I have some weird beliefs regarding food. They are border on religious. I think one of the most important things people need is food. Looking around the world almost every culture and religion has beliefs and ideas based around food. Whether it is fasting or feasts food effects us in ways that are profound and often overlooked. When I have a friend that is hurting or in crisis the first thing I do is try to get them to eat. It doesn’t make the situation better but being hungry almost always makes situations worse. After the first two weeks of games I was finally feeling comfortable in what was needed from me for the next game. First and foremost… candy.     While the girls really started to gel as a team the previous weekend, there were still some problems. During the first game the girls were tired and a little lethargic. During the last games the girls...

  Let me start by saying I was a little hard on the head coach. He was just thrown into this, the same way I was. He really is a good player. In practices he demonstrates perfect form and he even does that thing where he seems like he’s chaotically falling when receiving a powerful serve only to have the ball slow in momentum and redirect exactly where the setter is standing. He was caught off guard by our first games the same way I was. We were both frustrated by our circumstances. Really when I wrote what I did about him, I was describing exactly how I felt, blindsided and a little clueless.     Kids are weird. Maybe it is all athletes, but all the girls were the exact same at the next practice as they had been the previous weeks. Nobody mentioned the games, wins or losses. It was a little weird for me but we just went on with things. Having a better idea of what...

  Benjamin Franklin said, “By failing to plan, you are preparing to fail.” Winston Churchill said, “He who fails to plan is planning to fail” So far things were really starting to go well at practice. The biggest issue I had to deal with was learning the girls’ names. They were all having fun and practicing their skills. Spirits were high and our first game was on a Saturday morning. It was scheduled at 9:00am at the facility where we practiced. Everyone was excited and the team was really starting to gel. One girl stood out as a leader among them. She was good dealing with the other girls and she had knowledge and insight when it came to her other players, so at the final practice before the game we designated her team captain.     The night before the game we received an email telling us that the game had been moved up to 8:00am. A couple last minute texts went...

  Incompetence can often look like malfeasance. I have been thinking about that a lot. We, as humans, are liars. That isn’t a judgement, it is a statement. We don’t always lie because we mean harm. Many lies we tell are to make others, or ourselves, feel good or avoid uncomfortable situations. Sometimes we lie to just move beyond a situation, gloss over complicated details or little lies of omission. What am I talking about?!?     At the beginning of each volleyball year is a meeting. It’s full of important information, mostly for new parents. Every year parent participation is an issue. I understand. I pay a bunch of money so my daughter can play in the league and I expect to get something for my money. I expect a safe environment where my daughter will learn from experienced volleyball players and coaches and hopefully have a good time. Every meeting...