Mar 31, 2016 | Ayden Harvey | 2052 views
Tis the end...kind of
This is my third and final year coaching novice hockey. Kind of weird now that I actually think about it. As a coach I often get asked the same questions year after year: How do we look this year? How do you think we'll do this year? Usually my answers are the same...like a post game interview on TV. This year, my answers were the same at the start..."tough to say", "we'll see some very strong teams this year"' we'll need some kids to step up and carry the team".
But then something changed along the way.
I can honestly say I've never seen anything like this year. EVERYTHING was done as one team right from the start. It was never a matter of winning or losing because one or two kids played well or didn't as I've seen with many teams. And I said to you kids all season that you were like Jekyll and Hyde - but it was always as a team. The whole team either played phenomenal hockey - and when those games happened I was mesmerized by you all - or the whole team was off that game. Looking at it now, at the end of the year, I'm fascinated by this group. To watch you all be so in sync with each other is an incredible dynamic to be a part of.
This is also one of the smartest teams I've ever been a part of. All of you understood the game and what we needed to do to improve. You understood the concepts and picked them up with very little repetition required. And you also knew when we weren't doing it properly and understood how to correct it - we couldn't always execute exactly as we wanted to,but our brains were always thinking the game, which is more rare than you might think.
I know that we coaches got frustrated at times, I use my teacher voice maybe a little too much, sometimes I made you skate laps when you guys weren't listening but I hope you were all able to see that it's because we saw something in all of you and what you were capable of. Sometimes you needed a pat on the head and sometimes you needed a kick in the butt. One day, when you have your own team, and are making them do a lap for not listening, I hope you take a second and remember this team.
And I hope you remember this year for the right reasons. I hope you have no memory of how many games we won or lost, how many points or penalty minutes you got, or what you may have done "wrong". Instead, I hope you'll remember how we got to stay in hotels with pools and play mini sticks, how good the jerseys looked, the pizza parties, the birthday parties, all the friends you made and how, many years down the road, you still consider them to be your friends.
Unfortunately this year also brought sadness to our team. One of our parents became very sick. You maybe didn't know him very well or even understood exactly what was happening, but that didn't matter. You all knew, on some level, that a teammate needed you. And each and every one of you answered the call. To watch all of you rally around your teammate was amazing. You probably weren't even aware you were doing anything special - and in reality it's because of the people you're all becoming - but you did. You were there when he needed you. From hanging out after games or something as small as saying "nice play", all of you took care of your teammate when he needed it. I am incredibly proud of all of you for many things this season, but that is what I am most proud of. To watch a group of 8 year olds answer that call is something that, truth be told, as I write this, I find something very emotional. Our thoughts stay with their family.
This team is on the verge of something very special. And the best part is that since Glanbrook is now an A centre, we can build on this year as a team for years to come. I know some of you might move on, and I wish you all the best. I know you will always represent this novice team with class and pride. And wherever you play, know that this novice team is cheering you on as loudly as we possibly can.
And so...what changed along the way? Nothing, and everything. My answers to those questions next year will probably be the same when I answer them. But I'll know different.
How do we look this year? Incredible - this group of kids is one of the nicest groups I've ever had the privilege of coaching.
How do you think we'll do this year? Whatever we face, this group will face it as one team, and have fun doing it.
I got into coaching at Glanbrook so I would have the pleasure of coaching my own children. Thank you for also allowing me to coach yours, and please know that I do see them as more than just "kids I coach".