Ego vs Reality

To review,  I’ve admitted, when I started coaching volleyball, I knew less than nothing about the sport. I had a great deal to discover not only about volleyball but also about coaching.  

Well, Sue got married and moved to Wisconsin after my 2nd year with the program.. By this time, I had climbed up the volleyball knowledge ladder from knowing less than nothing to knowing very little. But I was captured by the sport. (I also began to realize that my chances of becoming a head basketball coach in Ft Wayne had left the barn. I was not Lutheran.) I set my sights on taking Sue’s place as the  head volleyball coach at WHS.  Although no money exchanged hands, I was given the job. (There was some embarrassing begging, though) 

The program I inherited, was pretty good. I think our record was something like 30-5 my first year. We developed a huge following. We were the buzz of the school. (Remember, I still had little idea what I was doing.) I began to think I was a pretty good coach. After all, we were winning. People in town took notice of our team.  I was soaking it all in. 

Unfortunately, a dark cloud blew in. I lost the final game of the sectional for us. I say “I lost the final game” because I did: I was so nervous, I handed in the wrong lineup….twice. Mind you, we never changed the lineup all year. Some how I screwed it up. Importantly, I figured that we were good enough that we could play through it. I was wrong. We lost. I had to live with that for one calendar year. That was my first big coaching lesson. (We will talk about that lesson later.)

The 365-day wait was well worth it. The girls avenged that loss (Instead of just writing down the number on the lineup card, I actually wrote down the names with the number in each spot and had someone check it) The team went on to finish tied for 3rd in the state tournament. It’s important to know that this was before the IHSAA instituted the class system. They were that good. 

Of that team, our middle went to Miami (Ohio), our setter went to South Carolina (She was so good that in my time “coaching” her, she was called for only 1 ball handling error.) and 1 of the outsides went to the Air Force Academy.  I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THOSE GIRLS GETTING THOSE SCHOLARSHIPS. But,  I almost got caught in a dangerous trap: thinking that I was a great coach because my team had lots of success.  That I was a success because my team was successful. In reality that team was successful because we had two D1 athletes, 1 that went D2, and a group of strong girls filling in the blanks. Hell, if I would have stayed away the year before, they might have done it 2 years in a row. 

Coaches, there are far too many of us who have the idea that our ability to coach is somehow related to our records.  “The more wins I have, the better my coaching is.”  For 95% of us, our wins and losses have a direct correlation to the God-given talents of the kids who happen to live in our district or choose to play for our clubs.  Stop deluding yourself into thinking that you are the reason for the kids’ successes.

Coaches, please don’t let your inflated ego stand in the way of actually coaching. We must determine our success by the improvement of the not-so-gifted rather than the stats of the stars.  Learn how teach the game!