Students are back in school, and players are back on the field. Things may look a little different but our players have adapted well. Our players report to a designated meeting area to wait for their time to go into the fieldhouse to change. Tarps hung around court #3 of our fieldhouse create our makeshift locker room. Players bring all their belongings to the field. Weightlifting equipment is moved outside at the end of practice for our athletic performance training, and thoroughly wiped down when complete.
Some things haven’t changed. We ended our first week of practice by lining up all of our first-year players then invited our returning players to pick a rookie they want to go up against in a best-of-three game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. Losers had to carry the winners’ helmets and cleats back to the fieldhouse. While such an event may at first seem insignificant, it does two things: veterans and rookies interact face to face (appropriately distanced, of course), and each has equal opportunity to compete and win. New and old members of the team interact, establish rapport, and are reminded of both the importance of competition, equal opportunity, and interdependence amongst teammates.
We also were able to give back to our community. For the past five years, we have met as a team on a Sunday in September to join the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. For health and safety reasons, this year’s walk was not a large in-person event. Instead, we walked as a team along our cross-country trail to our stadium before practice wearing purple leis, the color of the Alzheimer’s Association. Such an event reminds us to be grateful for our blessings, to be mindful of the challenges others face, and remind us of the importance of pulling together as a team while helping others and giving back to our community.
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!
Fall sports, work with our athletes, and to motivate them to be the very best version of themselves on and off the playing fields. This year, that will include managing distractions like COVID safeguards, playing 7v7 football, wearing a mask during practices and games, and tuning out the naysayers.
Fall sports, I was both thrilled and relieved to hear Vermont Governor Phil Scott announce “We want to make it clear, there will be Fall sports.” It is evident the Governor, the Agency of Education, and the Vermont Principals Association understand how vital extracurricular activities are in the lives of so many students and families. It is critical to their physical and mental health. Cancelling cannot be an option.
Most closets are filled with clothes you never wear, and playbooks are filled with plays you never call. Do you really need the 12 sweaters you have on the top shelf of your closet? No, nor do you need the 12 running plays in your playbook. Keep the 5 or 6 sweaters you wear most often and get rid of the rest. Do the same with your dress shirts, golf shirts, pants, sweats, etc. Then go to your playbook and do the same with your runs, passes, and screens. Only keep the plays you call most often. This year does not allow us time to teach plays we do not call.
