Where is the L-I-K-E? I believe as coaches, we must not under-value the privi- lege and opportunity we hold to mentor and or mold every player, not just the good ones. It is simply not acceptable to have any athlete walk out of our gyms feeling under-nourished or under-valued. Nor is it okay that we decide which players will become successful and which are not and sending them on their way. Coaches must have L-I-K-E for every player that walks into the gym. Simply they must visualize and plan to inspire and energize each player equally, and commit to learning how to assist each player in reaching their goals, without thinking, what that player can do for their own resume or win/loss record. When coaches pick a setter or team cap- tain, they look for an individual with leader- ship qualities. These qualities may include honesty, respectfulness, loyalty, determina- tion, character, competency and smarts. Yet, the question becomes what do the coaches bring to the table, and once seated, do they remember to practice the same qualities they want to instill?


For instance, a couple of weeks ago, I was invited to a gym to watch another program from a distance. I was super excited and ar-


rived early, but one hour later, I felt dreadful and could not fi nd my route of escape. From afar, I listened to one coach yell at a group of 12U to turn on their brains, and watched an- other text on her phone for what seemed like eternity. I found yet another group of coaches standing in the corner, during the middle of practice, talking to each other about the prob- lems of the athletes on their teams. Simply, there was no instruction and no interest. I believe most coaches consider they are


in charge of their teams, but I believe any team is not the coaches to claim. For a coach to be liked, they must practice L-I-K-E in everything they do. There must be an invita- tion to join the inner circle. Certainly, anyone can stand outside of the circle and exclaim to hold the power, and tout himself or herself as a great coach. However, for me, simply saying it is so does not make it so. For those of us who once played the sport, to become a great coach, we must adapt and accept that it is no longer about us. In order to become a part of the team, we must fi rst wait to be invited into the circle by demonstrating we care enough to belong. How do we get into the circle? For starters, we practice L-I-K-E. Consider the qualities for which you


search and hope to instill and then picture your best mentor. If we are instilling the values of good sportsmanship, cooperation, self-discipline and confi dence, then we too must possess these same qualities. If we want to teach athletes that it is okay to make a mistake, then we too must accept that they, and we, make mistakes. If we want to encour- age our athletes to never stop learning, we too must never stop learning. Yes, I coach for each of my current athletes and each athlete that will follow. I hope to offer each of them the ability to see how special and gifted they are as individuals, and hope that they will enjoy the spirit of competition. I will train each one of them as a whole athlete and person, offering all the opportunity to improve their abilities in every aspect of the game. What I do not know, I will seek assistance and/or education so that they are not shortchanged at the hands of my shortcomings. Moreover, at the beginning of each day, what I will bring to my team is a new me, rested, willing and ready to begin repeatedly, addressing their needs, in an effort to make them the best that they can become or at least that I can help them to achieve. And, at each meeting, I will L-I-K-E them.


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