4 Hard Downs: Frames, Development & The Standard
My wife's Christmas/Birthday/Valentine's Day Present is done plus I continue to be upset about coaches
I am a huge fan of getting things framed and having things framed. I have a very rudimentary set of frames that I use for my kid’s art and can rotate things in and out. We also have a couple of restored old window panes that my kid has art sitting in for her play area, shout out to my wife for restoring them.
This started with my grandmother (RIP), who took framing classes and was doing her own framing including matboard and double and layered matboard. I then leveled up because my wife is a “puzzler” and get her puzzles framed; this is the latest:
Go Green. Go White. Let’s SPOT THE BALL!!!
1st Down: Coaching Is Mentoring
I always refer to coaches as teachers. My first coach was my dad, my dad was a teacher. He approached working with children on the field the way a teacher approaches school and as someone on school committees, growth is the most important thing for kids. It isn’t wins and losses, it is every student being better leaving your classroom than when they got there.
This makes hella sense to me. I understand this tremendously. I had a teacher in eighth grade, that my mom said don’t name, who only really wanted to “teach” the Academically Gifted kids and didn’t really seem to care about developing young minds, just wanted wins on EOGs (end of grade testing). I was AG, we didn’t need him, he also was a not good dude and come to find out when he left my middle school, the kids he taught at a crosstown high school also thought he sucked shit.
You can get the “best guys” together but if you’re not pushing and developing and caring and just relying on what you deem to be a finished product to prove how good you are, you’re not teaching or coaching or mentoring.
You’re just rolling the ball out.
Nick Saban didn’t just roll the ball out. Eddie Robinson didn’t just roll the ball out. I know those are two all time greats, but isn’t that what you should want to be instead of just figuring out a way to make your job easier and not enriching young people’s lives?
2nd Down: Develop Don’t Envelope
Speaking of development, came across this:
These are finished products to be starters at the D-1 level. High school coaches, players and parents do not realize the work that goes in to getting on the field on Saturdays in the fall. Unless you’re a 5 or 4 star, odds are your body needs time.
I was a 185 lbs senior with a preferred walk-on spot to UNC and offers from a lot of other schools. I was there 2 days of camp and became a 165 lbs freshman who wanted his mom to pick him up from camp. Shout out to my dad for not letting her come get me. Then I came home for Christmas and was a 200+lbs kid who had made the transition; and still didn’t get in the game.
Instead of handing a guy from another school an envelope of cash via NIL, maybe develop the high school guys into the player, in your system that you want. If it isn’t about grades then don’t say, “Go JUCO, D2 or D3 and we’ll think about.”
My story isn’t great because I didn’t become Eric Weddle or Talanoa Hufanga, but I did become a usable football player thanks to the strength and conditioning and coaching staff caring about me; not just going out of their way to find another plug and play.
A better story is my wife’s cousin. Leggy tight end in high school who senior year moved to tackle. Michigan State doesn’t offer but asks him to come play ball and they can build him into a tackle. Redshirts freshman year and earned a scholarship in year two. Started 25 games at left tackle, played in 37 games.
Why?
Because they trusted their process instead of hoping someone else did the work for them at a completely disconnected other school.
3rd Down: The Standard is The Standard
I don’t agree with all of this but a lot of this:
Honestly forget about sports.
Sports can be editing, video games or twitch or cooking or carpentry or pottery; but the standard does have to be the standard. My kid shows up with an aloof partner it is a bigger issue than sports vs non-sports.
Band can be rigorous. Dance or cheer have levels of accountability that people don’t understand. Chess Club, at a high level is a serious focus and learning that people don’t get. Art and being about your medium and craft shows a level of dedication and passion.
As a sports person, playing my whole life, I do view things through that lens. However, being a person in the normal world, I’ve learned my addiction to wanting to be good at football falls on deaf ears for people who are into art, architecture, teaching, philanthropy. They mostly assume I am a shitbag jock, but I do respect and appreciate what that do.
Usually doesn’t work both ways.
They do still view me as villain from their childhood because I was super good at sports.
4th Down: Stealing Should Be Shamed
Came across this Monday evening
I think he is completely wrong and it should be a stain on your record if you go into a locker room and take things out of people’s lockers. The locker room is a sacred place where you get naked, change clothes, shower and keep your stuff in your personal space.
You should never have to lock your locker. You should not ever have to worry about someone taking things from your locker; let alone a high school kid who is getting a tour taking stuff (allegedly).
We had kids who got booted from the program for stealing in the locker room. It is a problem that should be called out. The gap between using someones lotion or soap, two things I was always stocked up on thanks to my mom, and taking gloves or socks is tremendous. Anyone who was in my locker section knew, “Felder has lotion, deodorant, powder, soap and he is cool with sharing, but don’t touch his cleats, socks or anything he uses to play football.”
So, if anyone, recruit or player, steals from a locker you have a problem and deserve to be exposed and skewered.
On a positive note, I made brownies and the entire school staff loved them. A chocolate brownie with a cheesecake swirl cut into them. I got asked, “How did you get that swirl in,” and I explained it to a few of the staff.
We’ve got Bingo Night coming up and it is a back-to-back with my kid’s birthday party that might see 100 people at my house for the bounce house and pizza and donuts. Getting some rest and getting ready to turn and burn.
Cheers!!!