8 Days to go!

It has been a very hectic week; getting everything ready for the move abroad. The biggest project is preparing a highlight video for Carl to give to the scouts at Friday's Pro Day at UW. Carl is already in Austria, training away at the Olympic facility and practicing with the boys. He's getting some experience looking at things from a coach's perspective and I think learning alot more about the game.

Tell me what you think about the DVD cover (above I credit a lot of the ideas to a VW Rabbit DVD that we got while deciding between the new Rabbit and the '06 Golf).

This weekend I went to Portland for the Nike Football Coach of the Year Clinic. I connected up with a lot of good friends and former coaches (Oregon's Robin Pflugrad, new Enumclaw HC Don Bartell, Kentwood HC Rex Norris & clan, as well as several others). But the highlight of the weekend was Pete Carroll of USC. I've studied some great coaches in my day, but I think Carroll's style hits the modern game right on the button. Some of the things he said really struck a chord with me, one in particular: "If your reciever goes out there and runs the wrong route or break or something, don't ever say 'I never taught him that!' Bull****! I don't ever want to hear that; you [darned] well taught him that, because you sure as [heck] didn't coach him not too!"

I am a proponent of accountability in my players and he lives it through taking the worry off of the players and placing the blame directly on himself and his staff. I adore this in him and will take it with me this summer and wherever I end up in the fall.

Other than that, I've only got a few days of Student Teaching left, which is exciting. I'll be on a field trip to the Museum of Flight with 170 seventh graders tomorrow...pray for me! eek! ;)