Big Baby Steps…and many tired players!

I realize the above title is somewhat of a paradox—but let me explain! The past two days have been a lot different in the weight room. Partly due to simply being more comfortable there, to feeling more accepted, and to getting more leeway from coaches, I’ve been able to really get after the players! I’ve yelled some (healthy yelling, I promise!), I’ve challenged them, I’ve picked on them, and I’ve made them work until they gasped for air. Now, some of you may be thinking of withdrawing your support and calling Social Services to report abuse, but, I’m telling you, this is BIG! I have been entrusted with more responsibility by the coaches and the players themselves have demanded more of me. Several of them have asked me to stay after the workout and help with them speed and conditioning drills. In fact, one even mentioned that he’d love to do something on Saturdays, and so maybe we’ll generate enough interest to pull that off!

To those of you who weren’t athletes, I don’t know what comparison I can give you to help you understand how this is truly helping to foster and grow my relationship with the players. There is a certain bond between players and a coach that really pursues them both athletically and personally, and I can really sense a start of that bond. Now, we have a LONG way to go, and I’m only interacting with about 20-25 different players, but I think it’s a great start. Just the fact that I have two freshmen who look to me for a ride home every day is a sign that we’re making great relational progress, and that we haven’t taken minimal baby steps, but “Big Baby Steps”!