The coach is playing their favorites. True story.

Great coaches tell the truth. The truth makes great coaches. Love out loud.

I am going to bust up a coaching myth. Long told story is that coaches do not give preferential treatment to any of their players. Some will say that good coaches will treat his best player and his worst player the same. The idea comes from the belief that team rules should apply to everyone. Let me put my two cents on the table.

It is not true.

Great coaches have something in common. The truth.  Any coach who has the freedom to tell his players the truth has the freedom to make coach them to greater. Any coach who wants the freedom to eliminate nonsense and chaos has to be able to tell the truth. Without that freedom, the coach will spend too much of his time dancing around egos, lies, distractions, and tears.

The truth is freedom to spend time wisely and honestly. The truth is the freedom to say things exactly as they are no matter who the people are who are involved in it. That freedom allows for my time to be spent on the task at hand. Making the players better, making the team better, and making the humans better.

Let me tell you about those favorite players. Ready? The are not always who you might think they would be. They are not always the best athlete, the best player, or the player with the parents who have the most money.

A coach’s favorite is the kid who he can tell the truth. The kid who wants to know what the coach needs for him to hear rather than what the player wants to hear. A favorite is the player who listens and hears. A favorite is a player who understands that truth is the greatest talent any player or coach can have. It allows so many good things to happen in the small window that is available to do so. The favorite allows the coach to TRUST.

Who does the coach trust? The player who is prepared. The player who is ready, The player who cares about what the coach cares about. The player committed to the team rather than themselves. The player who honors the process, respects the drill, appreciates the lessons, and actions accordingly. The player trusted is the player whose actions match his words. Trust is bestowed on the player who ignores chaos, defeats the distractions, and is undefeated against laziness.

When a coach knows that a player knows the plays, understands the plays, and will execute the plays, he gets trusted. When a coach knows that the player actions in character, efforts academically, is aware socially, and excels in the community, trust is the reward, and favoritism is earned. Not granted. Earned.

The same can be said for parents. See above. Honesty and trust play a big part in the inclusion and proximity of trust. The more the parent understands that time is given based on intent and action, the simpler the relationship becomes. And, more trusting.

So there you have it.. There are favorites. It is rarely about talent or size or stats. It is about TRUST. It is about honesty. It is about love. Care about the process, honor the process, and be true in it and to it, and favor will follow.

I am pretty sure that I just described most coach elected captains. They may not be the best players, but they are certainly at the front of the class and most likely to succeed. They probably will turn in to some pretty amazing coaches one day.

Action in love. Love in action.

Go.

LovePrints - The Line. Conditioning.

Great lines make great coaches. Great coaches make great lines. Love Out Loud.

1. THE. LINE.

As a player, as a coach there are certain inevitable things. Some are good, some are dreaded, and all of them have purpose. All of them belong. All of them send us forward with something stronger and better than what we had before it. There are often constants in sports, and conditioning is one of them. It is never pleasing, often painful, and always the truth. It is also where winners show up, acknowledge, and crown themselves. It is where the line is drawn.

As any of my teammates, and any of my players, wind sprints are going to happen. They are going to happen. They are going to happen. Sometimes, they are masked as kickoff drills. Sometimes, they are masked as baserunning drills. Sometimes, they are masked as transition drills.  They can include oars and shells held over head, They can include stairs, hallways, gymnasiums, tracks, and mud. They might be. But sometimes, they are not masked at all. They are simply conditioning. They are lung busting, leg dragging, tongue wagging, stomach upsetting, sweat puddle inducing, cramps in the side reminders of why game days are fun.

It does not matter what sport it is, what age group it is, or what gender. Conditioning must be done. It serves as the measuring stick for readiness, preparation and commitment. If a coach wants to know how much this sport matters to his players, he can look on day one of tryouts or practice to see who has put in the work. Coaches know who is in shape, who isn’t, and how much work it will take to get everyone on the same level.

Parents often miss this part of coaching. When the players show up on day one, they may or may not have an idea of how much work their young one has put in. More importantly, they may or may not know how much work the OTHER young people put in. They may believe that their athlete has worked hard, but have they worked as hard as the athletes they are competing with? Have they worked as hard as they could? Have they worked as hard as the athletes they are competing against? That is the line.

As players, if they do not know how much is enough, they need to ask. They need to know. What they think is enough may be enough for beginners. Or average. Or good. It may not be great. It may not be their best. That is the line.

How conditioning is done varies from climate to climate, coach to coach, and program to program. Recent awareness has asked, begged even, that conditioning be done as a part of the skill training rather than as punishment. It should be done as a part of the practice plan, a part of the improvement session, a part of the warm up and cool down. It needs to be ambitious, motivating, and sensible. It also needs to be the standard. It needs to be the line. And that line needs to be new and moved daily. That is the purpose of the line.

It is the sound that makes skin crawl, smiles disappear, sweat appears, and deep breaths happen. It is the beginning bell or the final whistle. It is the most feared sound of any practice session, and it is also the signal that we must come together and get better.

It is also the gatekeeper, the babysitter, and the constant reminder. It is the dog at the fence, it is the alarm on the door, and it is the latch on the window. It keeps order, and creates unity.

I am sure that anyone that has played for me will wince at the final sentence of this piece. It means that it is time to be measured. It is time to improve. It is time to grow. It is time to prepare for the final out, the final quarter, the last drive, the final lap, the last jump, the big shot, the next base, and the huge play. It is the line.

ON THE LINE! ON THE LINE! ON THE LINE!

<whistle>

LovePrints. What is a LovePrint?

Your Loveprint.

What is a LovePrint?

I thought about carbon love print, but that did not seem right. Love print makes sense. I can see hearts. I can see hand prints. I can see hands with hearts in them. I can see hands with hearts in them.

A love print is effecting lives, moments, communities, and the world by touching them with your love. By BETTERING them with your love.

...

So. What I hope is that you will read this and go with love. Go and spread your love print. Spread it so wide that it covers anyone and everyone that you care about. And anyone and everyone that they care about. May you walk around every day and see your love print everywhere. Let it be seen on the faces of those you care most about, and may it be felt in the hearts of loved ones and strangers.

Be aware of your Love print. Think of it often. Share it so much that you dont even think about it. And then look around and see your life covered in it. That would be a blessing.

Go. Love Out Loud. Be love in action. Action in love.

Thank you, to all of the Coach Barry "Bear" Laravie's

Good Sunday afternoon.

Labels. Look beyond them. Look past them. Find the person. Be present.

As a young man, I was a member of the greatest example of a youth organization ever. The Black Knights. Nope, not black as in black people. Team color. The mighty and powerful BLACK & GOLD of the Arlington County Black Knights. What made this organization so great? The people. The amazing people. The loving, inspirational, well meaning, label free people. The coaches were diverse in a time where diverse was not the norm. In the 60's and 70's in South Arlington. (Shout out to Lower Arlington !) Imagine in a time of labels and boundaries, this organization managed to cross boundaries, to cross communities, and created an environment where amazing families could coexist and prosper. They loved. It was wonderful. Coaches of every color, every religion, leading players from different schools and backgrounds. These coaches were policemen, teachers, firemen, lawyers, doctors, and more. They were taxis for players without rides, meal buyers, doctors, and psychologists for us kids. Team moms treating all of their sons the same, loving them with care and guidance. All of the sisters of the community standing cheering loud and proud. Every sport was a part of the joy, and every game was a carnival event with energy and fun. You may not have been aware of why it was special, you just knew that it was. These people, no matter where they are now, still smile and glow when the Mighty Knights are mentioned.

I say that to say this. One year, I was late registering to play football. I had resigned that I was not going to play that year. I was approached by a police officer as I played touch football out front of my house. I had not done anything wrong, but I went up to the car to see what I had done. The officer reached out his hand and said "you are pretty fast, why arent you at football practice?" I told him why, and he said that he was a football coach for the Fraternal Order of Police, and he needed some players my age. I was not aware of the FOP, and I had not considered that there was any football outside of the Black & Gold, so I had no idea what to say. He asked my name and number, and said that he would call me. He did. That night. He asked if I knew any other players, and said that he would be there tomorrow to pick me up for weigh in, and we would go from there.

We were the FOP Eagles. A rag tag group of athletes who had somehow fallen through the cracks. Some decent players. A big armed QB, a power runner, some angry linebackers, and myself. We did okay. I think we were .500, which was a testament to our coach. His name was Barry Laravie. Bear. Coach Bear. A mountain of a man, and a local policeman. He had the bark and stature of a giant. Even then he seemed 7 foot tall. But Bear showed up. He picked us all up, he dropped us all off. He bought us cleats and t shirts in case we did not have the money. He bought burgers to practice to make sure that we ate. He gave all of the extra burgers to the last kid he dropped off. That was usually me.

Those rides home were amazing. He did not use his police car. He used his own. He took the risk of being a white man driving through black neighborhoods, often at night. But what made his effort more amazing was the conversations. He and every other coach who chose to drive us black kids home, God Bless them. It wasnt easy or comfortable. But he did it. And he shared. He shared secrets of how tough it was to do the job, how amazing it was to do the job, and how proud he was of doing the job. He also told me who to look out for, and who to stay away from. He pointed out good people and bad. He also pointed out good policemen and bad. He warned me about staying out of certain areas, to stay away from certain signs that I would not be safe or welcomed. But what he showed me most, was love. He cared. I remember asking why he did it, and his answer was "...because you let me. You didnt have to talk to me or come play for me, but you did. I appreciated it so much because once you were on board, it was easier to get other players." He asked why I said yes, and the answer was that white officers do not normally pull up and smile at us, so it felt safe. He smiled. I smiled.

I say this now, and to be clear, I owe a lot to Coach Bear. I owe a lot to his band of police brothers who took care of us. I owe them for giving me info on survival, and on care. He and I both could have labelled the other and lost out. We managed to say yes. It worked out. He and I both fully understood that this was not always the intent, purpose, circumstances, or outcome of such meetings between police and black males. But for this one fork in the road in time, it worked. For all of the times that it didnt, I am glad that it did.

Thank you Coach Bear. Thank you for all of the other Coach Bear's in the world. The power of a good officer of the law is known. The power of the other is as well.

Be a Coach Bear wont you?

And by the way... Go Black Knights Go FOP Eagles!

Loveprints Scholarship announcement!

Osbourn High School in Manassas, Virginia announced on May 17, 2017  The Derrick Pearson Scholarship, to the minority senior who best displays how they currently or will apply the qualities of leadership and spread a positive image in society. As the founder of LovePrints, this is an honor beyond wishes. As the person who has been deemed worthy of a scholarship in their name, I am humbled.

What I would like to do is expand on this idea. I would like to announce that LovePrints would like to create another scholarship (or a few) at different schools around the country, with the same ideals of leadership, positive impact on school, church, and/or community, and a desire to make an positive impact on those around them.

http://loveprints.us/

LovePrints will direct proceeds of all merchandise sales from www.loveprints.us, from today until June 30, 2017. There are several items to choose from, and it will allow additional students and schools to get assistance with their college education.

Each item will also help in covering our communities in LovePrints, with a reminder of the good we can do when our hearts and hands work together.

https://estore.acreativeresource.com/loveprintsstore/default.aspx?p=viewcat&showpage=2

If you want to simply donate to the scholarship without purchasing any items, please let me know directly at coachdp@loveprints.us.

Thank you Osbourn High School, and M. Magerkorth, for your kindness, consideration, and LovePrints.

Love in action. Action in love.

Cover the world in love.