Losing a coach is difficult--losing one just 14 days before the start of your season is even tougher. But the Yorktown Tigers are responding to the sudden resignation of head coach Brad Grieshop with a steely resolve to control their own destiny.The YHS Lady Tigers gathered for a hastily called
"swimmers only" pizza dinner and team meeting Monday night, just hours after learning they'll be going through another coaching change. They shed tears, talked about their goals for this year, and decided to make the best of a bad situation.
The girls are focusing on keeping their routine intact as longtime volunteer assistant coach Frank Mattingly prepares to guide the team through the early part of the season. They're already scheduling weekly team building activities to keep their bond strong. Nobody forced them to do any of this. They're doing it on their own, because they care about their school, their team, and each other. They're taking ownership of the one thing they can control at this point--how they move forward from here.
As the above photo illustrates, every team is a sum of its parts. And the most important part is the athletes. Coaches write the workouts, take the splits, and shout the instructions. But the swimmers determine the outcome of any contest. And these girls will determine for themselves whether losing a coach two weeks before the start of practice ruins their season, or makes them an even more formidable force to be reckoned with in the months to come.
Knowing these girls the way I do, I'm betting that they'll lock arms, compete for one other, and lead the Lady Tigers to an outstanding 2010-11 season.
GO TIGERS!
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