I don’t understand the whole hashtag thing. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t take a super savvy techie to figure it out. I have seen what people hashtag, it’s not rocket science. I never MySpaced, Friendstered, Facebooked, Snapchated, or Instagramed. Don’t have a Twitter account either. For someone who attempts to write a blog, you’d think some of this social media would be helpful. Maybe, someday. For now, let me share a few #thoughts.
#98. From day 1, the pool was my classroom. Twenty-four seasons with high school swimmers and divers was extremely rewarding. The good news, the Trojans women won 98 swim meets, the bad news we placed lower than first 98 times. Pretty middle of the Bell Curve results. While coaching I never wore enough sunscreen. Never put on a Speedo, either. The fun was in challenging young minds to overcome self-imposed limitations and encouraging teamwork in an individualized environment.
#191. Winning a game isn’t a prerequisite for being a champion in life. However, competing and winning with integrity is a whole lot more fun than losing. In the end, my goal was to win 200 high school soccer matches. 191 wins is close. Thankfully, I was given 196 additional chances to get the other 9. Instead, there were 188 losses and 8 ties. Again, pretty much middle of the Bell Curve results. If you add it all up, that was a lot of games. There were thousands of practices and tens of thousands of hours of preparation and hundreds of thousands of super positive experiences with student-athletes who are champions. We competed in soccer, but the lessons learned went far beyond the goals that lit up the scoreboard.
#warriors. Since retiring I have spent time reflecting on my career. It took five months, but I am now ready to accept the change. In July I went back to work teaching at Girls Leadership Academy of Arizona. I have been back at it for nearly three months, but the time away traveling kept a true sense of being a part of the community on the horizon. Today, I simply accept the past is in the past and that the future at GLAAZ offers incredible challenges and rewards. It is time to revel in the opportunity to build relationships with colleagues and students that will be cherished as at GLAAZ, just like those I hold dear at my former school. “Trojans Forever” wasn’t just a throw-away line. Too much blood and sweat and too many tears were shared and shed for it to be forgotten. That experience is my foundation.
#hashbrowns. I love hash browns. Those shredded spuds cooked up on the stovetop are awesome! Please don’t confuse real hash browns with the glorified tater tot you get at the fast food restaurant. Hash browns don’t come as a patty served in a wax-paper sleeve. I prefer mine with rye toast and eggs over easy. Nothing better than mixing in the runny, sunny, yellow yolk with every bite.
#purplereigns! The 200th may still come as a Warrior.
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