Coach Flip Naumburg's Journal

Monday, December 27, 2004

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR. NOW GET TO WORK

I spent some time over the last week working up a Report/Christmas card that I emailed to everyone on the team. Every year I usually write an individual report card to every player on the roster, and then I post it at practice. I have written (in here) about doing this before. It is pretty much an annual exercise often motivated by frustration with the way we are playing. This was not the case here. We aren’t even playing. I try to write things that might motivate players from the "global positioning" place of each one’s personal potential. That (potential) seems to be one of my big themes this year. Directing that potential is what can allow it to come to fruition, to ripen on the vine as it were.

I could have written to each one individually, but that is not what we do in this family. Why do I post it for all to see? Why do we elect captains with everyone in the room with their eyes wide open? There are two reasons we do things this way. The first is the whole "Know the truth, and the truth shall set you free" concept so big with me. The other is accountability. If I write to only the individual, then the importance of those words might get lost. When everyone sees what the coaches think "you" need to work on, or even what you are good at, my hope is that then it stays more in the mind.

For each player I wrote a brief comment, as usual, which was pretty much the first response that popped into my head. Then, I added something new. I gave them a three-pack for Christmas. I presented every one of them a MISSION, a JOB, and a CHALLENGE for this year. There were cases where one player’s JOB sounded a lot like another’s CHALLENGE, but I didn’t necessarily define the categories, and besides, they (players) are all different. One man’s job might in fact be the same as another’s biggest challenge.

I just remembered another reason why I like the "Open Air" method of communication on the report card. If they (players) read what is written down about everyone else (and they all will), they just might find an extra mental morsel or two for themselves hidden amongst this big pile of informulch.

We are the primordial Team Swamp Thing right now. Mix up a bunch of primitive psychological goo, heat it up some, strike it with a bolt of light, and bam, life can happen. At least that is one theory.

SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

If one has tots and or toddlers, the phrase, "Some assembly required" becomes the understatement of the century. I don’t know what I would have done this Christmas without Mike, the almost 21 year-old college boy son. He put together, among other things, Jordan’s ride-in red rescue Jeep that goes 5 miles per hour and has lots of bells and whistles.

At the end of the Christmas Day Jordan (4.9 years old) still took inventory on what toys he does NOT yet have. I think he is competing to have the most possible toys. I wish I could get him to be grateful for that which he does have. It is my hope that this will come along as the age of reason does.

For the most part, there seems to be almost nothing that goes under the tree that doesn’t need to be put together and or use batteries. We had a great, albeit small Christmas at home. For the first time in recent memory there was snow on the ground on December 25. Last year at this time I was "figuring out" how to strand myself in the Virgin Islands. This Christmas was a good one, but that warm beach thing was awful nice, too.

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