Winning!

If hockey fights were fake, you would see me in more of them.
-- Rod Gilbert

I got to tell you, after this deployment, I’ve broken the code on getting “back” to normal. You never appreciate how green trees are or how nice a cold beer is especially when you have you own bathroom to use as well. 

However, there is one thing that has really jumped out at me this time more than other deployment returns and it has to do with the kidos soccer program.  Yes, I understand it’s about learning skills and techniques at this period……but let me digress.

It’s a Monday afternoon and my favorite football team is playing that night. The Mrs (House-Cinc) tells me that she is taking the chitlins to one event that night and I have to attend another during the same time. “Roger”, got it……or do I?  I print out the yahoo directions to a parent/coach meeting. Ok sounds fair enough, the lord knows these coaches dedicate a lot of their time to do this stuff, I will do my part.

Hold the BS train and have a seat. We spend two and half hours doing “work shop” programs on how we can make our children feel better about themselves……..WTF?  This was something you would expect after some lune of a dad blew his cool and Terry Tated the soccer ref or something and we needed to do this to set things right, but nothing like that happened.  No, we spent every pain staking minute working through this brain washing packet that kept moaning, “tell your kids they are always winners” and “Points and scoring don’t matter” and additional psychological crap with suggestions that included me not even watching my own kid play but pick another player on the team and root for them so I don’t get stressed out………… Did these people eat lead paint chips when they were young? One parent even asked this total stranger (another parent) “How should I speak to my kid?” Oh man are you screwed if you don’t know how to talk to your kids….but maybe that begins to explain some of this.

Further background- I played midget football and baseball when I was eight, wrestled and played football in Jr High throughout College where I learned that a 260lb pulling offensive guard will eat your linebacker’s lunch if he isn’t ready, practices are harder when you play bad and  I also learned that LOOSING SUCKS!

I swear, if I have to hear another “preacher” tell me that the score doesn’t matter, I’m going to have to go sign up as a coach myself and then develop a team name like “Clown punchers” or “our kids are better than yours” or something. A lot can be achieved by winning and by loosing. Again kids, loosing sucks.

This makes you practice harder so you can feel like the top of the world at the end of the game and everything is left on the field. If you got beat and you gave it your all, then good on the other team, we suck, you guys are better until we meet again. Notice I say team because with all this touchy feely BS, I’m seeing, it’s not doing a damn thing to promote a team cohesive unit. Another thing, hey dads, if your son isn’t getting a lot of playing time in what ever sport he is playing………….he’s probably not good at it. I know, it’s a shocker but 99% of the coaches out there wont bench their good players***News Flash*** Deal with it and stop blaming the coach or trying to have your son be something you couldn’t be either because the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Its called life, get over it.

If you think by protecting billy and telling him points don’t matter nor does winning will somehow “save” him from disappointment when he grows a pair, you are wrong. I would like to see ”Billy” when he is (35yrs old) trying to get an adult job and the employer tells him he isn’t competitive enough and he should look else where, like McDonalds.

This goes back to another post of mine about WTF is going on with kids these days. We need to teach our kids about being a good sport. Cheap shots will get your butt kicked and also how to deal with defeat and loosing with dignity. Poor sportsmanship sucks too.

Do you think those warriors back in WW1 & 2 cared about winning? You bet they did, and I can tell you their kids turned out pretty damn good. Do you think it mattered in Ramadi or Fallujah to win? You bet your sweet ass it did. Marines don’t go into a city to “tie”! Do you think any of the Olympic contestants cared how the losers felt, nope they didn’t. If you go out on the filed to play, you better be at 100% and be there to win. Fair and square, we are going to play harder and longer than you in your face sports, winning. If you beat us, then good on ya!

Are you getting the idea now?

Plus kids, it’s awesome to ride the bus home after a High School football game and know you just kicked the crap out of the rivalry schools team, especially during “Home Coming”. Trust me, if you loose a game like that, points will matter and your mama wont be there telling you “its ok, billy”.

No, I think I wont be attending anymore sing along coach /parenting meetings, I will use that time to be teaching my kids how to run wind sprints, passing and teamwork, leadership principles so they can suck it up in the fourth quarter and have some heart to keep trying to score when they are down and there is only 30 seconds left on the clock.

Whoever said, 'It's not whether you win or lose that counts,' probably lost.

Martina Navratilova, American Tennis Player

Comments

[Kelli]

AMEN! I don't think I could agree with you more than I already do! I can't believe you didn't ask them if y'all were going to sing "Kum-bya" after the games....offer to play the acoustic guitar and meditate...don't tell me it didn't cross your mind. :) I would pay cash money to see that.

[Karen in FL]

This was a TERRIFIC one, Major P! I'm sharing it with a local high school coach who (although he's not a Marine, he played football in college). He's gonna LOVE it, as he teaches his team to play their best and WANT to win!