Today's post is written by Associate Head Coach Ronda Hubbard:
Well, I am sure many of you have been waiting to hear what that “short little coach” would have to say… So, Here I am. Ready to tell all. First of all, the office around here is buzzing. The eight players that were here this summer are winding up summer school and ready to go home. I guess they have had some great workouts …. I’ve seen them really sweaty, a couple of times. :)
July recruiting has wound up and the final touches are going on for Southernfest ‘09. Kudos to Coach Mitts and her part in it. She has really stepped up to contribute to the success of the event. It really is going to be an incredible evening at the Downstream. I hope to see everyone there!
I have spent a lot of time with former players this summer. I must say, after 20 years of coaching, it is quite rewarding to hang out with these successful young women and their families. I learned so much and was actually “thanked” a lot. Some of these women are physical therapists, physician assistants, radiologist, LOTS of coaches (Did you know 26 of our staff’s former players are coaches?), Real Estate agents, Personal Trainers, Business Owners, Teachers, Pharmaceutical Sales Reps, Life Coaches, and trust me…. The list goes on and on…….. including wives and mommies! :)
This time with former players made me start thinking about my own former coaches. My high school coach, Sue Schuble and my college coach, Cheryl Burnett. Both influenced my own coaching style greatly. I am a conglomerate of the two. My love of the game and humor came from Schub (Did you know she is 3rd all time in the state of Missouri for most wins by a Head Coach?!?!). My love of the STRATEGIC/PREPARATION and disciplined approach came from Coach Burnett. (Did anyone notice what I “call” them?) One was personal and one was very professional. It took me a long time, but with the help of Myosha Barnes last year…… I finally let the players call me Coach Hub. Don’t know why it took me so long…… I like it. And I will admit… Yoshy TRIED to call me Hub-a-dub-dub. That one, I just couldn’t let stick. :)
So, as we enter August and prepare for the school year to start I am heavily thinking about the “message” we need to send our brand new team. It’s always about working hard and playing great defense. It’s about being great PEOPLE and giving our best effort. It’s SUCH A CHALLENGE to get new players to understand how DIFFICULT the MIAA is……. But here is where I am today. TALENT is NEVER going to be ENOUGH. For those of you who know me. I’m a reader. I read a lot and read everything John Maxwell has ever written. Last year, we did our Leadership from the book The OZ Principle, which was recommended to us by former Lion, Katie Deen. If you haven’t read it. DO. It is an incredible book. This year, I twisted our staff’s arms to go with Talent is Never Enough by John Maxwell. So, if you want to read what the Lions will be reading and knowing all the “scoop” we will be telling them in our Leadership meetings this year…. Go get the book and follow along with us! I will certainly update you along the way on what we are learning!
Until next time….. It’s a GREAT day to be a LION!
Ronda Hubbard
Associate Head Coach
