I finally won a volleyball tournament yesterday, after three years of coaching J.O. I don't know what it was. Lots of second places, lots of wins against tough teams, etc., but I could never close the deal.
But last night, my kids did it, in their first tournament at that. They're not giants, I have no super-stars and individually, you probably wouldn't think that much of them. But as a team, they make things happen.
As I mentioned before, we run a swing offense, which for me at least has been a bit of an experiment. The theory goes that a team without giants and super-stars can compete against a team that does have those qualities. Well sure enough, it's true. They get it, and they can run it, even if it's not perfect yet.
The other half of their success comes from their ability to work together, with each other, with me and with whatever problems they encounter. They hit the huddle and they figure out for themselves where the problems are while I'm out filling in the lineup sheet. They aren't just athletic, they're smart enough to analyze and fix their problems.
Their success is everything to me. It's not just how it reflects on me, but how I feel about them. Since we don't have any kids of our own (yet), watching them grow and succeed is a little like being a parent, or at the very least, an older brother. You get that neat feeling inside that you've made some difference, and that the results lead to people who are better in some way.
So we've had a good start so far. Can't wait to see what happens as we go forward!
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