Coach Flip Naumburg's Journal

Sunday, July 24, 2005   

LIFE IS THE WAITING FOR THE NEXT BUS – or, IS THAT FUNNY WEIRD OR FUNNY HAHA?

As the season of lacrosse (most of the year) sits upon the not so distant horizon I have already thought about my teaching approach and some of the "motivational methods" I have in mind.  I try not to think too far ahead, but I do like to "script" the first parts of the process.

All of a sudden our most experienced Attack man is a player that I quite honestly never envisioned as "the most experienced", even when he becomes a senior in '07.  It's not that he can't handle it, because he can.  The thing is that we will have to build ourselves a whole new kind of attack.  I have no idea how it will look, other than very young, or who exactly will be part of it.  I have only a small idea of how I want it to work. It will have to design itself as I go. 

Truthfully this new reality quickly becomes more exciting to me as an unknown, rather than more discouraging because of the defection that recently changed our "attack situation".  Just give me players that want to play and want to be at CSU.  Ship all the non-believers back to wherever they came from in hopes that they may find their own personal peace.  Buh-bye. 

Remember, I do not recruit.  I make no promises.  I coach, that's what I do. 

I try my damndest not to discourage, but sometimes I know I do.  You have to really want it in order to play here.  I do not do that for you.

THE KING IS DEAD – LONG LIVE THE KING

Well, stuff happens and things change.  We are, however, really lucky to have a coach (me) with limited mental capabilities.  I sometimes can't distinguish set back from leap forward.  I am not much of a pre-season depth chart kind of a guy either.  That takes too much organized thought for me.  I do not project unless what I am thinking about has immediate implications for our team, and is based on shall we say current observations. 

I do not think about what I expect from players.  I think about communicating to them the kinds of things they should expect from themselves.  Then I sort of send them off on their own, and I wait to see what the boomerang brings back. 

IF YOU'RE NOT IN, YOU'RE OUT

We have an old saying here at CSU, "If you're not in, you're out!"  It has become a "Flipism" that amuses and entertains them.  It's sort of nonsense that sort of makes sense.  What it meant to us was and is that if you're not in the scrimmage, get your you-know-what OFF the field of play so we can get on with getting better!  It has come to be an extended CSU metaphor used quite often around the old practice field.

We are not practicing or playing right now, but they (players) are getting quite a bit of lacrosse action in summer leagues and what not.  I am good with this.  To my way of thinking this young team needs playing more than coaching right now.  There are a lot of our players around the area this summer.  Many came to the CSU lax camp and or Vail, so the family never gets too disjointed.  I have seen many of them during these months on a fairly regular basis. 

SUMMER BREEZE MAKES ME FEEL FINE, blowin' like the jasmine in my mind

(Seals and Croft?)

I feel good about the team.  Last year at this time I was all over the internet hounding us (CSU lacrosse) to change our ways. I did it in emails and I did it by calling individuals "out" in this journal. Right now my approach is active/passive, both at once, a sort of new style for me.  I am trying to plant little seeds and things right now, and nothing more.

All my team emails lately have been to inform or to act as message board.  I haven't sent a "coaching" email since before the "incident" in April.  I wait and I ponder, but I do not project, especially to them.  For all the unrest we have suffered as a team and a program I feel strangely at peace and quite comfortable with my whole coaching thing right now.

I do worry some about the partying (the verb, as in "DUDE, let's party!") potential of this next group, even if they are young.  I feel like I will need professional security guards if I hope to keep them all "in" on certain nights.

WHEN MEN ON THE CHESSBOARD GET UP AND TELL YOU WHERE TO GO

(Grace Slick)

When all is said and done they (players) are pieces on a chessboard, and if your not actually playing the game, well, then you're not playing, and for me and especially for this year, there is only a limited amount of coaching to be done while there are no practices happening. I'm big on practice.  I can't wait to have some.

THE FAMILY GUY

Speaking of partying, I have been doing the local Peruvian party circuit the last couple of weekends.  The inner weeks have been about getting ready for these very important festivities. One was an away "game" and the other party was here at home yesterday.   That one was a belated birthday party for the two year-old, son George, heir to the family throne.  It (party) was only 43 days after his actual second birthday, but who's counting and besides, that fits my "family" pretty well.  I just hope it does not warp George's sense of time.  Oh well, he's two.  He'll get over it.              

VIVA PERU

I did it.  I proved to the local Peruvian population that the lovely Ada (wife #2, since 1998) actually does have a gringo husband (me).  I most often DO NOT go to these weekend fiestas. My work is hopefully now complete for a while, and I can sit home alone on a Sunday now and again without guilt.

If I have to endure one more Salsa/Rap song without a door to at least muffle the sound, however, I will put a gun to my head.

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