Clinton Township Newsletter

3 j u l y 2 0 2 1 Happy Independence Day! Carol Beder's www.MSIPlumbingAndRemodeling.com 1109 Rte. 31 S. Lebanon, NJ 08833 New Jersey Licensed Master Plumber #8722 Your Remodeling Experts! 908.735.4438 I loved playing soccer as a teenager in high school. When, years ago, my daughter decided to give the sport a try, I chose to coach her girls' Rec soccer team from when she was in third grade until her ninth-grade year, and I learned so much in the process. I never considered coaching to be in my skill-set, but we'll do anything for our kids, won't we? The priorities in Rec soccer are to have fun, to play soccer weekly, and to learn more about the sport. I was incredibly grateful to the USA (United Soccer Academy) coaches, all of whom were from the UK and had a kind of a Harry-Potter-handsomeness going on, which went over well with my players. These young men ran the girls through drills before each game, usually ending their explanation of the drill with, "Right then girls, off you go!" It was a different group of people each week, and they were ALL so grateful to be in America. That fact was an eye-opener for me since I sometimes take our Country for granted. ("The United States is the #1 DESTINATION for the people of Great Britain!" one of them memorably told me.) So, here are some of the things I learned and/or came up with while coaching my daughter's teams: Never underestimate the competition. You know this, right? Hollywood loves an underdog story for good reason. It's true and happens often that the team with the weaker skills will have the much stronger drive to win the game, and I reminded them of this frequently. You can do anything for 15 minutes. Towards the end of the game oftentimes the girls were (during the beginning of the season) tired, sweaty, and hot or (towards the end of the season) tired, cold, and wet. I always encouraged them to stick it out and finish strong in that last quarter. I fully remember "hitting the wall" in my high school games, thinking I couldn't run for one more minute, and then getting past that feeling and finishing the game, elated. Listen (meaning – I should listen to them). Coaches tend to like to do all the talking but often it's important to listen to your players as well. If we were losing I would say, "Using constructive criticism, and one person at a time, tell the team how you think we can win this game." After hearing all of their strategies, I'd say, with a smile, "Okay, go do that." and they would, and they would usually win the game. I stuck with this strategy. Change it up. At the beginning of the season, I would ask each player: "What position do you usually play, what position do you feel you play well, and what position have you always wanted to play but never got a chance to?" Then I would make sure to get them into those spots. They seemed eager and delighted to play positions at which they never usually got a chance, and were usually very successful at them. The Constructive Criticism Oreo: Okay, anyone who has taken the Rutgers Coaching class knows this. Start with a positive comment, then give your constructive criticism, and then end with another positive comment. It was effective with coaching and I've used this many times in real life too. This works well with husbands. Coaching girls is different than coaching boys. Is this obvious? Some of the dad-coaches (bless their hearts) didn't always understand female players and would try to coach them as if they were boys. As I've said before, I'm all about equality but after watching my boys play various sports, I think that it's just different. My teams (a different group of girls each year) played hard in the game but then, during a break, enjoyed socializing, singing(!), dancing(!) and just having fun – and then when the break was over they'd go back to playing hard. I just went with it. I also realized that we had a golden mentorship opportunity with the sixth-grade through (big difference!) ninth-grade teams, so I encouraged the younger girls to ask the older girls any questions that they had about navigating middle school and high school. The older girls responded very sweetly and thoughtfully. It had nothing to do with soccer but everything to do with their future happiness. Remember the bigger picture. My biggest hope for their soccer experience, I told them, was that the skills they acquired on the soccer field (perseverance, teamwork, etc) would benefit them later on in high school, in college, in their careers, in the boardroom, and with their future families. These days, when I see their accolades and work promotions posted online, I feel proud to be part of the "village" that (sort of) helped raise them. You go, girls (women)! I hope you and your families all Have a Happy and Safe 4th of July! 21 Cratetown Road • Lebanon, NJ 08833 (908) 735-8336 • winneday@ptd.net Visit winnewald.com Now Enrolling 2021 Campers th 70 Summer Season - Ages 4-13 In the of Hunterdon County Employment Opportunities Available Some Slots Still OPEN for 2021! Julie Flynn

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