As the lights come on and the scoreboard powers on, it's clear that it's game time. The players get excited for the first whistle to blow. They go through their warm up like any other game. When there's two minutes left in warm-up, they meet their coach in the corner. They know exactly when and where to go because they have it down to a science. They know it's time for their coach to make her pre-game speech and relay her expectations onto the players. Starting line-up and then the motivational speech. The order never changes. But the words that comes out of their coach's mouth changes every single time. She is the queen of pre-game speeches. She knows exactly what to say and how to say it to get her players pumped up. The message she sends inspires, motivates, and gives her players the will to want to win. Her name is Liza and she's not only a coach, but a leader and a role model.
Liza played lacrosse at the University of Delaware where she earned All American Honors before playing for the U.S. National Team. She then went on to coach at the University of Denver. This is her eleventh season as head coach for the pioneers and she has undoubtedly made her mark. She has acted as a leader and a role model since she stepped foot on the field in college. She knows how to push players to make them better both on and off the field. She encourages her players to maintain a strong academic performance while also being successful on the field.
Coaches are a truly fascinating subject because there are so many directions that they can go. Coaches have the ability to make or break a player's experience on the field. They have the ability to lead a player to success or strip someone of their passion for the sport. Coaching is like an art. You have to master it, but it does indeed take time. They need to learn when to be sympathetic and when to be harsh and demanding. However, they can't just be one or the other. There is a time and place for both and part of the art is figuring out when and where that time and place is.
Liza's background has allowed her to thrive in this position. Yes, some days we hate her and we all want to quit our sport. But on the days when we win and the score board flashes that final winning score, the long hours of training and the constant yelling all prove to be worth it.
Hi Katy!
ReplyDeleteI really liked your piece, as usual (and makes me question if I did mine correctly...). I didn't realize how extensive the background of your coach is! Which, in hindsight, seems obvious, considering she's leading a team of girls who are trying to win it all and fueling not only you and your teammates passions, but her own as well. I thought that your piece really invited readers in and allowed them to see things from the coach's perspective, rather than the one you have previously been providing us (that of you or your teammates) so that was an interesting shift. For your next story, then, the only thing I would be interested in seeing is how these two will coalesce and through what form (depending on the assignment of course!).
I like all the details you went into here. I think it could be effective to add maybe a phrase or something that you remember from some of her speeches, and maybe start or end the story with that. It could bring us even more into the sport, so we feel like we're on the field with you. And I agree with Paige, you let us see the coach's perspective as well, which I think was very effective.
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