The coaching life, a break from the insanity, kinda sorta...

In the recent few weeks, I have been in a complete rut. Things have gotten to the point at work, that there is nothing left to look forward to. In the last few weeks, I have been lucky enough to have very amazing saves and some not so great moments. Sadly the nonsense that has been occurring, has all but masked any hope for a good shift. 

So as a result, I have been looking more and more forward to a volunteering as a lacrosse coach for a youth lacrosse program. I must say, that I was a bit skeptical walking into this new endeavor. I was the new coach in a town, with kids that I didn't know, and a new set of difficulties. I took it with a grain of salt focussing on the bigger picture... That I get to introduce kids on one of the greatest sports there is.

Lacrosse is a sport that translates into "little brother of war". It is a game that is a mix of hockey, soccer, and the contact of football. You play with a solid rubber ball and your only defense is a thin set of padding. You get to run around and beat others with a stick. It's known as the fastest game on two feet, and anyone who has witnessed a game played can agree. 

The challenge that I have come across while doing this, is that many kids do not like being there. I always have heard that rants of my coaches growing up that practice is not a baby sitting service. And sadly I see that now. 

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing more rewarding that having a young player ask you for help or ask for advice. It's a great feeling. I feel like I'm making more of an impact than I do working as an EMT. However, some of the questions I have been asked are a little bit more off the wall. 

What type of questions are these? Well... Let's begin... "Coach, why do you think the government is putting bugs in our food?" Or my personal favorite, "Coach, I shit my pants, what should I do?" 

What do you do? What do you do? How have you gotten this far in life? 

Where the hell am I supposed to find an answer to these things? On top of that, I am faced with noticing that most kids just walk off the field when there is something that they do not want to do. The biggest part of lacrosse is running. And if they don't want to run, they just walk away. They drop their things and walk away. If they don't walk away they make an attempt to hurt me by taking shots at my head. Ahh, to be young... This is an action that would have had Coach Hal, firmly plant his foot up my ass. That would have been followed by sprints until I threw up, and then more sprints to follow. 

But tomorrow is a new day, and another practice. So here's to hoping we can maybe grasp the "1-3-2" offense, and I will not be talking to myself in a field of 20 kids who couldn't give a damn less about me and what I have to say. Being a kid is hard, I get that. You need to worry about the government bugging your food.