What's Next and General Frustrations

Hello loyal readers,

I am currently staring at my work login attempting to understand why my credentials work for my email, and yet do not work for internal training.  And since it's a glorious Sunday, I won't get much help till tomorrow.  I've never been employed at a place that has two logins, and it's rather frustrating that there isn't a clear delineation on which you need:  Email, or ID - when attempting to login on certain sites.  

Irritation.  But it is beautiful outside.  The next week looks to be getting into the upper 80's which is both nice, but a little sad.  We've been spoiled this summer with cooler temps which has made working out outdoors a pleasure.  Higher temps will require an earlier morning workout, and a later evening workout.  

With all that being said, what's next?

That is the question that seems to always be on the lips of my friends:  Where are you heading next?

I have not ruled out returning to my current program.  I'm supported here, and I have a role, and I feel that I am able to make a difference, and that I bring value to, and am valued by the program along with the support staff and administration.  This is key to any job.

A coaching friend once outlined the trifecta of leaving a job:  Overworked, under appreciated, underpaid.  Once you reach two of those, it's time to go.  

I feel none of those, though I believe we all wish we could be paid more.  

With the current Covid-19 environment taking a toll on collegiate athletics and programs shutting down - Stanford men's and lightweight women's rowing, Dartmouth lightweight men, UConn women, and some others - it's a time of uncertainty as we look into the fall of 2020 and wonder what comes next.  

Personally, I am bitterly disappointed in Stanford's decision to cut both of those storied, historically significant programs.  The men have a litany of athletes who've been successful while at the university as well as representing well on the world stage at the U23 and Senior level.  The lightweight women are on another planet in terms of success.  Coach Bertko has elevated an already successful program to another level and is dominating the IRA scene as well as tackling open weight crews with regular success.  To watch both programs be shuttered is heartbreaking.  

I am not privy to the decisions behind the scene but I found the reasoning behind it hollow.  And of course I recognize my bias as both a Stanford fan, and having a friend who works with the men's program and knowing athletes who've represented the Cardinal well.  

Tough times call for tough decisions, but I hope this is reversed at some point.  

As for myself, I am at a bit of a crossroads.  A year ago I was on a recruiting trip and visited with a coach friend who'd recently left arguably the most successful programs in the country and taken a job with a junior program as a director and head coach.  We chatted about this decision while I observed the practice, and his reasoning for going to juniors has left a profound impact on my own decisions regarding my career.  

My entire professional career has been building to reach the Division One level as an assistant, and to one day be a D1 head coach.  I feel that I am capable of running a program successfully, and simply need to get my foot further through the door, moving up to top assistant.  With that being said, my friend did point out something that I'd not considered before, but was experiencing daily.  

At the collegiate level, especially at the level we were both at, success is defined by conference and national championship placing.  A good season sees you do well at nationals, and a poor season is one where either you do not do well, or you do not make it.  That's a generalization of D1 rowing, and perhaps a bit unfair to use a blanket statement, but in my experience, that is the world.  It's all about the next year, and seeing that we were already working on future classes gave me a moment of pause.

I love working at the D1 level.  It's fun, it's challenging, and it's a heady experience when you're rubbing shoulders with excellent programs and coaches at regattas.  

But it is also a grind, and it challenges you as a coach.  

I love the program I am at, but I am feeling some changes in my approach and general coaching philosophy that I'm not entirely certain of.  That push to be successful at regattas is understandable, but it can become a black and white world.  

My friend told me that as much as he respected the coaches and the program he was at, he wanted to move to a level where competitive results were important, but that success could be measured in more ways than simply how and where the season finished.  He wanted to get back to teaching and development where he felt that he could impact the lives of his athletes beyond the 2.5 hours of practice.  

While I 100 percent believe the best collegiate coaches do this, I could understand where he was coming from, and it's been a thought or thoughts that have been buzzing around the back of my mind for a bit over a year now.  

I cut my teeth coaching juniors, and when I think about when I had the most fun coaching, juniors rise to the very top of that list.  I love the collegiate athletics world, but I do miss the junior world.  I think the pressure to do well is similar to what you find at the collegiate level, perhaps with a bit less intensity, but still existing.  Whether it is external or internal, the pressure to build solid crews is there.  Recruiting is there.  Development is paramount because you have what you have and that's it.  There's simply something refreshing to me about junior coaching.  

So this summer I have applied to both collegiate and junior programs, and quite frankly, I am not sure which I'd prefer more.  I do believe I am leaning toward juniors, and I've been more motivated by the junior programs that I see searching for help.  

I do not intend to leave collegiate coaching for good, and I would like to follow my goal or dream of being a D1 coach.  But for now, I believe I need a bit of a recharge, and a way to get back in touch with the coach I would like to be.  

We will see what happens next.  As much as I enjoy the program I am at, the head coach, and administration, I do feel the itch to stretch out and embrace the challenge of being a junior coach again.

Stay safe out there.