Month: November 2022

In previous blogs, I’ve commented a few times on the relative size difference between the rearview mirror and the windshield, and how focusing on what’s ahead is often most important. That having been said, there is value in the occasional look in the rearview, as elements of the past readily inform the future.

Just as we study film after each game, I encourage the coaching staff and me to think about lessons learned over the course of the year. What did we do well? What can we do better? From Winter conditioning, through spring practice, summer OTAs, Camp, and through the season we recently concluded. Each phase of team building contributes to the whole.

There are elements of X’s and O’s, play calling, and scouting, as well as leading, training, and mentoring our players and staff. Assessing the last year’s efforts and experiences enables us to reinforce success and minimize (ideally eliminate) friction. While it is unlikely we’ll find identical circumstances in the coming year, there will be analogous situations and I am reminded of the maxim, “if history doesn’t repeat itself, it sure does rhyme.”

Before we turn to future tasks and begin building the Hilltopper team of 2023, we’ll take stock of the lessons we learned in 2022, and hopefully, they’ll help us sharpen the picture of all that lies ahead.  

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time! 

Legacy and tradition underpin many aspects of teamwork. A few weeks ago we played (and won) the 117^th playing of “The Game,” one of the longest-running high school rivalries in the Nation.

Today, November 10^th, marks the 247^th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. I have a few close friends and several former players who are Marines. It’s true there’s something special about the men and women of The Corps, their character, culture and traditions.

In celebrations worldwide, Marines will gather to share a meal and for dessert, a traditional cake. Tradition dictates the oldest Marine present gets the first piece, and he or she then passes on the piece to the youngest Marine present, symbolizing the passing on of knowledge, experience, and legacy. Last week I noted our tradition of senior players relaying their most memorable places on the field, and sharing their legacy with those who will follow.

In 2009, I was fortunate enough to participate in the Marine Corps’ Educators Workshop, traveling to Parris Island, SC., getting a taste of Marine Corps boot camp, participating in training, and learning firsthand about the Marine Corps mission of Making Marines, Winning Battles, and Developing Quality Citizens.

I’d like to think we’ve successfully patterned our program along the same lines, and as coaches, we make teammates, win games, and develop student-athletes who go on to become quality citizens in their own right.  We teach and encourage the same leadership traits and focus on concepts like service and interdependence.

Happy Birthday, Marines! Long live the Corps!

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!  

In 4 of our first 6 seasons, prior to the pandemic, St Johnsbury Academy advanced to the State Championship game. Given the forecast conclusion to the season, we planned and executed a celebration of our seniors’ last practice.  While we’ve made the playoffs in every other season, if we don’t make it to the championship, the playoff loss stops the advance, ending things abruptly, and without celebration.  

During those years, when we knew it was our last practice, we established a tradition where we would all meet in the middle of our field and invite the seniors to go to their most memorable spot on the field.  The underclassmen make notice of each senior and his/her location.  Then the seniors are asked to return to the team and explain where they went and why it was so meaningful.  For some, it is the spot of their first start, first tackle, or first score. One player went off the field to a spot just inside the stadium where he said he made his first friends after moving here.  Another went behind the goalposts where he used to shag extra points for the varsity when he was only a freshman. One of my all-time favorites was a player who went to where we break down after every practice and say “brothers.”  He went on to explain that location is where he first felt like he was a part of something bigger than himself.  Part of a family…  

After the last senior shares their story, the underclassmen line up in a gauntlet at the edge of the field so they can have one last hug and share parting words with each senior as they make their way through the line of players with eyes filled with tears.   

This tradition is too special to only do on those years when we reach Championship Saturday, so now we come out to the field on the first Monday after our last game.  Regardless of how far we advance in the playoffs, our seniors are celebrated, their legacy passed on, and the tradition continues.  

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!