HALF OF THE GROUP
SFA JUMP SQUAD ON TACKY DAY
As we are approaching our 2nd weekend of meets (3rd meet in total), I am sitting in the office reflecting back on how my group has progressed over the past 5 months. The entire dynamic of the jump squad has dramatically changed from just over a year ago. Last year I had a seasoned group of seniors with two freshman; now I have 2 5th year seniors and 6 freshman and sophomores...my my how the times have changed. This year has brought me back to a level of coaching that goes back to the basics. Last year I taught a little but mostly refined what I had inherited. This year it is strictly teaching, mentoring, and even a little babying from time to time. Sometimes I get extremely frustrated as to why they do not understand something but I was once told that every great coach should be able to relay information in THREE different ways...and this had definitely been put to the test this school year.
I have an entirely new set of personalities, and even though they are different I most definitely would not trade them for the world. The fall semester was frustrating at times, but they have progressed so much that it makes me smile on the inside. In our first weekend of meets, I was more than pleased with where we stood. Coming back off of Christmas Break, my athletes together probably jumped a total of MAYBE 10 times...yes, that is all 8 of them combined together. When they returned they most definitely looked like they hadn't seen a pit in decades. However that weekend, they came alive and put on a decent show. I guess it's true that once you learn to ride a bike, you never forget...sometimes you just need a moment to knock off the rust.
Right now we are sitting nicely on the conference list, but as everyone knows, I am never satisfied until we are number 1 in everything! I'm proud of where my group has come from and I look forward to BIG things from each of them. We have endured a host of obstacles, but if it's one thing I know...Coach Lacee' don't raise no punks...and each obstacle is simply a test to learn to rise above it all!
