My hockey skates were traded in for soccer cleats as I coached youth soccer this past month for DetroitPAL – http://detroitpal.org. This is a great program that supports youth athletes of all sorts. I coached again for Clark Park which brought some of my hockey kids together for soccer as well. Games aren’t bad either when you get to play at the Historic Fort Wayne along the river. Fall soccer will start up in September so any of those interested make sure to check it out!
Here are four life lessons I learned from coaching:
- Be Flexible – go with the flow. Sometimes I had all of my kids and others I only had a few which can totally change the feel of practice. I would try to have coaching plan laid out but most of the time I needed to be flexible! This is a great reminder for me who is known for being a little rigid in my planning.
- Be patient. Kindergarten teachers (and teachers in general) are some of the most incredible people on the planet. Trying to coach five-year-olds taught me that sometimes you just need to take a breath, maybe try sitting down and most importantly slow down and listen.
- Be present. Growing up I never knew what an impact my own coaches would have on my life. They taught me valuable leadership and teamwork skills that have stuck with me today. I am grateful now to have the opportunity to be a mentor and a teacher for others.
- Have Fun! – The two rules I repeated throughout our games were “no hands” and “have fun.” If I learned anything from this past month it is to make sure to have fun in all aspects of your life. Life and summer is too short, so make sure you spend time enjoying it!