Football – Welcome To Florida (WTF)

By: Greg Winkler

Published: Soccer Journal April 2024

A coaching colleague pulled his car up to the practice field after a tough day of teaching. We share our field for after-school practices. My team is loosening up, and I watch as he walks across the field to where his girls are starting to prepare for the afternoon session. There is a scowl on his face, and I feel and I see no joy coming from him. I observed this same behavior three more days in a row. I am concerned. He is a 1st-year varsity coach, and I have been his mentor as he navigates his first season at the helm.

Finally, on the fifth day, I stopped and hugged him. I ask him what is causing this negative aura around him. He should be joyful and excited; he has a great group of young women to work with, and that alone should make him smile. He explains that the burdens of teaching, the overcrowded classes, and the behaviors that he deals with daily suck the life out of him.

I tell him to remember out here on the pitch, we love him. His girls love him, and he needs to mirror that love by bringing out his best. We hug again, and he heads to the team with a lighter gait.

We talked later that evening, and I empathized with his struggle. I taught for 24 years in a large high school with unreasonable expectations and often micromanaging supervisors. My current position is at a small public charter school, and it’s like teaching heaven. I know what his day is like. My advice to him was to treat the opportunity to coach and the ability to come to the field every day as his sanctuary.

It is OK to be grumpy as you leave the school and get in your vehicle to drive to the fields, but once you shut that car door and step on the field, leave the baggage at the gate. Leave all that negativity and anger at the gate or in your car. These players want to be here; they love you as their coach, and they deserve nothing but your best. He said he never thought about it like that and did some mid-season reflection.

In the following weeks, I saw a new coach coming on the field for practice. Most days, we shared a smile and a hug on his way to his session. A transformation had taken place.

He told me that my advice about the field being his sanctuary changed his perception and the way he coached. He called me his Yoda, and I was happy to see this young Jedi feel the force.

I have shared that advice with my high school players for three decades. When I coach the little kickers, those elementary-aged players are always excited and happy to get to the fields. The joy that comes from them makes everyone around them smile. As they hit middle and high school, some players bring an invisible backpack of worry as they practice. They are moody, play angry, or sulk through the entire practice.

Those players always get extra “coach” time at the end of practice. Sometimes, they share the issue causing the excess weight that day, and sometimes, they don’t. We discuss what they must do with that “backpack” of burden. We talk about the sanctuary of the pitch. Once they cross that white line of the field or walk into the park, they will leave that backpack there. Nothing that will negatively affect their play is allowed on the field.

They are young men and women; they are struggling with life. These moments will return, and reminders may be needed. If they play for me, they learn the lesson that we keep our troubles away from the team. There can be a time and place for those conversations; some are above my pay grade. We can provide help for those as well.

The soccer solution can become a life solution. When things go sideways in my personal life, even with as many trips around the sun as I have made, those issues do not affect my classroom or practice sessions. A coach I had as a youth provided me with that strategy, and hopefully, I can continue to pass that on.

The field is your sanctuary; nothing should take that JOY away from you or your team.

Keep on Kick’in

Greg has been coaching club and/or high school soccer since 1984. He has authored, “The Transformational Coach” and “Coaching a Season of Significance.”

By: Greg Winkler

I have been a Green Bay Packer fan for as long as I can remember. I was six years old when the Packers beat the Chiefs in the 1st Super Bowl. I have vivid memories of the helmets of the Packers and the Chiefs on little cars driving around the field. I suffered through Dan Devine, saw my hero Bart Starr struggle as the head coach, and supported the team through the horrible ’80s.

I know you are doing the math, and I am no longer the spring chicken I once was, but I have learned to cherish every team and not give up on these men playing a boys’ game a lot longer than I was able to.

This summer, I followed the Rodgers drama to understand that much of the chatter was media-driven, so they had something to talk about. At no time did I believe he would not be on the sidelines. I am in the camp that wants Aaron to be a Packer as long as he wants to play. I didn’t want to see Brett Favre leave. I don’t want to see Aaron in another uniform – ever! But let’s get to the game in question.

As I scroll through social media, I see many fans and so-called Packer supporters bailing on the Pack. I read posts by fans believing this is a Rodgers conspiracy theory or talking about his demise as a player. For your sanity, ignore all of the noise. Did they look bad? Yes! They did. Did they look uninspired, unprepared, not ready for the season? Yes! They did.

Let’s go back to the preseason. The Packers did not dress 36 players in the final two games. Maybe Coach LaFleur needs to reevaluate how he handles preseason. The team was not ready for live-action. The offensive and defensive lines were not the fronts we were led to believe they would be. There was no sense of urgency on the sidelines, and it did not appear that anyone really cared?

I live in Florida now; I have been to an early-season game in Jacksonville. It is horrible! The Saints live in this weather. As a life-long Wisconsinite, we do not. The humidity is oppressive until you learn to live in it. That is not an excuse for the lackluster performance, just another reason not to be concerned.

The players all admitted they played poorly. Coach LaFleur admitted he did not have them ready; believe me, it happens. Coaches and players are not perfect. In this case, it was a combination of not playing in the preseason and, more importantly, believing your press clippings.

The Packers were favored by 4 ½ points, Rodgers would tear up the secondary, many (like myself) thought this would be a 400 yard plus game for our MVP QB, and the game would not be close. The Saints read the same articles; they were motivated, their coaches pressed the right buttons.

Am I concerned? Absolutely! We have a new defensive coordinator, and we saw nothing different than we have seen in the past. Where was the fire? I watched part of the Steeler game, and their defense was relentless – we were not. While starting two rookies, our offensive line is supposed to be one of the best in the NFL, yet we could not run the ball, and Aaron had no time to work his magic.

I am confident we will see a “different” Green Bay Packer team on Monday Night. There is no “Rodgers Conspiracy,” and we are on our way to enjoying another exciting Packer season.

Let’s all remember that this is a game. Yes, we are invested emotionally, but a Packer win or loss is not life and death.

We may have too many brats or one too many Spotted Cows, feel guilty for all of the calories we consume; however, life doesn’t change because of a Packer win or loss. Enjoy the games and enjoy the friends and family that you can spend the time with. Everything will be alright – the Ship is not sinking.

Check out my leadership books, “The Transformational Coach” and “Coaching A Season of Significance”, and for fun – “Welcome to Florida – WTF”