Coach Flip Naumburg's Journal

Friday, September 8, 2006

RIP

We are getting into it now. We have had meaningful drills, useful team building scrimmages, and we even gathered together a ‘Captain’s’ dinner at Outback Steak House last night, and, of course, it was ‘hosted’ by me. We toasted (coke and water) Steve Irwin, the Aussie Crocodile hunter dude who died this week and that actually shook me up a little. He was just getting to be my hero via my 6-year old and his Animal Planet obsession.

CAPTAINS TABLE

The Captain’s dinner is an annual thing we do at CSU lacrosse. It is higher end dining for a select few. I use the word select because for us to be successful I believe we always need those few who must in fact do more. Any team does really. I employ the (nice) dinner to tell the ‘chosen’ boys what I and we as a coaching staff expect and also need from them. Captains are part of that crucial hinge used for opening only the best team doors.

OH CAPTAIN, MY GOALIE

The captains as individuals and as a sub unit are obviously a big part of team development and functionality. I see and know as much as I can, but I need their (leaders’) eyes and ears as well.

I am a big believer in leadership qualities available being used as a resource up and down the roster. In general I find inspiration from individuals and how they lead themselves, and not from some chain-of-command concept so popular with so many. Just the same, being an elected captain on this team is a huge deal with me. I want it to be likewise for those who are selected. I get pretty emotional pretty quickly if I feel one or more captains is taking his ‘status’ for granted instead of working every day to humbly prove he is worthy. I want the position of Captain to be respected, perhaps revered here. It’s not the person so much as it is the position that is important. I view the goalie position in much the same way and often refer to the goalie not by name but rather I will in fact call him "Goalie" when talking to him in front of everyone else.

CAPTAINS CONTAGIOUS

I have in the past stuck my nose in the captain selection process. Each time I pushed a ‘favorite son’ on the team I was sorry that I had done it. I no longer get my nasal passages anywhere near this rite of passage. However, I do try to make all players clearly aware of the fact that this selection of captains should never be confused with any kind of popularity contest. This is about whom will lead us on the field, not on a panty raid to the sorority house. Wow, there’s an ancient rite that hasn’t popped recently into my thought pattern. What would the world do with the panty raid thing nowadays? Oh, my, God. I’m thinking that the daughters of the 20th century women’s liberation revolution would not be amused.

Next Entry | Previous Entry


Flip Started Blogging Before it was Cool, Read Over 400 of His Entries Since January 2001
Jump to a Period:
2006: Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov
2005: Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
2004: Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
2003: Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
2002: Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
2001: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Sept Oct Nov Dec