Even with our season over, I still have a few further coaching related duties to handle over the last few days. I attended the CIS nationals held in Toronto which had a field of teams with UPEI, StFX, U of Montreal, U of Toronto, York, Queens, UBC and Trinity Western all participating. The championships themselves started out kind of slow, but the games picked up as the weekend progressed, and culminated in a strongly contested final between U of Montreal and Trinity Western. This game was one of the best played games in terms of competitiveness I have seen in a long time. It has a bit of everything (well no scoring so not everything), great technical skils, physical play, intensity, rivalry... all in one. It ended 0-0 and went to penalties where TWU won 4-3 including what many observing coaches claimed was one of the best saves they had ever seen pulled off by Kristen Funk of TWU (the same Kristen Funk that was at FISU with me).
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Hi there,
This post is somewhat overdue as I was hoping to post it in the days following our final games. Without getting too much into the details, our final games didn't quite go as we hoped. Instead of two wins we came out with a tie and a disappointing loss. However, we can't fault the players' efforts in the two games, all the improvement that this team underwent was really evident in both of them and with a little luck and timely oppurtunism, the results would have been more favorable. As I have said before, learning to win is a skill like kicking a ball, you have to learn it. As always, there is that short term post season lull, that void that comes after over two months of 5 and 6 days of practices, games, team activities. You miss the routine as much as you appreciate the new found free time. You learn to appreciate being able to relax and focus on other things in your life, but you also miss the interaction with players and other coaches. And of course, life goes on, already recruiting, already planning the winter semester schedule, thinking about possible line ups, which new players I might be able to get to come to Concordia, etc. Tonight I head off to Toronto to attend the CIS nationals. It is always fun to touch base with coaching collegues many of whom I only see once a year. This year with also be a little extra special as I will be able to reconnect with a few of the players from the FISU games team and I am sure there might be some travel down memory lane. As part of the championships, the host commitee has organized a recruiting showcase with 60 Toronto area players attending. Who knows, I might just find a diamond in the rough, or an impact player that could be just what we need at Concordia next fall. I am in contact with quite a few potential players not to mention some local graduating CEGEP players who have contacted me and truth be told, there is no room for all of them, the trick is to identify the recruiting priorities, target the players whol fill those needs and hope to land them at Concordia.... while keeping options open additional players if things fall through. At the same time, with some many players eligible to come back next fall, it is easier to reduce the numbers earlier and honestly tell players that you know just won't add something to your team that maybe it is better to look elsewhere... a huge change from a few past years, when it was about finding as many new players as possible. While I am attending the nationals as an observer, there is work to be done. We have our annual coaches association (of which I am the current president) meetingwhere rule changes, championship format, and other business is discussed and decided on. I am completing my second term as president and will look for a replacement...although apathy may have me return for another two years which all in all, isn't so bad, the work isn't overwhelming. The results at the CIS nationals do have an impact on the team who don't participate. This years results, as always will impact who many team each conference gets next year. AUS will already have two as they are hosting, OUA will also have two as that is there allotment based on the number of teams. Canadawest and Quebec start with one each. The conference from which the winner school comes from, will get a second berth plus their is a rotational berth that is also dependent on the results. Long story made short, Quebec wins or Canadawest wins and we get a second berth, worst thing that could happen is that AUS or OUA win. This gives me the chance to cheer for both U of Montreal and Graham's TWU team hoping they meet in the finals and then really doens't matter who wins, our conference would get two spots. more to follow |
AuthorAfter many years of coaching at various levels and with different teams, I thought I would share some of my experiences and thoughts about coaching. Archives
January 2023
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