Gifts

I recently received a heartwarming message from a parent of one of my players, thanking me for the season and sharing some very kind words.  Along with the message was the photo shared in this blog.  I had never seen this image before and it struck me how it so perfectly embodies the Coach-Athlete relationship.  We give of ourselves to fill in the missing pieces of each of our players.  The real trick to coaching is determining which piece each player needs.  There is a great quote from Ric Charlesworth, a former coach and Olympic athlete from Australia.  “The interesting thing about coaching is that you have to trouble the comfortable, and comfort the troubled.”  In coaching, one size most certainly does not fit all, and square pegs do not fit into round holes.  

In the image, the coach gives yet another piece of himself to make the athlete whole, but at what expense to the Coach?  Coaching requires extraordinary commitment…  Long days, lost weekends, and few vacations.  (especially early in a coaching career). Because of this time commitment, coaches must sacrifice time with friends and family. Coaches often miss social functions, special events, and occasionally even birthdays.  We do not get these pieces back, but we firmly believe the investment in others makes it a worthwhile trade. 

Over time, we learn to try and find something approaching balance in our lives, but each of us recognizes many of the pieces we pass on are not our own, but the pieces our coaches passed to us, and their coaches passed to them. In many ways, not coaching seems as if it would be the more selfish choice. I’d like to think over more than four decades playing and coaching the game of football, I’ve found a way to pass on the gifts I was given, and still cherish the time I have with my family and closest friends.

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!