Day 212

In our town alone, I am sure there are well over 1000 teams of some kind of sport throughout the year. From the traditional games of softball and baseball, football (tackle and flag), soccer, basketball, to the less frequently thought of sports like lacrosse, there are teams for every age from Kindergarten to high school.

And for each of those teams, there is a coach. Many times, there is more than one coach. And for the vast majority of these teams, those coaches don't get paid squat

Zilch. Zero. Nada.

Ok most of them get a tihirt of some kind. But do you think that bothers them? Nope. Becasue they aren't doing it for money. Many of them have children on their teams, but some just love that particular sport and want to help others learn and enjoy it. And some even volunteer having never played the sport themselves, offering up their time because noone else would step up to the plate (ba-da-ching..).

Sure, there are varying degrees of skill and dedication amongst coaches, just like there is with any type of job force. Some years you feel lucky to have "such a great coach", while there may be times you and your kid are just trying to make it through the season.

Keep in mind though- they stepped up to the plate. Probably for free. They are bringing their kid to practice just like me, along with spending time figuring out who is best in what position and what type of plays/calls there are going to make. I ran around the track and then played games on my phone during football practice tonight. They didn't. They helped my kid learn something, have the opportunity to play a team sport, and be active.

I snapped today's picture during football practice. It represents the timeless moment between coach and player, no matter the sport. If you are a coach- remember that these kids literally look up to you and you have an amazing opportunity to help them in more ways than you may think. I am 39 years old and still have solid memories of so many of my coaches. I use some of their mantras, philosophies, lessons, etc to this day. And if you are a parent of a player, please remember that most of these guys and gals don't have an agenda- or paycheck. So try to thank them at some point other than the end of the season party, because I can only imagine what it is like to be out on the field instead of sitting on the sideline. I'm sure it's not as easy as it may seem. The two words "Thanks coach" probably go a lot farther than we think!