œGet what, you are asking.  My answer is this.  Are we ever going to get that we are killing ourselves on a regular basis?  Coaches may be guiltier of this than any other group of folks on the planet.  If not the planet, in this country.

Every week I read about someone who had a heart attack or quit because of stress or retired in their prime.  Yes, I know, you are big and strong and young and all of that good stuff.  What I also know is that down the road you will pay.

Consider the price is too high.  It will cost you and, just as important, it will cost the young people who didnt have the opportunity to have you as their coach.  At 50 years old, coaches are in their prime.  They have œtrial and error-ed their way through enough situations to have a solid foundation for working with their athletes.

The most important thing to me is to shorten the trial and error phase in coaches lives.  I can provide any w coach who is willing to practice, the tools to do just that.  I will be working to do that until I die.  Hopefully others will have picked up the ball by then.

Back to present time.  We (coaches) are the problem.  We have made winning everything.  (Gee, that means in every contest 50% of the participants are losers.)  Sorry, I digress.  Now, in our œMade-for TV world our friends in the media continue to perpetuate the idea.

Yes, it is more fun to win than lose.  Duh.  What is just as much fun and longer lasting is to clearly be able to compete.  Contests are won and lost by totally improbable happenings.  Should that negate the accomplishments of the competition?  You say NO!  Well it does every day.

Back to the original problem.  Our basic solution to everything is œmore.  Especially, more time.  12 hour days.  Nope.  16 hour days. Not necessarily.  Sleep overnight in the office.  Top that one.  Probably didnt sleep well anyway.  Too stressed, MINOR chest pains, etc.

No matter how you slice it, the season will look like this (the media world)”Its win, place or show”Coach will probably be around another year

On the bubble”Hovering around the middle-ground; could go either way

Everybody else is in jeopardy (even if you are not)

The media loves it because their job is to create DRAMA.  Human beings are addicted to drama.  Do you think I am crazy?  If so answer this.  What are the longest running shows on television?  You got it!  Soap Operas, by far! And, please dont tell me that is a girls thing.

Figuring out who is going to get hired or fired or have the next major health problem is drama.  Coaches who have kids on drugs or in trouble with the law.  Thats drama.  Dont blame the media.  Their job is to sell newspapers or air-time.  I think there is probably a better way but what do I know about their business?

What I do know about is the huge opportunity available to coaches to make a difference in young peoples lives.  Only each athletes parents have a larger opportunity.

Every coach knows that there is a coach who is on the œbubble who might have earned œCoach of the Year honors given what was done with what resources were available.  Their team demonstrated these qualities the whole season;

-Set high standards and lived up to them

-Made significant academic progress

-Respected and supported their teammates and coaches without fail

-Took responsibility for their behavior on and off the field

as representatives of their team and their institution

This is the game.  The athlete is your product as a human being.  Being an athlete is just part of that.  Coach, what about these other areas as well for yourself?

HEALTH

FAMILY

FRIENDS

SPIRIT

There will always be another job.  Lose any of these and you may not get   them back, EVER!

Look for œThe Art of Losing Coaching Athletics and Thriving in a œMade-for-TV world later this month on YouPublish.com or lulu.com