. I think this is where I made a mistake. Mike was never given the choice to play football...he was told he WAS going to play football. As a youngster, he was not a great athlete, but we used to practice and practice to make sure he was going to be successful. Everyone had high praise for his skills as QB, and he was certainly growing into the part as well. In HS, he was already 6'3" tall and 180 lbs. He attended the Nike Combines in Miami, and the Elite 11 QB Camp the very next day. He had a good showing and it put him on the map. A few weeks later, we attended the Scout Combines in New Orleans and he again had a good showing. I think the stars were aligning for a good senior year and perhaps college after that. All eyes were on Mike, and he did not like it. Mike and I developed ways of communicating on the football field without ever saying a word. I could just look at him or give a hand signal, and he would know exactly what I wanted to do next. The pressure of the game was nothing compared to the pressure I put on him at practice. I regret that now. Mike suffered a career ending ankle injury during his senior year, and he was never the same again.
After college, Mike joined the US Army. In fact, he trained with the football team to prepare himself for the rigors of basic training. One of my proudest moments was during Mike's boot camp graduation. Mike was flying on his own without any interference from me whatsoever. He was dominating, and I loved hearing about it. I also got paid that weekend as well. Mike said that he uses all the "Lessons in Life" I was trying to teach him everyday in the Army. The Army is all about teamwork, and the leadership skills he now uses was taught on the football field! I have tears in my eyes right now just thinking about that moment. Mike is now stationed in Vilseck, Germany with one tour of combat duty in Afghanistan under his belt. Mike sent me one of his Unit's Black Stetson Cavalry Hats, and I proudly wear it on our game days. There is only one other achievement I would like for Mike to obtain. He knows what it is.
GZ
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
6 Days to Go!
Wow. Next Tuesday (May1st) life returns to normal for me. This is the day that we can officially begin to have football practice. We are pretty lucky here in Florida, for we are allowed to have spring football. Not every state allows it. Most of our kids participate in other sports during the off-season; however, we do have a few athletes who are strictly football players. These are the same kids who you will see in the weight room all year long. We really encourage our skill kids (RB's, WR's, QB's, DB's, etc...) to run track. At Sebastian River High School (SRHS) we have a GREAT track program and this is where a player really learns how to run. We have one of my young QB's running hurdles right now, and this kid is going to mess around and be one of the best hurdlers in the state someday. Truthfully, most of the elite skill kids in the state run track as well.
I have completely changed my mind about high school wrestling. I used to dislike when a player decided to wrestle (mostly because of cutting weight) but all that has changed. Wrestling is great for upper body strength and keeping a low center of gravity and balance. These kids understand leverage and thinking one step ahead. Besides, the wrestling head-coach is a former player, and he encourages his athletes to play football as well.
Here is something which may surprise you. I also like to have surfers on the team. You can thank my younger brother (Donnie) for that. These kids all have great upper body strength from paddling the board all day in the ocean. Also, their balance and body control is generally very good. HOWEVER, if the waves happen to be good, we may not see them until it flattens out a little LOL. Luckily, during the summer the ocean is generally flat and bad for surfing. Hurricanes create HUGE waves which are great for surfing. You can guess the rest!
The kids at SRHS are student/athletes, not athletic/students. There is a difference. Our kids must maintain a 2.0 GPA to be eligible to play. No exceptions. If necessary, we will check grades every week if we have to. Football players have a giant target on their backs anyway, so we have to do things better and cleaner than everyone else. I seems like some people just LOVE to see football players get into trouble. If there is an issue in the classroom, we have ways of getting the student/athlete's attention. We have 4 of these giant tractor tires on the practice field. I bet these things weigh 300lbs a piece. We will make the player flip these tires (up and down the field) to "encourage" the player to do better. This motivation technique always seems to work. LOL.
At the high school level, at least we have some sort of control over the player. This has not always been the case for me. When I was a young-buck, I was coaching at the Jr high level down in the town just south of us.. I had a player who was arrested and charged with robbing a Pizza delivery driver. I appeared and spoke in court on behalf (of the character) of my player. Somehow, the judge decided to give this player in-house probation, and the only place he was allowed to go (outside the house) was to football practice and games. I guess the judge thought that football was the perfect way to keep this kid busy...... and it was. His probation officer used to come and remove the player's ankle monitor in order to practice and participate in games. This young man reveled in the heavy discipline I used to give unruly players. He did make it through the season without getting into more trouble (that I know of)
Believe it or not, I used to be pretty intense!! I was a cocky, intense,young football coach trying to win football games. I used to demand respect from my players. Unfortunately, the City knew this as well, so they used to bring me all of their troubled kids to be a part of my team. They knew I could control the troubled youths, and I never really had any issues. Now, dealing with the families of these troubled lids was a different story. Sometimes it was a free-for-all on the sidelines during games. Parents, aunts and uncles would be screaming on the sidelines and yelling and cursing at the referees. Unfortunately, the head coach was required to control his sideline. Like I said, I was pretty intense, so it made for some interesting afternoons. Hard lessons for a young ignorant coach.
One day I received a phone call from the Director of Recreation. She asked me if I would accompany them (the recreation department (RD) to the home of a new family in town. The RD wanted me to speak with the the boys about participating in the football league. We arrive at the home located not far from the high school. The father meets us at the front door and stuck out his giant hand to shake mine. He spoke no English at all. He was a French Canadian lumberjack/carpenter from Canada and he was only fluent in French. He had two rough looking boys about a year apart in age. Each boy had scars all over their chest and back. I spoke to each boy about playing football and getting to know the kids in this area. I guess I did a good job, because when finally asked if they wanted to play football, each boy said YES.......IF they could play on my team! OH CRAP, I thought. I did not want to deal with this stuff! Too late. It was a done deal.
Both boys showed up for the next practice. They were rough, rough, rough. I later found out that while in Canada, their mother took a knife and tried to kill the boys by stabbing each boy repeatedly; thus, this explained the scars all over their torso. Somehow the boys got involved in Golden Gloves Boxing, and each brother would fight on a dime. They were just mean and nasty, and I loved them. One time the younger of the two brothers came running (out of the game) toward the sidelines. I asked what was wrong? His mouth was all bloody. He came to me and said: "Tooth knocked out!" He spat the tooth on the sideline, rinsed out his mouth and went right back into the game. His father just shrugged his shoulders....unreal! The boys were finally able to put their misguided aggression toward something positive.
The father was living with his girlfriend while raising his boys down here in Florida. Both boys made it through most of the season. One day, they just missed practice....very unusual for them. So, I called the house. The Grandmother answers the phone and says: " Laura ( the girlfriend-made up name) killed the baby and they all left!" I have no idea what happened on that day, true or not, but I do know that each brother ended up in prison. I bet they are still fighting to this day.....if they are still on this earth.
Later.
I have completely changed my mind about high school wrestling. I used to dislike when a player decided to wrestle (mostly because of cutting weight) but all that has changed. Wrestling is great for upper body strength and keeping a low center of gravity and balance. These kids understand leverage and thinking one step ahead. Besides, the wrestling head-coach is a former player, and he encourages his athletes to play football as well.
Here is something which may surprise you. I also like to have surfers on the team. You can thank my younger brother (Donnie) for that. These kids all have great upper body strength from paddling the board all day in the ocean. Also, their balance and body control is generally very good. HOWEVER, if the waves happen to be good, we may not see them until it flattens out a little LOL. Luckily, during the summer the ocean is generally flat and bad for surfing. Hurricanes create HUGE waves which are great for surfing. You can guess the rest!
The kids at SRHS are student/athletes, not athletic/students. There is a difference. Our kids must maintain a 2.0 GPA to be eligible to play. No exceptions. If necessary, we will check grades every week if we have to. Football players have a giant target on their backs anyway, so we have to do things better and cleaner than everyone else. I seems like some people just LOVE to see football players get into trouble. If there is an issue in the classroom, we have ways of getting the student/athlete's attention. We have 4 of these giant tractor tires on the practice field. I bet these things weigh 300lbs a piece. We will make the player flip these tires (up and down the field) to "encourage" the player to do better. This motivation technique always seems to work. LOL.
At the high school level, at least we have some sort of control over the player. This has not always been the case for me. When I was a young-buck, I was coaching at the Jr high level down in the town just south of us.. I had a player who was arrested and charged with robbing a Pizza delivery driver. I appeared and spoke in court on behalf (of the character) of my player. Somehow, the judge decided to give this player in-house probation, and the only place he was allowed to go (outside the house) was to football practice and games. I guess the judge thought that football was the perfect way to keep this kid busy...... and it was. His probation officer used to come and remove the player's ankle monitor in order to practice and participate in games. This young man reveled in the heavy discipline I used to give unruly players. He did make it through the season without getting into more trouble (that I know of)
Believe it or not, I used to be pretty intense!! I was a cocky, intense,young football coach trying to win football games. I used to demand respect from my players. Unfortunately, the City knew this as well, so they used to bring me all of their troubled kids to be a part of my team. They knew I could control the troubled youths, and I never really had any issues. Now, dealing with the families of these troubled lids was a different story. Sometimes it was a free-for-all on the sidelines during games. Parents, aunts and uncles would be screaming on the sidelines and yelling and cursing at the referees. Unfortunately, the head coach was required to control his sideline. Like I said, I was pretty intense, so it made for some interesting afternoons. Hard lessons for a young ignorant coach.
One day I received a phone call from the Director of Recreation. She asked me if I would accompany them (the recreation department (RD) to the home of a new family in town. The RD wanted me to speak with the the boys about participating in the football league. We arrive at the home located not far from the high school. The father meets us at the front door and stuck out his giant hand to shake mine. He spoke no English at all. He was a French Canadian lumberjack/carpenter from Canada and he was only fluent in French. He had two rough looking boys about a year apart in age. Each boy had scars all over their chest and back. I spoke to each boy about playing football and getting to know the kids in this area. I guess I did a good job, because when finally asked if they wanted to play football, each boy said YES.......IF they could play on my team! OH CRAP, I thought. I did not want to deal with this stuff! Too late. It was a done deal.
Both boys showed up for the next practice. They were rough, rough, rough. I later found out that while in Canada, their mother took a knife and tried to kill the boys by stabbing each boy repeatedly; thus, this explained the scars all over their torso. Somehow the boys got involved in Golden Gloves Boxing, and each brother would fight on a dime. They were just mean and nasty, and I loved them. One time the younger of the two brothers came running (out of the game) toward the sidelines. I asked what was wrong? His mouth was all bloody. He came to me and said: "Tooth knocked out!" He spat the tooth on the sideline, rinsed out his mouth and went right back into the game. His father just shrugged his shoulders....unreal! The boys were finally able to put their misguided aggression toward something positive.
The father was living with his girlfriend while raising his boys down here in Florida. Both boys made it through most of the season. One day, they just missed practice....very unusual for them. So, I called the house. The Grandmother answers the phone and says: " Laura ( the girlfriend-made up name) killed the baby and they all left!" I have no idea what happened on that day, true or not, but I do know that each brother ended up in prison. I bet they are still fighting to this day.....if they are still on this earth.
Later.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
1 Week to Go!
Strange day today. Our numbers were a little down, but the kids worked hard. It was a little cooler outside today, so the kids ran hard and enjoyed the ICE COLD water that I carried out for them. Truthfully? I was simply testing a battery-operated water cow that I just just repaired. We try to save the $1500 machines for games, but I had to make sure it worked well. These machines are really cool. Both of these machines are probably 15 years old or better, and parts are hard to come by (and EXPENSIVE) Guess who works on these machines? I have replaced both pumps within the last year. I have been using the 12 Volt water pumps that are generally used in RV's to pump drinking water from large tanks. Each machine is carried around on large two wheel dolly's. We have a large 15 gallon tank on each dolly. We fill these tanks up with Ice and water. The pump draws water from these tanks directly into a manifold which then divides it up into 6 water stations. T pump provides great pressure, and the battery generally last a whole game or better. After a game, we plug the battery into a charger and get it ready for next time. I have replaced every part on both machines with parts I purchased at Lowes or Home Depot. Sure makes it easy to repair, and it is much cheaper and easy to get.
We generally use the regular coil machines for practices. We have two of these old life-savers in our inventory. Each machine consist of a huge Igloo insulated cooler. Inside of these coolers are large coils of brass piping. On one side of the coolers, we connect a simple garden hose attachment. We fill the cooler up with Ice completely covering the brass coils. The water circulates through the coils and exits into a aluminum pipe which has 6 water valves connected to it by small hoses. The whole assembly is mounted on a large cart(big wagon) and pulled anywhere we have a hose bib available. The water is ICE COLD by the time it circulates through the iced down coils. We can water down six kids at once with this method. Sure beats drinking out of the garden hose!
It is so important we keep the kids hydrated in this HOT Florida sun. Its not like it used to be when I played. Back then, the general thinking was that if you denied the player water, it would toughen him up! In fact, very little water was even available on or near the practice field. Our trainers (generally the coach) would give us handfuls of salt tablets instead. Man, they were awful! I remember cramping and throwing up during practice. We were expected to keep practicing and keep playing through it all. We did not know that we were actually dehydrated and probably near heat stroke. LOL. Today, we do not deny a player water....ever. Luckily, we have never had an issue at Sebastian River High School.
I am having a memory moment right now. Things sure have changed in today's world. I am not sure if the KIDS have changed, or if we as coaches have changed? I just do not remember so many kids having Asthma and needing inhalers like today. Back in the day, if we started wheezing and not able to breath while running, our coach would call us a fat-ass and order us to keep running. Back then, we were branded OUT OF SHAPE and had to run extra sprints after practice. But you know what? The wheezing disappeared once we got into running shape! It is much different today. If a player needs his inhaler, the trainer keeps it for him.
I remember one of my friends-Glen Sterchi, broke his arm while working on his family's farm in Fairdale, Kentucky. He went to the hospital and they placed a huge plaster cast on his arm. This was on a Monday or Tuesday I think. My dad really needed Glen to play in the game that weekend, so my dad (and the boy's father) wrapped Glen's cast in foam rubber to play in the game (remember, this was a time BEFORE fiberglass casts like we have now) Glen played defensive tackle and offensive tackle and he never missed a snap. In fact, Glen was using his new cast as a CLUB during the game. I'm not saying this was right, but it did happen. LOL. That would never happen with today's world
Head concussions are another major concern. Back in the day, I can remember getting hit so hard (helmet to helmet) I would see stars and momentarily have a blackout on the field. I remember holding my head a screaming it hurt so bad. Back then, helmets were not nearly as padded (and safe) as they are now, so this was a common occurrence. We just waited until the stars and fog cleared in out heads, and back in we would go. Today, this is called a concussion, and the player is grounded for a week. I guess it was a concussion back then too! We just did not know it. LOL.
Again, back in the day! We were always taught to tackle with out head. We were taught to lead with our facemask and drive it into the jersey numbers of the ball carrier. We ALWAYS tackled with our heads and shoulders and locked up. I remember my coach saying: "look at what you are tackling!" Naturally we often got what we called "stingers" in our arms and shoulders. Our arms and shoulders (sometimes legs) would go completely dumb and burn like hell for several minutes. Have you ever had arm or leg go to sleep on you? Remember the feeling you had when the body part was "waking up?" This is kind of like what a stinger feels like with the burning feeling added. In today's world, the player would be put onto a stretcher and taken by ambulance to the hospital!
I am not saying we were tougher back then, but it is just a different world today. I am sure my dad thought we (as players) had it much easier than he did when he played. The game has changed, the kids have changed, and we (as coaches) have to change too!
Will check in tomorrow.
We generally use the regular coil machines for practices. We have two of these old life-savers in our inventory. Each machine consist of a huge Igloo insulated cooler. Inside of these coolers are large coils of brass piping. On one side of the coolers, we connect a simple garden hose attachment. We fill the cooler up with Ice completely covering the brass coils. The water circulates through the coils and exits into a aluminum pipe which has 6 water valves connected to it by small hoses. The whole assembly is mounted on a large cart(big wagon) and pulled anywhere we have a hose bib available. The water is ICE COLD by the time it circulates through the iced down coils. We can water down six kids at once with this method. Sure beats drinking out of the garden hose!
It is so important we keep the kids hydrated in this HOT Florida sun. Its not like it used to be when I played. Back then, the general thinking was that if you denied the player water, it would toughen him up! In fact, very little water was even available on or near the practice field. Our trainers (generally the coach) would give us handfuls of salt tablets instead. Man, they were awful! I remember cramping and throwing up during practice. We were expected to keep practicing and keep playing through it all. We did not know that we were actually dehydrated and probably near heat stroke. LOL. Today, we do not deny a player water....ever. Luckily, we have never had an issue at Sebastian River High School.
I am having a memory moment right now. Things sure have changed in today's world. I am not sure if the KIDS have changed, or if we as coaches have changed? I just do not remember so many kids having Asthma and needing inhalers like today. Back in the day, if we started wheezing and not able to breath while running, our coach would call us a fat-ass and order us to keep running. Back then, we were branded OUT OF SHAPE and had to run extra sprints after practice. But you know what? The wheezing disappeared once we got into running shape! It is much different today. If a player needs his inhaler, the trainer keeps it for him.
I remember one of my friends-Glen Sterchi, broke his arm while working on his family's farm in Fairdale, Kentucky. He went to the hospital and they placed a huge plaster cast on his arm. This was on a Monday or Tuesday I think. My dad really needed Glen to play in the game that weekend, so my dad (and the boy's father) wrapped Glen's cast in foam rubber to play in the game (remember, this was a time BEFORE fiberglass casts like we have now) Glen played defensive tackle and offensive tackle and he never missed a snap. In fact, Glen was using his new cast as a CLUB during the game. I'm not saying this was right, but it did happen. LOL. That would never happen with today's world
Head concussions are another major concern. Back in the day, I can remember getting hit so hard (helmet to helmet) I would see stars and momentarily have a blackout on the field. I remember holding my head a screaming it hurt so bad. Back then, helmets were not nearly as padded (and safe) as they are now, so this was a common occurrence. We just waited until the stars and fog cleared in out heads, and back in we would go. Today, this is called a concussion, and the player is grounded for a week. I guess it was a concussion back then too! We just did not know it. LOL.
Again, back in the day! We were always taught to tackle with out head. We were taught to lead with our facemask and drive it into the jersey numbers of the ball carrier. We ALWAYS tackled with our heads and shoulders and locked up. I remember my coach saying: "look at what you are tackling!" Naturally we often got what we called "stingers" in our arms and shoulders. Our arms and shoulders (sometimes legs) would go completely dumb and burn like hell for several minutes. Have you ever had arm or leg go to sleep on you? Remember the feeling you had when the body part was "waking up?" This is kind of like what a stinger feels like with the burning feeling added. In today's world, the player would be put onto a stretcher and taken by ambulance to the hospital!
I am not saying we were tougher back then, but it is just a different world today. I am sure my dad thought we (as players) had it much easier than he did when he played. The game has changed, the kids have changed, and we (as coaches) have to change too!
Will check in tomorrow.
Monday, April 23, 2012
My name is "Coach" George Zaleuke, and this is my first experience with blogging. Hold on, I just lied. Before my son (Mike) entered the US ARMY, he started a popular blog which followed his adventures before, during, and after his training at Ft. Benning, Georgia. Of course, Mike did not have internet access during his training, so he would hand write these long detailed letters which I (and my daughter Kristin) entered into his blog. We were ordered to enter the information into his blog EXACTLY as he wrote it. This was not always easy to do for me. I spent many hours with tears in my eyes as I typed the words into his blog. I would feel his pain, and I could feel his joy in his written words. I finally had to turn over the job to Kristin. I just had a hard time with it. Besides, Kristin types like 150 words per minute, and I could only type about 10 with my hunt and peck method. LOL.
This blog will hopefully follow our football season from spring ball through the entire season. This blog may be a little boring for some of you; however, I really want to document this season so my kids (Kristin and Mike) can follow my thoughts in what could be my last season. If my blog is sometimes boring, I am sorry for that. Sometimes a coach's life is not so exciting, but it is my life, and I still love every minute of it. Here is my problem. I will not know who is reading my blog, so I will need to stay pretty generic on what we are working on. Believe it or not, even at this level, our offense is pretty complicated. We work hard on relaying information to our kids, so I will have to be careful not to tip our opponents to what we are doing during a particular week.
Today is April 23rd. We begin spring training on the 1st of May. The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) allows us twenty (20) days in May to complete our training and allow for a spring game if we choose to do so. Coach Bethel is pretty strict on following the rules, so up until now, we are lifting weights and conditioning. Our kids are looking pretty good right now, and I am excited to get started. I am really excited about our 8th graders. Great looking bunch of kids.
What did I do today? Remember the "Not exciting" part I mentioned? Well, here it is: I am sort of the "team mechanic" of the coaching staff. If it can be repaired or built, the guys generally come to me. Remember, we are a public school. Naturally, we do not have the funds to waste on anything. We have these old water machines that I have completely taken over and rebuilt several times. We have 2 (battery operated) water lift pumps (water cows) and 2 coil coolers. We fill all these machines with Ice and pump drinking water through them. The kids just tear the hell out of these old machines, so I try to stay on top of the maintenance. I have three of them ready to go, and I have the other one on the back of my truck right now. By the weekend, it too will be ready to go.
In my next blog, I will introduce the coaches to you all. All of these guys are like brothers to me, and we are all very close.
Not too bad for a first blog, right?
"Coach" George
This blog will hopefully follow our football season from spring ball through the entire season. This blog may be a little boring for some of you; however, I really want to document this season so my kids (Kristin and Mike) can follow my thoughts in what could be my last season. If my blog is sometimes boring, I am sorry for that. Sometimes a coach's life is not so exciting, but it is my life, and I still love every minute of it. Here is my problem. I will not know who is reading my blog, so I will need to stay pretty generic on what we are working on. Believe it or not, even at this level, our offense is pretty complicated. We work hard on relaying information to our kids, so I will have to be careful not to tip our opponents to what we are doing during a particular week.
Today is April 23rd. We begin spring training on the 1st of May. The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) allows us twenty (20) days in May to complete our training and allow for a spring game if we choose to do so. Coach Bethel is pretty strict on following the rules, so up until now, we are lifting weights and conditioning. Our kids are looking pretty good right now, and I am excited to get started. I am really excited about our 8th graders. Great looking bunch of kids.
What did I do today? Remember the "Not exciting" part I mentioned? Well, here it is: I am sort of the "team mechanic" of the coaching staff. If it can be repaired or built, the guys generally come to me. Remember, we are a public school. Naturally, we do not have the funds to waste on anything. We have these old water machines that I have completely taken over and rebuilt several times. We have 2 (battery operated) water lift pumps (water cows) and 2 coil coolers. We fill all these machines with Ice and pump drinking water through them. The kids just tear the hell out of these old machines, so I try to stay on top of the maintenance. I have three of them ready to go, and I have the other one on the back of my truck right now. By the weekend, it too will be ready to go.
In my next blog, I will introduce the coaches to you all. All of these guys are like brothers to me, and we are all very close.
Not too bad for a first blog, right?
"Coach" George
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