Part 2: The Plan Revealed (Partially)

We walked up to the doors of the arena - lo and behold they were locked, this is when the skies decided to REALLY open up.

I am thinking to myself at this point, what did I get myself into? I am going to be spending the week redesigning and rewriting my drills and off-ice packages. I look at my watch and looked closer - these damn contact lenses, since the last prescription and degradation of the eyesight in my left eye - I have to look at things VERY closely.

I guess it's also the fact that I couldn't believe that the arena doors are locked an hour before ice time.

Didn't they know I was coming - Mr. Bethereanhourbefore? (sound it out). My mind racing with a secondary plan, in case we didn't even get in to be on the ice for the time mentioned on the agenda. What, where, when and HOW?

Suddenly before my eyes, the arena attendant appeared and set about unlocking the doors. I exhaled good thing I am chewing gum as the breakfast is starting to repeat on me.

Let me tell you the mark of a good coach is their ability to act like all is calm when the world is going mad around you. If you freak - they will freak and then there be a whole LOT of freakin' goin' on! I have somewhat mastered this although I am told I still wear my heart on my sleeve and I do not have a good poker face.

If I am upset, people around me know it - I am just trying to keep it together as the camp is not even an hour old.

The doors open and the girls let loose a giddy war cry, that's my team - not the most subtle by any stretch of the imagination. To put it mildly, we would not be the best at hide and seek if you had to be quiet. In fact, we would really suck. Thank god we have some talent.

We are escorted to a darkened arena (not used to this... a dark arena during the day) and shown where we will get ready - pretty much for the rest of the week. I am given a tour of the facility and it is really first class, I am impressed, relieved and feeling a bit better.

We also have access to a room to air out (HA!) the player's equipment between skates. This is all coming together quite nicely.

I notice out of the corner of my eye that the girls are getting a case of the jumpy-jiggles (an affliction peculiar but not uncommon to any girls team under the AA level) and I know I have to get them busy as quickly as possible.

I take them to the room and with the staff present, proceed to try and verbally describe the new warm-up exercises. These girls are probably still bitter about being up early and at an arena - so they decide to play dumb and tell me they don't understand. I have a standing rule NOT to demonstrate anything that has to do with fitness for fear of failure and humiliation.

They are adamant they do not understand - could it be that I am not being clear enough and not presenting the material properly? IMPOSSIBLE! I am COACH hear me ROAR! A roar which will quickly turn to a whimper, if I twist my knee or turn my back the wrong way. A roll of the dice and a hearty hi-yo silver - I decide to dive in as even Lorne and Marvin are smirking waiting for me to demonstrate. Gentlemen, it is a long season and I have so MANY ways to get even...

The first position - not bad - go slowly cowboy - that's it now STOP! They get the idea and perform the move. It's not perfect but, that's why we are here - to learn, not to watch the coach split his pants or worse.

The second position - even more slowly - thank god we are the first rental of the day and the floor is dry. Lots of traction - I suddenly panic and try and remember if traction is good or is it bad and could I hook a tootsie and crumple. No matter, I man up and soldier on. I mean after all I am here to set an example - with any luck we won't have an example of how our emergency procedures work (for the Coach) on the first day.

I am now flying (for me) through the exercises, I remember thanking my lucky stars that this was not going to be captured for posterity - because I could just see this being spliced into the year-end video. Not pretty - I mean just look at me people - I am no Barishnykov (for the younger players - look it up) I'm OK on skates but not the most flexible and things tend to "pop" into place - even when I descend the stairs.

I think the worst is over until I see the fourth routine. Stand on one foot and with your foot in your hands bring the heel up to your navel. The potential for disaster is so thick in the room - the players seem to be waiting for me to screw up so they can humiliate me.

IN YOUR FACES!!! TOTAL FACIAL!!! I quietly complete the exercises and I never let on how absolutely terrified I was.

Truth be told, the team and I have a mutual understanding - if I fall - they laugh - if they fall - I taunt and howl. It's healthy and allows us to learn laugh at ourselves, a very important quality to have in this sport because comedy is around every corner.

One of the messages that needs to get across loudly this week is simply - in cases of ridicule or chances to taunt a teammate - it is better to say nothing and support with silence. In most cases the players know they have fouled up, and no matter how funny it may seem - sometimes it just isn't.

It can do more harm than good. A sign of trust and respect between teammates is to recognize when these scenarios are present. Everyone likes a good laugh that can be shared with all, if not shared it can hurt and damage a player's self esteem. The rule of thumb we must adhere to when dealing with a teammate is, do no harm - support and trust each other for the common goal.

However there are double standards in all sports and it seems to NOT be the same set of rules when it comes to a Coach falling, catching and edge and wiping out, or god forbid taking a deflected shot in the cubes. That's cool - remember - I hold the whistle and thereby I should have the last laugh. Sometimes this even holds true.

With the demonstration out of the way and me getting my breath back, we exit the room to do sprints and other warm-up exercises.

As they head in to the room - thinking I won't follow them - I tell them we are not finished yet. They look at me in disbelief and as if I had betrayed them in some way. I must admit, I always find that open mouthed-slack jawed response to work absolutely hilarious. It actually feeds my desire to make them do more. Fighting the urge to pile it on, I hold back and realize that this is just the first day and to not overdo it but, it never hurts to push a few buttons - does it?

I outline the routine they will be following - remember this is new to everyone here - and do my best to pace it off, as usual I err on the side of caution and add a couple of meters to the distance. This is the first step in the overall fitness and recovery plan laid out in the program and we need to follow this to the letter this week, although to shake things up and keep them off balance - I will modify things a bit with some stuff that is tried and true.

After a short jogging and quick foot exercise they are allowed to escape to the room.

The people in the room this year will make a difference - they have been carefully identified and this week will either solidify those decisions or force me to look in another direction.

This is the biggest difference I have found about coaching girls hockey as opposed to the male game. When I coached boys, I could sit and mingle with the guys before a practice and games, this gave me a unique insight into the kind of player I was dealing with. When the kids are away from their parents, aside from a few varying factors, the masks really come off and the player is seen as who they really are. No fronts, no posing or pretending - just a group of friends together playing a sport for no other reason than for the sheer love of the game.

With girls and now young women, I do not have that luxury and I think I miss some of the innocence and openness that can come from the dressing room dynamic. The bottom line is - you have to trust who you put in charge and the team has to understand that anything passing through them comes directly from the top and should be taken seriously.

This I think, sometimes gets misunderstood and in my past experience, any problems or miscommunication needs to be dealt with quickly and directly. This is where we faltered last season and I take full responsibility for this and vow to be open, direct and to the point so there are no misunderstandings this year.

We will begin a process of problem solving and conflict resolution this season that will involve the entire team, not just the chosen few. The entire team will be involved in bringing the problem forward, analyzing it and putting a solution into place. Through mutual and equal participation - the team will address and put into action, the solutions to many internal issues that can crop up during the season. If no resolution can be found internally, it will be brought to the staff and as a group we will find closure.

If we didn't have to learn something or grow as people each year then we are doing a disservice to the players, parents and anyone else involved with the team. I am basing this year on being more proactive than reactive - much like the game plan - "act don't react."

Part 3 - The On-Ice Experience to follow