Friday, September 29, 2006

Hit Somebody

Coach S was an assistant coach for my high school football team. He came on my Junior year and eventually became the Head Coach after my "career".

Coach S had a lisp. And although I am not really into making fun of people, OK I am, but not in a mean way...just a fun way. Anyway, he had a lisp which just added to his personality. He liked to yell, but the lisp just seemed to deny him the ability to really have the scary bite that most football coaches would have when yelling.

He was the sideline coach. He would watch the sidelines and make sure that the right people were ready for the different situations and to maintain order within the ranks while the other coaches would concentrate their attention on their individual responsibilities like Offense, Defense, or Special Teams.

One of the most memorable sayings that Coach S had was "GET ON THE THIDELINES!" He used to yell that over and over again throughout the games as well as at practice; they were one and the same to him. "Get on the sidelines" simply meant to get back so we were not accidentally standing on the field of play.

It was so amusing to a lot of use that we used to push it just to get him to say it. "GET ON THE THIDELINES". The sound is burnt into my memories and will remain there forever and always brings a smile to my face. He took his job seriously and we although we liked to make him yell, we also respected the fact that he was serious about his responsibilities. We stayed on the sidelines. Coach S at the time may not have been the head coach, or the one calling the plays for offense or defense, he wasn't even the Special teams coach, but he took his role seriously and gave it his all, and he gave it all the time.

His attitude he carried as a sideline coach also went along with another one of his famous yellings. Whenever we went into a game or whenever he coached us, he used to yell at us, "HIT THOMEBODY!". His thought was that we were playing football and no matter what play was called, no matter what developed in the play, no matter if anything had anything to do with us individually, if you were on the field, your job was to hit somebody, anybody and to hit them hard like the play depended on you to hit them and hit them hard.

If you went into a play and didn't hit somebody, as in really smack them and make real contact, you were a wasted person on the field; you didn't deserve to be on the field. So every time the ball was snapped, you better find someone on the other team and hit them with everything you had. You could hear him screaming from the sideline, "HIT THOMEBODY!!!! HIT THOMEBODY!" If you didn't, you would have Coach S in your grill "inquiring" why? You may not make it back on the field for another play either.

Hit Somebody! What great advice. No matter what you are doing, no matter the importance of your individual efforts in the endeavor you are engaged, no matter if anyone else cares are not, do your thing the best you can. Make your effort the best it can be. Find something, anything that you can do and do it well. Your role may not be the make or break role, but your attitude and the way you approach your personal responsibilities are the make or break for you. If you are willing to throw yourself into the seemingly insignificant duties you are asked to do, you will be able to respond likewise when it does matter.

Go out and hit somebody! Do you best at whatever it is that you are asked to do. It's not fluff, its real world advice. If you don't believe me ask Coach S!

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