Hello all... thought I'd check back here after a few weekends in the books.
So I ended up as a coach on the Development "junior varsity" Team, the feeder program for the race team. 7-11 year olds, most of them are 8-10. The Director mentioned to me, at the bar, right before New Years (the program officially starts first weekend after New Years) that he only has one Dev team coach for 40 kids. I saw that as a great opportunity for me, so I told him to put me wherever he needs me... I'll happily spin over to Dev team. I know most of the coaches who have been there a while want to pick and choose their positions, usually with the older more experienced kids.
It's been going very well. I have autonomy. (THANK GOD) And my kids are improving and having a great time.
4 Dev coaches for about 45 kids, so we split them up between us. All 4 of us are older guys, I'm the youngest at 48, and all the others have been coaching there at least 5 years. Sigh... the split up process took way longer than it should have, as I suggested we try to split them up by ability, as reasonably best we can. First, they wanted to split up the groups based on how many years they've been in the pre-race program. ("Who's in their second year of Dev team? Who just came up from Dynamites? Who's in their first year here at the mountain? How about... who's 8 and under, and who's 9 and older?") I pointed out that you will have a mixed bag of kids that way, that we need to watch them one at a time to see what they can actually do. Finally, after watching the 3 of them bumble about how they're going to do this, I stepped in and essentially said, "Here. You, go halfway down and stand in the middle of the slope. You go on one side of the slope next to him, you go on the other. I'll send them down to you one at a time, you already have a good idea how most of the kids in the group ski, you point the top half to one coach, and the less experienced to the other coach." I really wanted to do the split myself, based on watching these other 3 coaches ski.
But, I'm the new guy. I let the guys with seniority handle it, so as not to offend their egos.
So, he divided them up, I and one other coach got assigned to the "bottom half," but all the kids were a mixed bag once again. The coach splitting them was looking for things like a pole plant, skis tight together, speed, etc. I would have mainly looked at how skis were interacting with the snow, and overall body movements and coordination. Doesn't really matter to me... these are young kids, and I've been planning on building their skiing from the bottom up PMTS-wise.
(Side note.... it's amazing to me how much stock these traditional coaches put in USSA and PSIA certifications. I've been asked more times this season if I'm "USSA and/or PSIA," as if that means ANYTHING compared to how I actually ski)
Once I got MY group of kids, I could finally get to the good stuff: teaching, coaching, telling corny jokes, get them talking and asking and answering questions, coming up with a new team name every day.... "We need a good team name today.... Coach precisionchiro's ___________? What's a good name?"
"Unicorns!" "Dominators!" "Tie Fighters!" "Special Forces!" "Ballerinas!!!" "Racing Devils!" "Chicken Nuggets!"
First two weekends were Tipping. Lots and lots and lots of tipping games and exercises. And every morning and every ending-day huddle, I always ask them, "What's the most important skiing skill we need to know as racers?" They all know the answer to that one, and why. We are now starting to combine our Tipping with some flexing and more recently some upper body stuff. It's wonderful to see their skiing change right before my eyes. And even better to get some compliments from other coaches, even one of the other Dev team coaches who recently asked me if I had the "advanced" group of Dev teamers after watching them... he couldn't remember.
We've been having great fun naming our games and exercises... it gives them all a sense of "ownership" and pride, that OUR team has the best creative names for things all the other racers are doing on the hill in their groups. I guided my kids to name the "Angry Mother" exercise... asking them first to come up with a name --- "The Hipster Drill!" "The Hip Hop Drill!" "The Double V Arms Drill!"
I then told them that when I watch them ski with their hands on their hips, it reminds me of when I was their age.... when I would get in trouble.... and SOMEONE would do this when I got in trouble....
"YEAH!!!! Parents!!! It's like.... Mad Parents! Angry Parents!!!"
"You know.... let me ask you guys.... which one of your parents would usually do this?"
"OH MAANNNNN!!!! MY MOM DOES THIS ALL THE TIME!!!" "Yeah! Mom definitely!!!"
"So what do you guys think? I think we should call this the Angry Mother exercise."
The laughs and cheers from them were absolutely priceless. Everyone around us, and watching from the lift, were all staring and gawking at the noise we were making.
Even Tyler, who hasn't said 3 words to me in the 25 some odd hours we were together, who barely cracks a grin at my corny jokes, who is the ONLY one standing exactly where we are supposed to meet at the top of the hill every run -- while the rest of the knucklehead boys are starting to wander off in the woods, and the girls are off talking in cliques and packs, Tyler is standing there almost at attention, looking as if he's ready to take the SAT's....... He finally let out a hearty belly laugh and smiled the rest of the day. It was incredible. It hit me... it may very well be that Tyler is so stoic and serious and quiet because his mom gives him Angry Mother all the live long day.. and that's why he found it so hilarious.
Our newest exercise-naming this past weekend is something I take a lot of pride in. I'm trademarking it. While the other groups were "carrying trays of hot chocolate" with their poles, we took that to the next level and "Spilled Our Hot Chocolate Onto Our Lifted Edges".... first with our trays, then by imagining two big cups of hot chocolate on our shoulders, and spilling them onto our lifted edges during our Angry Mothers... then combining those two...
"Instead of carrying a steady tray of hot chocolate.... who's up for spilling hot chocolate all over the place???"
They all scream "MEEEE!!!!!!!" and raise their poles up like The Knights of the Round Table. I keep forgetting that, and often ask questions like that when we are huddled close. Someone's going to get a pole tip in the eye one of these days.
Harald gets credit for The Phantom Move, I get full credit for Spilling Hot Chocolate on the Lifted Edges. I think that should be the 6th PMTS Essential. LOL!!!
I've snuck some peeks at the other Dev team coaches in action. Sigh. Boring, confusing, random drills and exercises with no order or integration....
Two weeks ago, chatting with the other 3 coaches one morning as the kids are coming out, I asked them how their groups were doing. They ALL complained about the same exact thing.... "The worst part is getting them to listen. They just don't listen, they don't do what I tell them to do. Their attention sucks."
I stood there and nodded, thinking to myself "That's because YOU ALL SUCK at what you do. I wouldn't listen to you either. You're taking an activity that is supposed to be fun and exhilarating, ESPECIALLY at their ages, and making it dull drudgery. You don't deserve the title of Coach."
This past Sunday was a warm rainy morning with slick slushy roads, so we told all the racing parents Saturday to not rush to come in Sunday morning with the weather forecast calling for bad roads... if the roads are questionable, don't risk it. 4 of my parents asked if I was going to be there on Sunday. "Yes, I'll definitely be here. But you guys don't have to be here, attendance isn't mandatory, especially for Dev team. Don't feel like you have to come on an awful day."
"But..... you're going to be here, right?"
"Yes. I'm going to be here."
Sunday morning rolls around, foggy, bad roads, snow conditions were 1/4" of ice over a few inches of wet cement underneath. Blech. All 4 of us Dev team coaches show up. I asked them how many kids they thought would show up today. They joked "One! Somebody always shows up and we have to stay."
11 Dev team kids showed up. 9 of them were MINE. They were all busting my chops, wondering why almost my entire group showed up on a lousy weather day when only a small handful of the entire race team came out. "Well of course they came. My kids would walk through fire for me." All 4 of us coaches split the group in half, 2 coaches with each small group for the first hour. On the break, I asked the Director if he wants us to cut down the number of coaches, we didn't need to all be there. Since I had a farther drive home, I was one of the coaches he told to head home, and 2 of the other Dev coaches finished out the day with the group... I'm curious what my kids will tell me this coming weekend about how it went on Sunday.
Anyway... I'm grateful for PMTS, and for you folks here in the forum, and wanted to share how it's been going.