Chemistry

Some want to play to help them lose weight. Some want to play because that's what they've done the last 3 summers. Some play to get away from their kids for a few hours. Some play just to get some fresh air.

I play to be a student of the game, absorbing the Life lessons sport has to teach. I play to compete. I play to breathe... because sport is my oxygen. Intense? Heck yeah. No apologies here though. There are enough people sleep-walking through life. Count me out.

Half the crew is out for a jog. Half the crew is out to compete. Should I stay with the team and hope that attrition strips away the irritated few who didn't sign up to push themselves? Or should I walk away, as promised? Two games left in the regular season... stay tuned true believers.

Fail to plan = plan to FAIL

As I watch a young soccer team play, I've often wondered "What does their coach's lesson plan for the SEASON look like and how are they executing it in this game?" You never know how much, or how little, planning goes into a team effort / leadership.

In the Titans' case, very little planning at the Season Big Picture level has been done. And it shows. We fall apart when the unexpected happens-- like last game. We didn't think we'd be short-handed for half a game. Mentally, we were thrown off our understanding of typical formations. Emotionally, we were shaken. Perhaps if we'd had SEASON GOALS or even goals for THAT GAME to focus on we could've pulled ourselves together and functioned more cohesively as a unit. Instead we were blown out 54-0. We managed to lift our spirits at half time but that's about all we could salvage.

Plan.