Learning The Right Way Out

There is something completely invigorating about diving in headfirst and learning your way out of something. It’s an approach that can maximize growth and development like you never thought possible. #DailyMight

My second year as a Head Coach of a high school hockey program found me in an undesirable place. I took over the program with 11 kids on the roster. Statistically, that’s not a lot. A few games into the season and a couple hard luck injuries and some trouble with grades and I found the programing having to compete at the high school level with eight skaters. This was my eighth year overall as a coach and I had grown in the game, and as a leader. But I was running out of options that season as we struggled to suit up enough kids to be competitive. I made a promise to myself, to the school, and the hockey program, that I was going to do whatever it took to get more kids to come out the next year. Little did I know that quest would allow, make that demand, me to grow as a leader in extraordinary ways. Eight years into coaching and I was about to have to learn my way out of something. Something big.

Six months after the last buzzer on that season (yeah, I know it comes quick), I found myself and my coaching staff four weeks away from tryouts. Boots are on the ground in the school hallways, at orientations, and at parent meet ups – all delivering the same message: every athlete who completes the three day assessment will make the team. Was I a little naïve in thinking only kids who have played hockey before would want to come out? Yeah, probably. But my plea worked and after three days assessing what we had, we rostered 34 kids. And then reality set it – I had a real big problem.

Competitive sports is a delicate juggling of growth, friendship, and winning. On one hand, as a paid instructor, there’s a certain obligation to put a product on the ice that can compete on a daily basis. On the other hand, 60% or more of the kids on the roster now were happy to be playing for the school they attended (a few had never played before at all). How was I supposed to grow each of the kids, who were all at different levels, and with only a limited amount of resources and support on the ice to help? It was up to me to design practices that would allow each kid an opportunity to do just that, no matter where they were in their hockey journey. There was an enormous skill gap between the 30+ kids, and I was going to need to learn my way out of this one.

That first practice of that year the day after tryouts was a bit chaotic and looked dramatically different than the last one of that season. Me and my two assistant coaches struggled to adapt that first practice. But as the season went on, we worked our way through practice planning. It was tiring, exhausting, and forced me and my assistants to think outside the box – to grow in areas where we thought we were good already. As the calendar kept rolling, we increasingly grouped the kids by like skills levels, dividing resources of the coaching staff to manageable and fruitful small groups. It wasn’t unheard of to have three coaches, in three different zones of the ice, teaching three different tactics or skills to three different small groups. It was effective. Even with the large amount of kids, we were able to meet the athlete where they were, not were other kids were.

I wish I could tell you we won every game that year, for the kids sake of course. We didn’t. I wished I could tell you that I connected with each of the kids individually, I didn’t. But what I did learn, is that there is something completely invigorating about diving in headfirst and learning your way out of something. I was eight years into coaching by that season, and had every right to mail it in and have the kids go through my normal season growth plans. But I didn’t. I learned that sometimes, you’ll need to learn your way out of something, even if you think you’re already an expert. And although it can be exhausting, tiring, and will push you to the brink – it’s always worth it. I also learned, that not everyone should make a team when tryouts are involved.

Give everything your everything. And then some.

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