Coach Flip Naumburg's Journal

Sunday, August 27, 2006

AROUND THE DRY ERASE BOARD

I have really come to enjoy the way I start practices on pleasant weather days during fall ball. What we do is teach/chalk talk/ demonstrate for the first 15 minutes or so each time we are together. There are no goalies being warmed up. It is strictly team meeting stuff, and I do have a central focus for it every time.

This method works for me for many reasons, like, if and when they straggle in late because of class or video gaming back in the room it doesn’t affect what I do or how I feel at all. It does affect them however. The reason is that they are responsible for knowing whatever it was I was talking about or visually depicting in one dimension or the other. I don’t like going over the same thing a million times either (or even twice), and those that have played for me know that to the max. The players are responsible for understanding our concepts once they are put in place. It’s pretty much as simple as that, and I go one of them at a time, and then I move on.

They learn and I don’t stress when I do things in this sort of way. That should be my mantra, "They learn to be, I’m stress free". BINGO. Either way, it seems that when I am done with my portion of the systematic curriculum for the day we tend to also be all good and ready to get going at it with real energy as a group.

I like to lead them to the rules I have and not just push and or post them. The theory is that this makes ‘following the rules’ simply an evolutionary process and not a constant exercise in forcing compliance and roping the mavericks in or whatever.

CHEMISTRY

The only thing that I have told the team so far and in a semi-motivational way that sticks out in my mind is that I seek chemistry. I don’t care if you are a star as much as I want that you begin to connect with others in a way that makes you all better. Become an American idol later.

WHERE DID CALIFORNIA GO? TIME TO TIE UP THE BOAT IN IDAHO –

For years, ever since I have been here (10 years) we (CSU lacrosse) have done at least one annual pilgrimage to play teams in California. Last year we went twice. Pretty much other than Sonoma State no one has been here from there. I decided to put my foot down or whatever, and also that we have proved our point emphatically and recently by going to the coast twice in ’06. I was not going to go out there to California this year or any year until someone besides SSU comes here.

Well, be careful what you wish for, de ja vu style. Apparently with the C.U. Buffs being so highly ranked now that California schools are all of a sudden falling all over themselves to come to Colorado this coming spring. I guess this changed the tide. There are two great games to be had here now. I will entertain other theories concerning this unbelievable turnabout in travel attitude. I say Hallelujah, at any rate. From Chapman College to Chico State, and it looks as if it will include invasions from UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, and Loyola Marymount as well, the California coming is now imminent.

AND THE BAND PLAYED ON

This quality of competition leaves us with no ‘gimmes’ currently on our 2007 schedule. We will have to be ready to play the old "A" game for every single match-up it would now seem. That is the kind of schedule I seek anyway. Nothing else seems to make sense anymore. There are no J.V. programs for as far as the eye can see.

Now, however and gladly, some teams will be coming here and will get a taste of our Mountain grown home cooking. We’ve had plenty of the California cuisine. We want to ‘host’ them.

OUTLAW NATION

Alex Smith, Assistant Coach and Denver Outlaw (#26) goal tender is getting ready to be part of the 2006 MLL Championship game in L.A. today. I wish them well, not just because they are the home team for me, but also because I see our team to be assembled in kind of the same way, albeit a different level. The Outlaws have some talent on midfield that is undeniable (I think we do, too). Can they do it today against the best team they have not faced? The Outlaws are not flashy dazzlers on attack, but they move without the ball and they finish. The Outlaws rely on team oriented defense and better than average goalie play. Well, as Patrick Swayze said to Demi Moore, "Ditto".

Even though the Outlaws have been outstanding, if they don’t win today vs. the Philadelphia Barrage, everyone will say the young upstarts from the West were finally put in their rightful place. The Denver team will be the #1 seed, but still somehow underdogs. Sounds somehow familiar.

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Flip Started Blogging Before it was Cool, Read Over 400 of His Entries Since January 2001
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