Another fun season

Today our season came to a close, with our final game against a very strong Slinger team that finished 7-1. We put up a good fight, but in the end we made too many mistakes (such as fumbling in our own end zone, leading to an easy Slinger TD).

After the game, the coaches talked to the kids about our entire season. I was hoping to talk to each of them individually over the past week, but really didn't get a chance to with the bad weather causing many kids to miss practice, then we had the pizza party, etc.

We told them that we were very proud to be their coaches and that we were very thankful that they gave us their best efforts for the entire year. I had an absolute blast coaching this team. It has a lot of talent, and with a little bit more experience, I think they will turn out to be a fantastic football team down the road.

I urged all of the kids to stick with football in the coming years. It is not uncommon for young teams, especially at Hartford since this was our first season with a fifth grade team, to struggle. They're not used to the intensity, they're not used to the contact, and it is a lot different than the fun football games they may play at recess.

At the 6th grade level, my philosophy (and I am certainly not the only one) is that fundamentals and fun should take priority over winning. We always have an eye on the big picture. We do a number of things that other 6th grade teams don't do, such as vary our snap count heavily and running a fairly complex playbook. At this level, it is easy to ask yourself, "why would you vary the snap count when sixth graders may have a difficult time remembering it?" or "if a certain play works really well, why don't you just keep doing it over and over and over?" The answer is simple: the goal is to teach fundamentals. If the goal at 6th grade was to win, as it would be at the high school, college, or professional level, we would do things differently. But it isn't.

A great example is this year's 8th grade teams. Mark O. and I coached many of those kids in sixth grade just a few years ago, and we both struggled. My team went 0-8 that season. But now the 8th grade teams have shown great improvement, and with the help of some excellent coaching as they moved up, they were able to refine their skills and have had much better seasons.

A reminder to parents that the banquet is on November 11, 2009. Details should be on the website.

A special thanks to all of my fellow coaches, the parents, and the many volunteers that helped make this season so fun. It was truly a great time, and while I am sad to see it end, I look forward to seeing the kids develop as football players (and as people) over the next few years.

Thank you, and I'll see you at the banquet!