Hmm, right about now my wife is calling BULLSHIT, .....you might be thinking why didn't Coach just write BS,....the answer is because I could hear her voice screaming in my head and that demanded I spell it out!
Ok, let me rephrase what I said, .....with the exception of what something cost, don't be a liar - there that is better. For example, when my son Brody was 6 years old I bought him a new baseball glove. I told my wife I got a GREAT deal on the glove....that was true. What I failed to mention was it was a $525 glove..... Over the last 30 years I have lost a little credibility with my wife......
Coach Muench was talking about recruiting athletes and explaining how some coaches he would not bother to call to ask about their athletes. Why? Because those coaches had lied to him in the past, and he no longer trusted their opinions. That is not to say he never recruited one of their athletes,....but he would seek out other coaches' perspectives in place of the athlete's coach.
If you missed the point I am making....let me restate it. As a coach you can play a valuable role in helping your athletes get to the next level by providing insight into their character and abilities. But, if you lie, or avoid telling the truth..... your opinions will be tainted, and you might actually hurt your athletes chances of moving on.
If you are thinking, why am I reading this.....I am not a coach - Then you may have missed the most important point of the essay. Parents and athletes, this actually addressed directly to you. Your coaches can not lie about you, don't expect them to smooth things out when college or pro coaches have questions about you.
Now, let's think about your actions. Knowing your coaches must tell the truth about you as a person and as an athlete, why would you not give 100% effort to earn the respect of your coaches......???
For my athletes, practice begins at 9 am in the morning - don't be the guy that walks in at 9:01..... Hell, don't be the guy that walks in at 9:00 for that matter. The expectation is when the clock strikes 9:00 you are prepared to begin.
When I was a kid an old coach drove one of the school buses. He had a star athlete that was late every morning for the bus. Frustrated he told the young jock he would only stop to pick him up, if he was standing by the road with one foot lifted in the air. The expectation was the young man would be so ready to catch the bus his foot would be lifted in the air, so his first move was placing his foot into the bus.
As God as my witness, the next morning the young man was on time, but his foot was not lifted, and the bus did not stop...... The point was made, the next day the foot was lifted, and for the rest of the kid's high school days he was never late to the bus again.
Athletes, be the person coaches can say GREAT things about, don't be the example for the next 50 years as people laugh about your foot lifted in the air.....
