The Charlie Schulz Philosophy

Sorry everyone!  Been out of the blog mode for a little bit. Business and life has been crazy but "I am back and better than ever"!

My wife forwarded me an email this morning and I found it to be very interesting and applicable in sooooo many ways.  Home, work, kids, adults, sports, etc. etc. etc. I guess, in short, it's applicable to "LIFE"! The Charles Schulz Philosophy is also applicable to how we view our kids when it comes to sports. All of us (present company included), at some point in our life, get FAR too serious about certain things and we forget the big picture. And when it comes to youth sports programming, coaching or sitting on the sidelines as a fan...here's a reminder to try and always remember the big picture.

Have a very happy holiday season and a safe New Year!
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The Charlie Schulz Philosophy

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz , the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions Just ponder on them.

Just read the e-mail straight through , and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4 Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is , none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.

These are no second-rate achievers.

They are the best in their fields.

But the applause dies..

Awards tarnish..

Achievements are forgotten.

Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with..

Easier?

The lesson:

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials , the most money...or the most awards.

They simply are the ones who care the most.

Pass this on to those people who have either made a difference in your life , or whom you keep close in your heart ,

'Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in New Zealand !'

''Be  Yourself. Everyone Else Is  Taken!"
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Keep Smiling!

Mark

Do your programs develop for today?

I always hear about youth programs that develop kids for "tomorrow". i.e. "we develop our kids for the high school program", "we develop our kids for the next level". And while it is important to keep "tomorrow" in mind, does your program develop kids for "today"? Because, let's face it, kids are really only concerned with "today", not "tomorrow". They're motivated by events "today", not "tomorrow".

If we are always developing our kids in youth sports for "tomorrow", who is working with our kids for "today"? If you are only developing athletes for "tomorrow", what about those kids who have no intention to play sports "tomorrow"? If you primarily consider your youth program as a developmental program for the high school level, then what happens to those kids who have no intention of playing at the high school level?

Let's spend more time developing our kids for today...tomorrow will come in due time.

Keep smiling!

Mark

Who coaches?

Spoke to a friend of mine the other day. His daughter made a developmental team (always an interesting term for me...aren't all youth teams suppose to be "developmental"?). His daughter made the "B" team (for the record, he agreed that she should have been on the "B" team). But he also observed that his kid got the "B" team coaches.

How does your program assign coaches? Do the "lesser" kids get the "lesser" coaches? Do the "better" kids get the "better" coaches? If so, how do you think your "lesser" kids will develop as compared to your "better" kids? I'll take a stab at that one! My guess is that the "lesser" develops slower than the "better"! But it will have NOTHING to do with the "lesser's" effort or focus.

Have you ever thought about giving your "lesser" kids the "better" coaches? Hopefully you are in a position to give BOTH teams the best coaches but, if you can't, how about giving those lesser kids the better coaches... just once!?!

Child development on the field (court, etc) is no different than parenting and teaching. It's not a coincidence that the best "parented", "taught" or coached kids USUALLY become the "A" team young adults (on the field and off).

Keep smiling.

Harlem Children's Zone...Think Different...Be Different!

Saw an interesting highlight on MSNBC last week. Then took some time to look at the organization's website. The Harlem Children's Zone (http://www.hcz.org/). What a great example of what people can do if they don't accept the status quo! What a great example of how an organization can positively affect a child's life by doing things differently.

Think different. BE different!

Think different...Be different!

A couple of weeks ago I was at a year-end get together for the local high school girls lacrosse team and I was approached by a mom who asked me if I had heard the news. I hadn't. Well, it turns out the local boys lacrosse youth team (5/6th grade) won the year-end league championship tournament. Not necessarily GREAT news to me (I don't understand the point of 5/6 grade league championships) but, the good news was that this wasn't singularly THE news. THE NEWS was the team that won the championship was not an "A" team but instead a team that consisted of "A" AND "B" level players.

You see, it appears that, the adult leadership of this team or program decided to do things differently. They decided to just take the kids that signed up, make them a team and go play the season. And while I am sure they probably took a lot of heat for this decision, they went with it anyway. AND, it all turned out just fine.

I have heard a few people "qualify" the championship by saying the teams were re-seeded at the end of the year and this winning team was seeded in the lower tier of the tournament. But qualify it in any way you want. What I heard was this...all the kids played significantly during the season and in the championship game...the winning goal was scored by a kid who was relocating to CA at the end of the school year (what a great "going away present")...the kids had a ball! Am I missing something or is this what youth ball is ALL about? Or maybe better put...Is this what youth ball SHOULD be all about?

You see, IF what I have been told is accurate (and the story was confirmed by others), what qualification needs to be put on this success? It's not really about the championship. The championship just gave the team confirmation of what it already knew. They played hard, as a TEAM. They worked together, as a TEAM. They got better, as a TEAM. They were all individually required to give their best, for their TEAM. They won, as a TEAM.

The adult leadership on this team decided to THINK different (the rest of the program went the "A and B route"). More importantly, the adult leadership decided to BE different. And everything appears to have worked out just fine. And the kids (all of the kids) are better off for it. A big THANKS to the adult leadership because they realized that It's About the Kids...ALL of the kids.

Keep smiling!

Time to review your season!

With the Spring youth sports season winding down (or completed), it seems like it might be a great time to take inventory (of your program, not your equipment!). What went right? What went wrong? What things could you change? What things could you get rid of? (yes, sometimes/many times, less is more!).

And while we are all doing our review of the season, let's step back and take a look at our Mission Statement. Match that with what you did this Spring. Ask yourself...Does your Misson Statement match what you did during the season? Did the structure of your season match the goals and expectations of the program (i.e. the Mission Statement)? Did your coaches represent what you wanted them to represent? Your parents? Your kids? Are you checking with your KIDS to see what they thought of the season (many times we send questionnaires to our parents...why not the kids)?

If you answered "no" to any of the questions in the previous paragraph, then it's time to start fixing...or tweaking...your program.

Lastly...if the answers were all "yes"...great!  Congratulations. But I ask you to ask yourself one more question...Do your program's actions benefit ALL of the kids in your program?  If that answer is "no", then I ask you to go back and take a look at your Mission Statement. Because while I commend you for the execution of your existing Mission Statement, I challenge you to create a new Mission Statement that includes ALL of the kids...not just a chosen handful.

Keep smiling!

Mark

Fields Fields Fields!

So, you've started a new program in town...the schedule is set...the kids are ready to go!  Whoops, you need to deal with one last item. Where are you going to play your games?  Where are you going to practice? And if you are like our town (South Windsor CT)...while it might be the last thing you need wrap up...it is certainly not the easiest. In fact...it is very much the most difficult. My question is WHY?

It's no secret that towns are cash strapped. Stressed budgets mean less monies for new fields. Less money for fields maintenance. Less monies for "extracurricular" activities (although I would suggest that youth sports are not "extracurricular" at all). That's the bad news. The GOOD news is that those of you struggling for field time have a wonderful opportunity to force the town to rethink the way they assign fields to teams. Most towns can not afford to keep constructing new fields for youth sports.  SO they NEED to re-think the way they hand them out in the first place! They need to re-think what they believe is their traditional "obligation" to hand out fields to "traditional" sports programs with insatiable appetites. Insatiable appetites that ultimately affect the growth of new "startup" and "non-traditional" programs.

Does your town have a written field policy (i.e. how they assign fields) or are you at the mercy of the individual who hands them out? Do "in-season" sports in your town get first priority to fields or do "two season sports" organizations get the same access to fields as the primary season sport? How does your town accommodate female sports (yes, Title IX)?

If you don't know the answers to these questions...ASK! If you don't get definitive answers then REQUIRE your town to get you answers! Because while it's great that you have taken the time to create a new program that is great for the kids...you still need a place to run that program! And if your town and other "multi season" sports programs are restricting your access to quality fields (or just plain making it a painful process), then you have reduced the possibility of success for your new program.

Can this be a painful process? You bet it can! But the pain you incur today will benefit the growth of your program and the kids that you want to help for years to come. Painful, yes. But it's worth it because It's About the Kids!

Keep smiling!

Mark

Championship KIDS vs Championship TEAMS

It's that time of year in my area...yes, youth basketball playoff season! One of my "favorites". It's that time of year where everyone can show off the skills of their team and show that they are the very best team in the league. THAT (in and of itself) is ok. Unfortunately THAT typically degenerates into showing that your "top" 5-7 players are better than the other team's "top" 5-7. The problem with showing off your "top" 5-7? Well, MOST TEAMS HAVE 10-12 KIDS ON THEIR ROSTER! So, these coaches aren't really showing off their TEAM at all!

Does your PROGRAM allow coaches total discretion on how much time they give their players? If so, chances are that your program is NOT age appropriate. If coaches are given the total discretion to play their players as many minutes they wish, unless the coach is the EXCEPTION, he/she will actually play the players he NEEDS to PLAY in order to WIN the game. And yes, this is a problem. Read ON...

I spoke with a colleague of mine the last couple of days. Nice guy (this usually has nothing to do with "nice" people vs "not nice" people). He told me how he watched a 7th grade travel team the other day and how "FANTASTIC" this team was (I have listened to others tell me about this team as well). He happened to have a relative on the team and I asked him how she was enjoying the season. His answer was less than encouraging. She was the "8th" player on the team and she really only got 5-6 minutes of playing time per game. But BOY HOW THAT TEAM COULD PLAY! The reality is that this TEAM (they have 12 kids on the roster) probably isn't really anything special at all.

Are your teams in leagues that value regular and post season standings but DON'T dictate equitable playing time for league members? This is a formula for failure. If YOUR PROGRAM believes in equitable playing time (I didn't say equal...I said equitable. There is a difference and I will speak about this in coming blogs), your teams should be in leagues that value the same. League standings and league championships mean NOTHING if they are at the expense of the INDIVIDUAL players of the team.

Don't have any leagues out there that value equitable playing time for its members? Then start one! Let me give you a couple of quick tips. REQUIRE equitable playing time! Forget about league standings and league playoffs. They are FAR too big a temptation for members to "bend the rules". Let's develop a league that FOCUSSES on the following:

1) INDIVIDUAL development of its players (personal and athletic). ALL of its players!
2) Positive coaching.
3) Sportsmanship.
4) Competing (No, not win vs lose. Teaching your players (ALL of your players) to do the very best they can, regardless of who they are playing against. Then giving them the OPPORTUNITY to do so...ON THE FIELD AND IN THE GAME...and not just giving the "back half of the bench" a chance when the game is a BLOW OUT!!).

It's time to dial it back folks. But we need people with courage to do so. People that are willing to swim against the tide. People that are willing to develop championship kids FIRST and "championship" teams SECOND. Because, you see, if you develop a championship KID...that kid will be a champion (for life) at WHATEVER he or she decides to do. And YOU will have given him or her the tools do so. But what opportunities are we offering our kids if we keep ignoring the "back half" of our bench? What life lessons are we teaching the "front half" when we do so?

Is your program developing championship KIDS or championship TEAMS!?!? You can do both...but I hope the KID comes first. Because first and foremost, IT's ABOUT THE KIDS!

Keep smiling!

Mark

60 Minutes - American Samoa

Not a lot of time to talk but here's one for you! If we all believe that kids need to practice day after day after day and, in order to be good, they have to play the same sport year round...then why does the American Samoa pump out more NFL football players (proportionately) than any other region in the world? Did you take a look at the CBS 60 Minutes segment a couple of weeks ago? If you didn't, here it is...take a look! http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6108545n&tag=contentBody;housing.

Lousy fields, lousy equipment and no significant youth program pipeline. Yet, American Samoa is one of the hottest areas for D1 college football and NFL talent. Call it what you want...I call it a reasonable approach to youth athletics. An approach that allows kids to DEVELOP (physically and emotionally). An approach that is inclusive, not exclusive.

We all might learn something from the American Samoa.

Remember...It's About the Kids!

Keep smiling!

Mark

What is "Age Appropriate Programming"?

Is your youth athletic program's top PRIORITY to develop the child EMOTIONALLY and PHYSICALLY or is it built primarily to develop the child ATHLETICALLY?

Are the programs that use your town's fields and courts built around the emotional and physical development of the child? Not just town run programs (i.e. Park Rec) but ALL programs. Even those programs that are typically run by private clubs...travel basketball, football, little league, lacrosse, soccer, etc etc etc.

Does your "Park & Rec" or club program pick coaches PRIMARILY based on their understanding of the SPORT or first and foremost based on their understanding of the emotional and physical developmental needs of children? Do those same programs TRAIN their coaches singularly about the sport...or do they include coaching training on the emotional and physical developmental needs of the child (all childen...no matter what their skill set).

Does YOUR program select coaches primarily based on his/her understanding of the sport?

It has become clear to me over the years that MOST youth coaches are selected based on their understanding of the sport and NOT their understanding of the children they are coaching. Because of this PROGRAMMING ERROR coaches (many well meaning) in turn run practices and coach teams with the sole goal of teaching the child the sport they are playing. Many of these coaches are oblivious to what the child can grasp mentally or perform physically.

While I believe that it is important to understand and be able to coach the SPORT, I believe that it is infinately more important to have a coach that understands the CHILD.