Life Lessons from Coaching Pee Wee Football

Many of you know I coach pee wee football in our local community league.  We are three games into the season and I’ve been thinking about our “progress” thus far.  I wonder if there might be some lessons that apply beyond the field of competition.

A couple quick facts:

-        We haven’t scored yet this year

-        I’ve had more kids take themselves out of games and practices than ever before

A few observations:

1.  It is obvious our competition has “scouted” us.  They know where our strong player(s) line up and they know where our weak player(s) line up.  They try to exploit our weaknesses.

v Business often works like this and so does the one who seeks to destroy you!

John 10:10

2.  It takes a “team effort” to be successful.  We have a small number of great players…no matter how “great” they may be…we still haven’t scored this year and, therefore, we haven’t won a game…yetJ

v Are you pulling your weight on all the teams you belong to…marriage, family, business, volunteer stuff, church, etc.?

3.  No matter how “bad” it may seem, there is always hope…we are getting better and I believe we will win a game, or at least score.

v Gotta believe, baby…once you lose the dream that life can and will be better, it’s all over.

4.  We can’t control the other teams, or the refs, but we can control our effort to get better during practice.

v Complaining and pointing fingers gets us nowhere.  At times, you “feel better” about your self-justification for a lack of progress but, ultimately, we are responsible for our own growth and development.

5.  I need to celebrate the little victories (like not jumping offside for an entire game…it hasn’t happened yet, but someday…see # 3)

v Sometimes, the big goals in life are just too big…break them down into smaller, doable, bite-size pieces.

6.  Parental enthusiasm is incredible!  Only a parent would drive their child to practice three times a week, then go to a game and cheer for a team that hasn’t scored yet. 

v A parent’s love must be based on something deeper than performance.  It makes me wonder about God’s love for us and the root of our love for one another.

7.  I thought coaching would be easier than it has been thus far.  I have never coached this young age level before.

v Wow…I didn’t know what I didn’t know!  It’s very different sitting on the sidelines than coaching on the field.  And, just because I’ve coached different sports and different levels doesn’t mean I “knew” what to do at this level.

8.  Our coaching staff is adjusting.  The best coach in the league is one of my “assistants.”  My assistant coach has coached this team’s offense for about twenty four years now…which equals a lot of experience at this level and a huge amount of success year in and year out.  He has adjusted our team to fit our personnel.

v Just because something has “worked” in the past doesn’t mean it will always work in the future…be willing to change and adjust.

9.  It’s one thing to “study patience” and “love your neighbor” in a classroom setting…it’s another thing to be “tested.” 

v Real life is where our belief and actions meet…even during times of challenge.

10. At the end of the day, it’s still pee wee football.  I dare say if we took the “challenges”   of our scoreless football team and stacked them up against the challenges represented on the cancer unit at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, it would help with what’s called “perspective.”

v Be sure you are keeping the “main thing” the “main thing” in your life and your family’s life. 

I will keep you posted on our progress…we play again this Saturday.

Pastor Ken