Legacy

Londonderry Jr.High's Junior Boy's Volleyball Team 08/09

5wins : 0losses

I've been coaching for about 3 years now. This is my third and last team I will be coaching cause next year I won't even have a social life..let alone time to coach a bunch of prepubescent, cocky, bratty little group of princesses. Mrs. Gibbons (my former coach and team manager), shes retired from the whole volleyball mumbo jumboo, she claims I'll be back again. Who knows? haha , for some reason I just can't let go of the experience. Losing my voice every practice, demanding a gazillion push ups, expecting only perfection of the execution of plays, deafening the boys with shrieking fear from my whistle, watching a bunch of punks grow into young respecting men. Sure I lose my head from all the frustration and impatience, but in the end when you watch them play at the city finals... its all worth it. From the first day I saw them at tryouts.... my grandma could honestly play better than them, till now; you would seriously think it was a miracle. Especially from day one where they all worked on behalf of themselves, seeing them come together as a team and carrying each other to victory. Thats something you don't witness in your everyday life.

Why do I do this? To be honest, I don't know. It's not the overwhelming power and fear you bestow on the players. It's not the fact that you have a whistle in your mouth and a clipboard in your arm lookin all badass. It's the feeling of turning a group of strangers lookin out for themselves, into a unified unit with one goal. Just the feeling alone of having a player absorb your teachings and utilize them in real time it's uplifting.

"one team, one road, one gold"

"The only thing separating champions and runner-ups is that net, in which is the only shred of hope for the opponent from total domination."

"What team? LIONS"

"They have the balls to walk into the lions den and think they have a chance at winning this game. You boy's know every line, every scratch on this court which you have marked with your own blood and sweat, therefore the ball does not touch the ground in this court represented by the name on your chest, and the number on your back. Represent the school, represent me, represent the team and represent the heart that makes you boys champions."

"That was ridiculous, give me 20."

"I don't care if its a Monday."

"Let me put on my careface."

"This isn't teddy bear daycare."

"So what if you're taller than me"

"Hey minnie mouse, talk to me when your balls drop"

All in all, I love my team and their stupid antics. Even if their annoying high pitched squeeking voices give me killer headaches and the lacking of a megaphone, I'll still be the first in the gym and out the gym, still a coach on the court and off the court.