What Makes a "Good Coach"

Being a coach is not just about teaching kids how to play a sport- it has a lot of other attributes too. So, what makes a good coach?

1. The best coaches COACH THE PERSON, NOT JUST THE ATHLETE- The best coaches get to know their athletes. They take interest in the athlete's life off the field, court, track. They do not let the student's personal, academic, or social life affect their relationship. These coaches are more trusted and respected than those who don't get to know their athletes. 
2. The very best coaches GET THEIR ATHLETES TO BELIEVE in themselves- Good coaches inspire their athletes to do more than they think they can. Part of this has to do with building the athlete up rather than knocking them down. Good coaches always build self-esteem rather than undermine it. Good coaches don't praise mediocre effort, they catch their athletes doing things right. Coaches can't play head games that make their athlete question their abilities.
3. The good coaches do not use HUMILIATION or EMBARRASSMENT to teach- Really bad coaches tend to use humiliation and embarrassment as a way to get their athletes attention and teach them. They think nothing of embarrassing their athlete in front of their peers, teammates, and parents. These abusive techniques are the number one way to emotionally destroy an athlete. There is NOTHING constructive about it and it can destroy an athlete.
4. Great coaches are GREAT LIFE TEACHERS- A good coach understands that what they are teaching the kids goes far beyond X's and O's on the field or court. A good coach looks for valuable opportunities to teach an athlete more important life lessons. A good coach teaches its athletes about rebounding from failure, integrity, good sportsmanship, fairness, sacrificing individual needs for the benefit of an entire group, etc. 
5. The best coaches KEEP THE GAME IN PERSPECTIVE- They do not get distracted by how big any one game is. They understand that sports are just games. They understand that what they teach and how they teach has an impact on their athletes that goes far beyond the sport. Therefore, they keep their sport in perspective.
6. The best coaches are PASSIONATE at what they do- Success in and out of sports comes from a love of what you are doing. As a coach, your passion for the sport and for what you are doing is what ultimately makes you a good coach. Passion inspires others and motivates others to feel the same passion. Passion is infectious. If you don't have passion as a coach, then you should not be coaching. 
7. Good coaches make the sport FUN- It doesn't matter what level you are coaching, sports are games and games are meant to be fun. If athletes aren't having fun, then they are more likely to play tentatively. It is very important for athletes and coaches to remember to have fun because if not, athletes can get too caught up in the seriousness and loose interest. Being loose and relaxed are probably two of the most important ingredients to a peak performance. 

Lancers Girls Varsity Basketball

Over the past three years, the Lady Lancers have certainly made an improvement on the program. Three years ago, they didn't even have enough girls for a junior varsity squad, but things quickly changed when Coach Langmead took over as the varsity coach in the 2012-2013 season. The program has seen an improvement in numbers ever since.
It is just the beginning for the Lancers. They have just completed their tryouts and there will be 12 girls on the varsity team. Captains are Marisa Amato, Ashley Pelletier, and Chloe Gill. Also, Amy Pereira, Jillian Poplawski, Maddie Murphy, Kayla O'Keefe, Christi Brennan, Amy Tessitore, Abbie Kurtzer, Meg Nichols, and Abby Phelan make up the rest of the varsity team.
"Everyone is giving 100% and is coming prepared to fight for something we have wanted for years now, to make it to the tourney" says captain Marisa Amato. "I think we are going to have a "Bounce Back" season. We have great senior leadership and more skill in the program than we've had in the last three seasons" says Coach Langmead.
The girls played in a preseason tournament in November to prepare for the season and have had very intense, hardworking practices on the court the past week. "We are excited for the games to start being played; we have been working very hard and will continue to do so" says Marisa Amato.
The Lancers are ready to forget about the past seasons and start fresh this season. Their first game is in Ashland on December 12 versus the Clockers.

3v3 tournament participants hosted by the Lady Lancers

Rajon Rondo's Rapid Recovery

The story of how Rajon Rondo broke his hand leaves many reporters skeptical. Rondo said that he broke his hand from simply slipping in the shower. But, he said that he visited a trampoline park on different days with his children, but that he didn't jump at the park on the day he hurt his hand.

“I just let my kids play and run off some steam,” he said. “It was a school night so I wanted to go about 45 minutes. People were really nice there; they let me in for free — that was good. That night, I went home and that’s when the incident happened. It didn't happen at all at the trampoline place.”

          

  Rondo was expected to be sidelines for 8-10 weeks, leaving him missing the first month of the regular season. But, Rondo played in the season opener against the Nets and had 13 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, and 1 three-pointer. Rondo was in complete control of the offense in this game.

 “He will still have trouble shooting the ball with a busted hand, but will be flirting with triple- doubles the entire season” says one reporter.

          

  Rondo had a screw removed from his repaired hand last Saturday and missed that game. He is expected to play against the Thunder this Wednesday. 

Does Size Really Matter?

Does the size of an athlete determine their skill level? No, size does not determine skill level. There are many athletes who are more on the smaller side and really do have amazing skills.

Lets look at some specific sports and how size impacts those sports. Soccer, for example, it is okay to be smaller. In fact, soccer teams have a very large variety of athletes because different positions require different skills and sizes. Same with basketball, a guard is typically much smaller than a forward because they need to be quicker both on offense and defense. Football is the same way as soccer and basketball; you typically need larger men for blockers and defense and running backs and wide receivers are smaller, very quick and athletic. But looking at hockey, size does play a more important role. Hockey players have to be both quick and strong on the boards. Unfortunately, even if you have the skill, size affects a player's chance of making a team. If a smaller, more skilled player tries out for a college team, and a bigger player with decent skills tries out, the bigger guy may get the position over the smaller guy.

Matthew Amato is a junior in college and size did affect him and prevented him from continuing playing competitive hockey in college. Matt is 20 years old and has been skating for 18 years, following his father’s footsteps who has been playing hockey for 40 years. He started playing for the Tri- County Saints when he was 5 years old and moved on when he was 12. He then played for North East Elite Hockey out of Walpole for 2 years. After that he played for the Taunton Bruins up until he was 18. In between all of that, Matt played Varsity Hockey at Bishop Feehan High School for all four years, being the only freshman making the varsity team his first year. He received the EAC All-Star award in 2012, proving that he has the skill and talent but coaches couldn’t see past his size.

Matt no longer plays competitive hockey. Unfortunately, his size got in the way. Matt is 5’8” and about 145 lbs. Though he doesn’t play competitively, he still shows his love and passion for the game. Matt is involved with hockey about 4 times a week between working, playing, reffing, and coaching. He has been coaching on Saturday’s for about 2 years, working for the hockey rink he practically grew up playing in. He has reffed hockey for about 4 years now. Matt said, “Although I don’t play competitively in college, I love what I do. I am trying to make the younger kids better players and sharing my skill. Hockey is my passion and I love seeing the kids I teach improve. This one kid just wanted to play but he didn’t even know how to skate. With him already being 16 years old, it was hard to catch him up to most 16 year olds but he has improved so much”. He also said, “All I want to do is spread love for the game”.
 

The Concussion Epidemic

The Concussion Epidemic

Head impacts and concussions caused by contact sports are a quickly growing epidemic among young athletes. When an athlete comes off of the field vomiting and not knowing where he or she is, that is not a good thing. Some people, however, believe it is okay to send these players back on the field. But, playing in that one game might ruin the rest of your career.

People don’t understand or comprehend the intensity of a concussion; the long term effects could be devastating. Although concussions are relatively common, they should not be taken lightly. Any athlete who has symptoms or a possible concussion should immediately take precaution. Unless that athlete is cleared by a medical doctor, they shouldn’t participate in their particular sport until eligible by receiving clearance by a medical doctor.

What exactly is a concussion?

Concussions are one of the most common injuries in sports. Thousands of High School athletes suffer from concussions each year; most commonly found in soccer, football, and hockey. Concussions are a traumatic brain injury caused from a blow to the head, or body.  

Source:

http://www.webmd.com/brain/tc/traumatic-brain-injury-concussion-overview

What happens after a concussion?

            Sports related concussions result in mental and physical symptoms including; forgetfulness, inability to concentrate, dizziness, headache, and fatigue. Sensitivity to light, sleeping more than usual, or even having a hard time falling asleep are also symptoms. Symptoms can last days, weeks, or even months. Symptoms may also include changes in attitude, and behavior.

            Source:

http://www.webmd.com/brain/tc/traumatic-brain-injury-concussion-overview

Simple Statistics

There are between an estimated 1.6 and 3.8 million sports-related concussions in the United States every year.

High school athletes sustain an estimated 136,000 to 300,000 concussions per year.

Read more: http://www.momsteam.com/health-safety/concussion-rates-high-school-sports#ixzz3EHKcVLi7

Will the Lady Lancers Rise?

It has been a tough start of the season for the Norton Girls Varsity Soccer Team. The team has put in a lot of hard work through the season and pre-season. The real question is when is all of their hard work going to pay off?

The Lancers graduated eleven Seniors last year which had a great impact on the team selection for the 2014 season. Currently there are seven seniors participating on the Varsity Soccer Team, about four of them are starters. It is safe to say that the Lady Lancers have a very inexperienced roster. Many of the underclassmen have the skill level, its just a matter of gelling together as a team. 

The Tri-Valley League is one of the toughest High School leagues in the area. The Lancers faced two of the toughest teams, Medway and Medfield, in the first two matches.  The girls have played extremely well against their opponents, its just a matter of getting the ball in the back of the net. It also makes it hard when some of their strongest players are facing injuries early in the season. The girls and coach are determined to rise turn things around.

The Lady Lancers have been working hard for what they want which is making it to the State Tournament. The Coach of the Lancers, Everette Clark, refers to his favorite saying- "What the mind believes, the body achieves" and he believes just that. He is keeping his faith in his girls and knows that they will rise and they will persevere. It is still early in the season for the Lancers and it is about time that their extremely hard work pays off.