Coach Flip Naumburg's Journal

Saturday, May 20, 2006

NOT MUCH OF A GYM RAT ANYMORE

It occurred to me after the fact that I did not watch any live lacrosse action in Dallas that wasn't directly related to the Colorado State University.  The only games I saw that weren't ones that I coached in were part of the two Lady-Ram (CSU) early round blowout games. 

I did not scout, project from afar, witness, or sneak a peak of any team that we might play.  I'm not anti-social or anything, but I guess I was fairly focused and in my own little world.

MISSION POSSIBLE IV

I/We made it our mission to WIN IT ALL in 2006 way back as soon as the shock wore off following 2005.  For many, like Petey (#3 – G – 2006), the 'black' seed was already planted and had quickly sprouted (black uniform plan), and needed no extra fertilizing from me, but lots of the players in the eventual 2006 drama were not there/here last year.  Even so, none of those new guys blinked.  Only a very few quit, even with 50 pretty good players competing to play during game time. 

The core groupers that stuck were many and they took to the task.  Besides anything else, Pete the Goalie and senior captain would have nothing less than the total commitment from all.  He let that be known often.

I would say that the oath to "championship or die" was part of the new player initiation and recitation in Petey's mind.  Maybe it was that way in some measure for all six of the seniors. 

In reality most of the players on this 2006 team had no clue what the whole plot was all about, as in they hadn't been there and hadn't done that.  They just jumped on, riding the faith train and they brought along with them no fear in their baggage.  You can't beat that, can you Coach? 

WINNING AND LOSING

In every coaching year that I have ever been a part of before this one I tried to never use the word, "win" if at all possible.  To say "won", as in the past, was okay, but I rarely said, "win" in any of my motivational monologs, and I rarely even thought about saying it.  I have most always hidden the urgency of winning behind a giant curtain of the old 'If we are playing well then the winning and losing scenarios will play themselves out the way they are supposed to' thing.  I preach that it (winning) is simply the "trickle down" from knowing your lines and being ready to deliver them when it counts the most.

I AM NOT SUPERSTITIOUS…… much.

This year was different in that I used the word "win" a great deal, and almost from the beginning.  I even began to use it freely, without censorship or fear.  Wow.  That was something I had never been able to do.  From the first time I saw the lot that was to eventually become our team in August of this past year, I never concealed that winning the National Championship was not just a goal, but rather it lived only as our sole purpose. 

At that point I hadn't pre-planned the saying of win with monotonous regularity or not.  It just started to become more a part of my language as the season went on.

BACK IN BLACK

So the winning that I was now beginning to talk more about was not simply the winning of games, of course, but that we had to win the whole season.  I thrust a great deal of heat and pressure on them and us.   There are a lot of good teams that can beat us out there.

LIKE A DRUM

More than that, I guess I made it seem like nothing less (than winning) would ever do, no matter what, and all the time.  There was a black hole out there somewhere for us to fall into, too.  It was not my intention to go there.  There must have been a turning point in 2005, but I'm not sure where the mark was.

ALL THE LEAVES WERE BROWN, AND THE SKY WAS A LITTLE GRAY,

My attitude in the fall and during fall ball was horrible, now that I reflect, and it was at least partly due to my personal obsession with "winning it back".  Luckily (?) we were on probation and didn't have many Fall games (No Vegas trip).  It didn't get as ugly as it might have.  We still managed to lose 3 fall ball games, and those were not pretty that is for sure.  One was to C.U. with less than no time left on the running clock.  Things were not going well.

FUN IS NOT A NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK

I needed to readjust me so that fun again became part of the equation or things would never be right again.  I had my winter ME project.  Nothing is worth having if you're not having a good time on the trip to go and get it.

TWEET TWEET

On this winning note thing that seems to be so much on my mind, I started talking about the smaller concept of "winning the whistle" in September. Technically this is not talking about winning games, so I'm not sure if it really counts.  Saying it more and in that way might have in fact made it easier for me to use the before dreaded three-letter word W-I-N more than I ever had. 

Winning the whistle means being more ready than the other team for every whistle that resumes play on the field, to hustle on and off that field, to look at the official, to be in the right place, and all that.  In fact we seized the day and made a big play because we won a couple of those whistle moments in Dallas, and it was those kinds of little things all put together that made the playing out of this particular championship somehow so special in so many ways.  What a team!

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE?

Deep down I do believe that the winning and losing of a game does ultimately take care of itself. As a coach I don't need to be putting more verbal pressure on them than there already is.  I did it this year anyway.  How I will approach that part next year I do not yet know.

OUR GOLDEN (red headed) CHILD

Alex Smith, CSU assistant coach, has had a really good month.  He is the only link in one form or another to all 4 CSU championships, and he was definitely a big part of this one.    He also recently was asked to tryout, almost Rocky style, and then he proceeded to make the Denver Outlaws team of the professional MLL.  His first professional game is today, vs. The Chicago Whatevers at Mile High/Invesco.  I wish I could be there.  It's so great that he made it! They are going to pay him to play, and it is a position that doesn't have but 2 on a whole roster.  That's pretty good if you ask me. 

Alex also finally proposed to the girl of his dreams a couple of weeks ago, and ohmigod, she said yes. This stuff was all happening at the same time.  I figure the wedding planning should take most of 2007.  I hope this pro lax stuff doesn't get in the way.  I'm not sure Tiana was quite ready for this little "bonus" of pro lacrosse on top of all the rest. 

As a program we couldn't be more pleased or proud for one of our own.

I DO NEED ASSISTANTS AND ASSISTANCE

I think our coaching staff functioned really well in 2005-2006, at least once you got them (Alex and Kale) to quit acting like the fighting sister and brother act at the office.  These are gender roles that they switch back and forth seamlessly.  They do have to spend way too much time together, but when it comes to the coaching part the process is always forward and positive.

The two are completely different kinds of assistant coaches, and somehow even though their ages together barely add up to mine standing alone, we all became very much peers this year.  I never feel like they want my job.  I always feel like they are there to help me get the things I want. I ask for things like a smarter, better-conditioned in the off season Brian Vickery (#21 – M – 2008) for example, because we asked Vick to step up from small character role all the way up to leading man place. In some ways he didn't have ample time to make the adjustment. His versatility was tested often. Leading men have to make tougher choices and more often. I guess my simple meaning is that he has put himself in a place where he might become an actual star, but he will have to choose to do the work. I hope he does, and I also hope Kale is there pushing him every other minute. It is good for them both.

MASON JARS FOR THE FRUIT OF YOUR LABOR

More than just putting together a good season of work, I think that we, this coaching staff and team as a unified dedicated group, also put more program growth and game procedures in good containers to hand down hopefully as presents for the next generation.

WRITE TO WIN

One thing that Alex said to me after it was all over was something to the effect that I had written the journal this time in such a way that only one outcome (winning it all) would work for me within the playing out of the actual written script.  I thought that was an interesting observation.  I had in many ways written myself into a corner where we had to win in order for anything to be okay.  I had been writing with the expectation of winning four games in five days in Dallas.

I suppose that what Alex meant was that I certainly would not look very prophetic, perhaps stupid (?) if we had lost.  I guess I never really thought about losing that last one with C.U. or any other game for that matter, not really, and even though I was prepared (?) to do it (lose) if I would have had to, and it seemed a very real possibility as late as with five or so minutes left in the last quarter of the last game that was played on the last day of the 2006 USLMDIA season.  They almost had us.

I'D MARRY HER ALL OVER AGAIN

I am a lucky man.  It took me twice to get it right, but as anyone who knows me knows, I married well. Those that don't know me would also be able to see that she is younger, much more beautiful, etc.  She could have arguably done better.  I clearly could not have.

I think we both came a little bit from BOTH sides of the tracks and that really works for us.  Also her genetics allowed even me to sire cool looking children.

Anyway, Ada allows me the freedom to coach or obsess or whatever it is I do these days.  For that she is a saint,  Yes, she hates it all sometimes, especially when it is eating me instead of the other way around, or when it is freezing outside, but when push comes to shove, she neither pushes nor shoves.  She does, however, nudge and inspire me.  For example, she called me out on my fear during the time of preparing to play the University of Arizona in the quarterfinals last week in Dallas.  She sensed my uneasiness, and she was all coming at me with, "C'mon boy, don't be afraid! You can do it."  She made me aware of my fear at a time when it was already too late to fix things for that game.  Players can smell fear or whatever.  They are not stupid.  We were fortunate enough to 'not lose' our way through that one, but after that I knew I could in fact fix my attitude, my image as we readied for the next test..

After that my aim was pointed directly at the target of one way or the other, we were playing only to win. 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Ada also has insights into players, and I listen.  She will query what might be upsetting # whatever, and what was his name???  She is perceptive enough to see that something is not quite right, and in fact, the kid in question is always one who is having personal or school issues to deal with.  She often helps to guide me when to go help.  This is huge stuff to me, so to my wife I wish a belated Happy Mother's day. 

Just don't 'bring' me any more children.

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