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Ever had one of those crazy busy weeks that simply leaves you breathless and exhausted - by Thursday? That was me last week! I/We had 4 meets, worked on our championship lineups, and seemed to always be on the run. It was CRAZY!
Here are the updates for the various meets I have not yet posted anything for:
Meet #11 - Waterloo -
The kids had somewhat of a rough night. They didn't jump as well as they wanted to, but that was due to circumstances they could not change. The first circumstance that hurt them was the weather. It was cold and rainy, and the kids jumping (JV) simply aren't used to that kind of environment (yet). As well, the sandpit was filled way too much and this made the kids land much quicker than they should have - think jumping up hill. I pulled them all aside and discussed the reasons they hadn't jumped as well as they hoped and told them to simply build upon their experience(s) from the night. They were sad/disappointed, but understood; and seemed to understand and trust my thoughts on the night. Overall I was EXTREMELY HAPPY with their performances as I know the deck was "stacked against them".
Meet #12 - Stoughton -
The JV kids that competed had a good night! We had a total of 8 jumpers compete, with 2 of them making very competitive finals. Many of them did not jump up to their potential, but I was completely OK with that! What made me upset was the fact that many of them seemed to be allowing their nerves to get the better of them. So many of them were looking to next week (conference) already, and apologizing when they "let us down". The last thing we want as a staff is for kids to feel like they are competing for us in some way. It's flattering that they want to do great things for us, but that is not point. They need to compete for themselves first and foremost! I coach to give the kids the best possible experience they can get. I coach them to experience personal bests. I coach them to build quality ever-lasting relationships. I DON'T coach them for the glory or for the spotlight - they athletes deserve all of that!
Meet # 13 - Arrowhead -
The varsity kids had a wonderful meet at Arrowhead on Saturday! They competed hard and walked away with some great accomplishments (many podiums, a girls team title, and many new PR's). The jumpers all jumped well with a few of them experiencing some scratch issues that will need to be fixed this week. Kadon Kauppinen took 3rd place in the long jump (barely scratching a jump I honestly believe would have won the meet at - roughly - 23'6"), and Tyler Precia took 3rd in the triple jump. I was extremely happy to see Tyler jump so well. He was out for an extended time due to an injury the past few weeks, and he looked as though he didn't even miss a beat!