I have come to the realization my U8 girls will most likely not come out on top in any match this winter indoor session. I take the blame for this as I chose a level of play, at which I truly believed this group of girls would be competitive, this level being upper recreational and is 3rd on the scale of level of play choices.
What I didn't realize was out of 21 teams, only five others chose upper rec or greater. This decision reminds me my perception is not always that of those around me so I need to take measures like adding a note in the registration to say, "Hey, if 70% of the teams sign up at the lowest level, let me know!" So now we are faced with the hand that was dealt to us.
For parents, this is a great opportunity to really evaluate their coach because they'll obviously see the overwhelming challenge being faced too. Will their coach find opportunities to inspire individual players? Will they keep it fun? Will they be able to continue to teach, challenge and get their players to take risks in the face of overwhelming adversity? Or will they start blaming the players for the situation in which they have been placed? Will the shouts of encouragement turn to a tone of disappointment?
For myself, I really enjoy coaching in these situations because it continues to erode the years of my own childhood experiences, which were driven on a culture of winning at all cost and of finger pointing at players. So, I am okay with the hand we have been dealt this session and know, at the end of it, I'll have grown, our players will all be better for the adversity faced and they'll all still be in love with playing.
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