Yesterday, in the mail~ through all the bills, junk mail, there was a letter.

It was from a little boy on my Upward soccer team, Michael Boatwright. He had written me a thankyou note to say how special this past season was for him. He drew me a picture (enclosed) and said YOU ARE MY HERO! and he gave me an Old Time Pottery gift certificate for $25.00! (love his mom! )

Let me tell you a little bit about this very special boy. This child is 7 yrs old. He is extremely gifted and at the beginning of the season he out scored every child in the league (in his age bracket) during soccer evaluations.

I thought how can I inspire this little superstar? I have been coaching for years now, but NEVER 7 yr old little boys! (what have I gotten myself into this time?)  

In the beginning, the other little boys sometimes got a little miffed when Michael would steal the ball or score on them when we were scrimaging and practicing drills. Zach especially. Infact, Zach didn’t even want to play the same 1/4 as Michael because he called him a “ball hog”. He would take the tough shot and score instead of making an easy pass to the team. Zach was also the coach’s kid and man! that’s tough. Mom razzing you in front of the other boys.

By the end of the season, I called Zach and Michael the 1-2 punch. Michael kicked the ball to Zach, Zach passed back to Michael and SCORE! They learned each other’s strengths, worked together, and passed to each other and using their peripheal vision to look out for one another and look ahead (almost like chess). The other kids on the team would make comments like, “I’m so glad Michael is on OUR team!” What stole my heart, was little Aaron Patton screaming at the top of his lungs from the sidelines with his sweet lisp.. “GO MICHAEL! WAY TO GO TEAM!” Michael became a team player and found his gift excelling even more when it all came together.  

How did I inspire this little superstar? We became a team. We became friends. He drew me a picture and wrote, “Coach Daniel, you are my hero”. Little do these little boys know, they were mine.. and I too found my gift when we all came together.

Teamwork is powerful.

Each child was very special with their own forte. Zach rocked on defense, he was never afraid to go after the ball, even against kids a foot taller than he. He also made some amazing goals and you could see his whole world light up! Aaron was my best goalie and dove for the ball as it approached. Stefan had tenacity- always getting back up after getting plummeted and went back for more. Antonio was strong learned how to focus it and refine his skills. Kody was my little powerhouse! if a ball came he way~ BAM! it was on the other side of the field so fast it would make your head spin! Little Joshua- what an adorable humble servant of God. By the end of the season, Josh learned how to be aggressive and get in the game. Every time I think of Caleb’s little face I smile! He is the little boy that would make goo goo eyes at me! Caleb liked to watch. Infact, he liked the back field and not be in the middle of confrontation. But when that ball was coming for him- he knew exactly what his job was! Jake was my biggest “kid” on the team. He was utterly playful he made it so much fun for everyone every time!

I started looking at my little Eagles and compared them to my Designer Chicks and thought.. each individual has their forte making the team succeed. When Scrappy Chick first began- I named each chick for their forte and within that name they became known to be the best in the industry for that skill. Chriss Coleman- Photo Chick. CBY- Creative Chick. Misty Grindle - Altered Chick…and so on.

Jennifer (Silly Chick) is Jake not in size anymore though! Misty is Caleb. Chriss is Michael. CBY is Zach. Kara is Stefan. Malena is Antonio. Athene is Joshua. Heidi is Kody. Juli is part Jake and part Antonio. Angela is Aaron.

So how do I inspire (coach) these very different.. yet similar teams?

By bringing out the very best in each and every one of them and making them strive for a common goal, and focus on their forte/job on the team.

Each one of them is so special.. making it a winning combination! Let’s Go Team!