The next generation
I discovered today that this season I have become a mentor and I've spent the last couple of hours thinking on this. Today while at practice this former rower who has been assisting me throughout the season came up to me and told me rather excitedly that she had taken my advice and gone out and purchased a notebook that she would now carry with her. When I asked her what it was for she told me it was so she could write down anything and everything that came to mind.
We spent the next twenty minutes discussing season training plans, weekly training plans, etc. I gave her a run down on how I started - and something that she should avoid doing - and then tried to explain to her that a lot of what I know I've learned through experience and trial and error. She explained that a lot of the times when we would be chasing my boats on the water, she would think that the technique was good until I would stop the boats and point out several smaller technical issues that she had missed. I told her that it was experience speaking and that given time she would be able to do the same.
What this brought up in me though was this idea of being a mentor to someone. I don't feel that I'm ready to be a mentor considering that there are so many things that I still feel as though I've yet to learn. One of the reasons I'm considering looking for a new job and program this summer is because I feel that I am at the end of my knowledge and that in the last two years - last year and this - I've run into problems or technical issues that I simply do not know how to iron out. Some of it has to do with rowing, some has to do with training, some has to do with handling troublesome issues. Regardless of the reason I feel as though I would be best served if I went back to being an assistant coach thus putting my ego in check and going back to school. I know that some of my friends view this as a lack of confidence in my own abilities but I view it as necessary and 100% confidence. I understand that I am lacking in many areas and the best way to fill those gaps isn't by pretending that they don't exist but instead admitting my short comings as a coach and searching out the answers.
Today as I tried to give solid advice and answers to the questions being asked, I kept this firmly in the back of my mind. To my unofficial assistant coach, I'm the person that I am looking for. I am the knowledgeable one and the person who can fall back on experience. It's a humbling and rewarding experience and one that I hope to be participating in soon.
We spent the next twenty minutes discussing season training plans, weekly training plans, etc. I gave her a run down on how I started - and something that she should avoid doing - and then tried to explain to her that a lot of what I know I've learned through experience and trial and error. She explained that a lot of the times when we would be chasing my boats on the water, she would think that the technique was good until I would stop the boats and point out several smaller technical issues that she had missed. I told her that it was experience speaking and that given time she would be able to do the same.
What this brought up in me though was this idea of being a mentor to someone. I don't feel that I'm ready to be a mentor considering that there are so many things that I still feel as though I've yet to learn. One of the reasons I'm considering looking for a new job and program this summer is because I feel that I am at the end of my knowledge and that in the last two years - last year and this - I've run into problems or technical issues that I simply do not know how to iron out. Some of it has to do with rowing, some has to do with training, some has to do with handling troublesome issues. Regardless of the reason I feel as though I would be best served if I went back to being an assistant coach thus putting my ego in check and going back to school. I know that some of my friends view this as a lack of confidence in my own abilities but I view it as necessary and 100% confidence. I understand that I am lacking in many areas and the best way to fill those gaps isn't by pretending that they don't exist but instead admitting my short comings as a coach and searching out the answers.
Today as I tried to give solid advice and answers to the questions being asked, I kept this firmly in the back of my mind. To my unofficial assistant coach, I'm the person that I am looking for. I am the knowledgeable one and the person who can fall back on experience. It's a humbling and rewarding experience and one that I hope to be participating in soon.
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