Short term/Long term
There's an interesting start to a debate on the rowing boards about what path a young coach might consider going down: D1 volunteer or HS.
There's much to consider with opinions bound to vary greatly. And while I'm fairly certain I've written about this before, I'm also too lazy to search for the exact post. This is what happens when you prefer "clever" post titles over relevant ones.
Let's assume that I have not expressed my opinion on this matter, and start fresh. And I will begin with this excellent quote from the spoken word song "Everyone is Free to Wear Sunscreen," by Baz Luhrman.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it
A long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists
Whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
Than my own meandering experience, I will dispense this advice now...
First, understand that your path is your own. Seek out advice but do not try and live vicariously through the advice of others. What they chose to do led them to where they are. But, as with trying to copy/paste a training plan and hoping to end with the same results, you're not going to be privy to the decisions they made in order to reach the place they are currently at. What you see are the markers along the way, but you do not see the road map. You don't see the pitfalls and sidetracks they made while reaching the destination.
Seek wisdom, but find your own experience.
I knew that I wanted to coach when I was coming out of college, and while I tried to make a go of the standard office work - I worked for an engineering firm for a couple of months - I wasn't ready to walk away. I'd spent the spring of my senior year in the office of my new head coach, picking her brain over what path I should take when it came to starting down this road. I wasn't sure how long I planned on coaching, but I knew that I had ideas I wanted to try, and I had questions I wanted answered.
The first piece of advice I received was that I needed to stick with the path that led directly toward my end goal which meant if I wanted to coach collegiately, then I had to avoid junior programs. College coaches would not look upon junior coaches with any level of respect.
I promptly applied for as many college programs as I possibly could. Looking back now, I can't help but laugh at how ambitious and clueless I was. I knew coming from a small DIII program wouldn't carry much weight, but applying to schools such as Wisconsin, Dartmouth, Princeton, and UCLA was outrageous.
Ultimately I was offered four jobs, and took the junior program against the advice of my head coach. And the rest they say is history. If you look on my blog, then you'll see the steps I've taken.
I can think of many different cliched things to say, but ultimately I believe that where you go and how far you go is a direct result of how much investment you put in.
So the question on choosing D1 volunteer or juniors simply comes down to how hard are you willing to work? A follow up would be whether or not you see value in gaining experience or only in money.
I chose to pursue the jobs that I felt paid in experience vs. money, and while those choices have made times difficult - I've learned that a dollar can stretch much further than you believe, but not as far as you'd like - I also know that where I currently sit would not be available had I chosen a different path. I'm currently in my third year as a D1 coach in the toughest, most competitive conference in the country, bar none. I have had to make some difficult decisions and tighten the belt, but I have also gained a considerable amount of experience in helping run a D1 program. Recruiting, logistics, administration, culture shift, etc. are all things that I have either brushed up on or gained experience in. I have been able to connect with coaches at other D1 programs because of the time I've spent with this program. Of course money would be nice, and I am rapidly reaching the point where I will need to move on. But what I've gained here, to me, is easily more valuable than a dollar amount I would have received coaching juniors or a smaller collegiate program.
Make your choices, own your choices. Have a long term plan, know where you want to go, and find out who you are.
There's much to consider with opinions bound to vary greatly. And while I'm fairly certain I've written about this before, I'm also too lazy to search for the exact post. This is what happens when you prefer "clever" post titles over relevant ones.
Let's assume that I have not expressed my opinion on this matter, and start fresh. And I will begin with this excellent quote from the spoken word song "Everyone is Free to Wear Sunscreen," by Baz Luhrman.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it
A long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists
Whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
Than my own meandering experience, I will dispense this advice now...
First, understand that your path is your own. Seek out advice but do not try and live vicariously through the advice of others. What they chose to do led them to where they are. But, as with trying to copy/paste a training plan and hoping to end with the same results, you're not going to be privy to the decisions they made in order to reach the place they are currently at. What you see are the markers along the way, but you do not see the road map. You don't see the pitfalls and sidetracks they made while reaching the destination.
Seek wisdom, but find your own experience.
I knew that I wanted to coach when I was coming out of college, and while I tried to make a go of the standard office work - I worked for an engineering firm for a couple of months - I wasn't ready to walk away. I'd spent the spring of my senior year in the office of my new head coach, picking her brain over what path I should take when it came to starting down this road. I wasn't sure how long I planned on coaching, but I knew that I had ideas I wanted to try, and I had questions I wanted answered.
The first piece of advice I received was that I needed to stick with the path that led directly toward my end goal which meant if I wanted to coach collegiately, then I had to avoid junior programs. College coaches would not look upon junior coaches with any level of respect.
I promptly applied for as many college programs as I possibly could. Looking back now, I can't help but laugh at how ambitious and clueless I was. I knew coming from a small DIII program wouldn't carry much weight, but applying to schools such as Wisconsin, Dartmouth, Princeton, and UCLA was outrageous.
Ultimately I was offered four jobs, and took the junior program against the advice of my head coach. And the rest they say is history. If you look on my blog, then you'll see the steps I've taken.
I can think of many different cliched things to say, but ultimately I believe that where you go and how far you go is a direct result of how much investment you put in.
So the question on choosing D1 volunteer or juniors simply comes down to how hard are you willing to work? A follow up would be whether or not you see value in gaining experience or only in money.
I chose to pursue the jobs that I felt paid in experience vs. money, and while those choices have made times difficult - I've learned that a dollar can stretch much further than you believe, but not as far as you'd like - I also know that where I currently sit would not be available had I chosen a different path. I'm currently in my third year as a D1 coach in the toughest, most competitive conference in the country, bar none. I have had to make some difficult decisions and tighten the belt, but I have also gained a considerable amount of experience in helping run a D1 program. Recruiting, logistics, administration, culture shift, etc. are all things that I have either brushed up on or gained experience in. I have been able to connect with coaches at other D1 programs because of the time I've spent with this program. Of course money would be nice, and I am rapidly reaching the point where I will need to move on. But what I've gained here, to me, is easily more valuable than a dollar amount I would have received coaching juniors or a smaller collegiate program.
Make your choices, own your choices. Have a long term plan, know where you want to go, and find out who you are.
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