Wednesday, June 11, 2008

I have been writing lately, just not in here.  I wrote an article for the Vail Shootout program, and I have been working on some coaching sort of stuff for the “news” page on Rock-it Pocket’s web site, too.  I am going to try to keep going with that.

GOOD AND PLONKEY

Other CSU lacrosse activities have centered on me trying to talk to and encourage potential recruits. That seems to be going pretty well, and I expect a pretty good-sized group to land in the CSU Lacrosse lap over the next year or two.  I am indeed trying to encourage perspective players to actually play.  It is a big commitment to play lacrosse here, no doubt, and not everyone who can does, but I want to make sure that I am helping them to see the truth and in turn that will help the individual to make the right choice about playing or not playing, and that of course can work in either direction. 

Anyway, I also worry sometimes that guys who might just fit right in with us might not be coming out to play because they think they are not good enough or perhaps they think it costs a little too much money or whatever.  I think of two things that I want to make clear about that.  First, let me be the judge of the good enough thing because it is a whole package of kid that I see and look for, and I’m not just searching for the reincarnation of Mark Plonkey or whatever, and by the way the Plonkey thing is just a metaphor for me now.  He doesn’t even play much Club ball anymore, which is a shame as far as I’m concerned because when ‘God’ gives you that much of a head start I always want to see you keep going with it.  I hear he is coming back for Vail.  We’ll see, but that’s not the point.  He has become simply a figment of my own coaching imagination, a picture of how I want at least one part of it (game playing) to look. That will never change whether or not he plays again and whether or not I ever have a long stick middie like him or whatever.  That isn’t the thing.  Having a sort of Mark Plonkey awareness as a coach tells me where we are and if we suck or not, and that is what it is all about.  There are levels that the game is played at.  At least that is how it is in my mind, and I try to recognize as best I can where we fit in to a bigger picture as much as I can. Seeing how individuals play on certain levels and at specific moments are windows I use to observe and these help me to judge the way we are competing overall. 

I do the same "plonkey" sort of thing with other players I have had.  When I see some part of a Nick Harper (A-2005) or a little bit of Mike Roth (A-2001) for example, I am all about ‘that’ and developing any small part of that thing I want to see in a player who is here now that I think will make US better.  It’s all pretty simple, but it’s also real true.

The second part about a guy playing or not is that I think it takes a person with a package to be a real student athlete that can help to propel a team towards success and will fit in with us to be pat of the long run.  It’s old and it’s corny, but talent is not enough, and after all of my years of coaching I would like to add exclamation to that point by saying talent is “WAY!” not enough.  It is, however, a very good jumping off point and I’d like to get some more.

EMBRACEABLE EWES

I saw the new Lacrosse Magazine when it arrived the other day.  The CSU women with their brand new national championship made the cover.  Wow.  We were on the cover once as national champs, many years ago (2001).  I am ashamed that when I saw this new one my first response was jealousy when it should have been joy for all of them and what they did to overcome the whole “Cal Poly mystique” and win the whole thing.  Cal Poly had never, ever lost even one game at the national tournament. Something like 21-0, and now that they lost it was still in overtime in te final game of the season.

LAX JAM

I went to the state Jamboree for lacrosse last weekend in Denver.  They had like thousands of kids there, hundreds of teams.  It was quite the, well, jamboree.  Truthfully I didn’t even know where to begin with it all, although I did find a Fort Collins Viper team to cheer on while there.  I need to jump on this bandwagon a little more, whether it is for Vail, CSU, or Rock-it Pocket.  All would seem to have pretty great lacrosse potential built right in for me/us at the jamboree.

EVERY DOOR?

We (me and wife) are looking at houses in Ft. Collins that aren’t the one I am currently and contentedly living in.  I think we will be moving soon. Oh well, and I do dread moving.

Next Entry | Previous Entry