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Post by dubber on Oct 4, 2017 8:54:23 GMT -6
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Post by gccwolverine on Oct 4, 2017 9:06:07 GMT -6
Single. But to me that doesn't matter. The family man banker or accountant or construction worker doesn't get to say well I'm going to be less invested in my job and do less. And I'm not talking about just hanging around the locker room as some posters have alluded too {censored} I don't like just sitting around for sitting around's sake. Fine get in get your stuff done get out go home but don't tell me you're watching less film and caring less or putting less into it. Frustration probably comes from working with guys in the past who never has their {censored} broken down or broken down correctly, or aren't on the same page with the rest of the staff or are coaching kids in different language and terminology or are just genuinely spending the bare minimum amount of time doing their jobs because well "family"
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Post by CS on Oct 4, 2017 9:19:15 GMT -6
Single. But to me that doesn't matter. The family man banker or accountant or construction worker doesn't get to say well I'm going to be less invested in my job and do less. And I'm not talking about just hanging around the locker room as some posters have alluded too {censored} I don't like just sitting around for sitting around's sake. Fine get in get your stuff done get out go home but don't tell me you're watching less film and caring less or putting less into it. Frustration probably comes from working with guys in the past who never has their {censored} broken down or broken down correctly, or aren't on the same page with the rest of the staff or are coaching kids in different language and terminology or are just genuinely spending the bare minimum amount of time doing their jobs because well "family" Those are just $hitty coaches. If it wasn't their family it would be another excuse
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Post by Coach Vint on Oct 4, 2017 9:34:29 GMT -6
I stepped away for two years after the 2008 season as I got a job with a Wall Street firm. The money was good and I was good at it. However, I missed football tremendously. When we were bought by another wirehouse and the culture changed, I made a move to get back into coaching. I had moved to Texas and didn't have many connections and couldn't find a coaching job. In 2010 I got hired to teach and not coach. After school I went and watched several schools practice. It was a great experience to see how other people did things. In the spring the head coach was fired and the new coach hired me. The time away was good in the fact that I saw what other schools did. Being out of education altogether was eye opening in that I saw how the other half lives. I still put in long hours in investment banking as there is nothing you can be good at without putting in the time. The difference was that I had more flexibility. If you are going to be good at anything you have to work. If you are going to be average you will find a way not to work. I don't think there is anything out there where you work little and make a lot.
This is my 7th year in Texas and 17th overall. I have coached where football matters and where it is an afterthought. It is always what you make it. Until I got married a few years ago I was a single coach. Three years ago my daughter was born. I still work long hours, but I have made some adjustments to balance teaching, coaching, and family. When my wife and daughter go to bed I watch practice and prepare for meetings the next day. I make sure I get home as soon as possible when practice and additional duties are done. When I was single I would stay at the office "hanging out" a lot more than I do now. If I am in the office I am working. If I am at home I am a dad and husband until my wife and daughter go to bed. Then I work for an hour.
The hardest part of coaching is balancing family and football. A hall of fame head coach told me a few years ago that he regrets missing so much of his kids' childhood. He told me with technology today there can be balance without cheating the program and your family. He told me he has huge regrets of how he handled things when he was coaching. I work with a staff where we support each other when it comes to our kids. If a kid has something that parents should attend we work together to try to work it out. One thing we do is allow our kids to be around. We want our players to see us with our families. I will not sacrifice our program, and I will not cheat my family to the extent possible. It is not easy and there is stress. You have to find what works best for you, your family, and your program.
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Post by rosey65 on Oct 4, 2017 9:35:07 GMT -6
Single. But to me that doesn't matter. The family man banker or accountant or construction worker doesn't get to say well I'm going to be less invested in my job and do less. And I'm not talking about just hanging around the locker room as some posters have alluded too {censored} I don't like just sitting around for sitting around's sake. Fine get in get your stuff done get out go home but don't tell me you're watching less film and caring less or putting less into it. Frustration probably comes from working with guys in the past who never has their {censored} broken down or broken down correctly, or aren't on the same page with the rest of the staff or are coaching kids in different language and terminology or are just genuinely spending the bare minimum amount of time doing their jobs because well "family" We've had those guys on staff, and they never make it. There is more balancing and prioritizing the more people join your life, and there are only so many hours in the day. And sometimes, the needs of those "other people" happen to supersede whatever you are doing in practice. This isnt a matter of deciding to slack off towards football, which you and I have both witnessed, but simply a matter of priorities. When you have a family, you get to decide how you prioritize your life! Every coach, banker, accountant and construction worker makes that same decision. Your players parents make that same decision. There is no absolute correct decision here, you get to choose whatever you feel is best. For better or worse, that decision also directly impacts your family. You get to see the results of this decision on your athletes now! Delve into the home lives of your kids, if you dont already, and see how their home life is impacting them. Myself, growing up without a stable father figure, has led me to make sure I am that stable figure at home. That is the decision I have made for myself and my family. I used to be a more stable figure for my players, but less now since I have kids of my own. My players also know that. I dont have the same relationship with my players that I used to, but it isn't any LESS of a relationship. As I talked about in previous posts, my players are seeing and understanding the strain of parents of young children, and are seeing grown men balance their lives to care for children. 5 of my 9 OL dont live with or even see their dad, and dont know if/how a man can care for a child. Now, when I'm kept up at night, it isn't because of a missed down block or a bad pass set. Those things are taken care of in practice and on the sidelines, and they are gone from my head once I leave the field. Not because im saying "f**k these kids and their team," but because I have more pressing issues at hand.
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Post by coachcb on Oct 4, 2017 11:03:06 GMT -6
Single. But to me that doesn't matter. The family man banker or accountant or construction worker doesn't get to say well I'm going to be less invested in my job and do less. And I'm not talking about just hanging around the locker room as some posters have alluded too {censored} I don't like just sitting around for sitting around's sake. Fine get in get your stuff done get out go home but don't tell me you're watching less film and caring less or putting less into it. Frustration probably comes from working with guys in the past who never has their {censored} broken down or broken down correctly, or aren't on the same page with the rest of the staff or are coaching kids in different language and terminology or are just genuinely spending the bare minimum amount of time doing their jobs because well "family" Those are just poor coaches, plain and simple. When I was married, I recognized that I wouldn't be able to strike a balance between taking care of my family and coaching, given my ex-wife's medical condition. I knew that I wasn't in the position to take on everything that comes with being a good football coach AND being there for my family. Hell, I could barely make it work when I just coached youth football for a year; I missed practices because she was ill and the kids needed to be taken care of. I still coached track because it's a much more laid back environment and I could make it work but high school football was a no-go. When I was a HC, I explained to the potential ACs that they would be expected to spend around 4-5 hours each Sunday breaking down film and that part of their job was non-negotiable. I also told them they would be expected to spend an hour or so on their own after each game, grading out their position. This spooked most guys off in a hurry.
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SconnieOC
Junior Member
Just here to learn the facemelter
Posts: 412
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Post by SconnieOC on Oct 4, 2017 11:38:09 GMT -6
Single. But to me that doesn't matter. The family man banker or accountant or construction worker doesn't get to say well I'm going to be less invested in my job and do less. And I'm not talking about just hanging around the locker room as some posters have alluded too {censored} I don't like just sitting around for sitting around's sake. Fine get in get your stuff done get out go home but don't tell me you're watching less film and caring less or putting less into it. Frustration probably comes from working with guys in the past who never has their {censored} broken down or broken down correctly, or aren't on the same page with the rest of the staff or are coaching kids in different language and terminology or are just genuinely spending the bare minimum amount of time doing their jobs because well "family" I don't approach it with any less passion, and I don't skimp on my duties. Hell, I'm probably more organized and productive than I used to be, because I had to prioritize my nights/weekends a little differently. I'm more excited about creating a great culture and winning games to show my son what it takes to be successful in life. The biggest difference is with bankers or accountants or construction workers, they work their hours, and that's that. Most construction guys aren't going home, and still thinking about how they're going to build that road. Coaches don't have down time during the season.. they're going home and thinking how to attack that safety or get home on a blitz. The banker can go home and devote his 5-9 pm and 6-8 AM and weekends with their kids. So he's not less invested in his job, he just works his hours. As a parent/coach you have to create and work your hours, they're just generally different than 9-5
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Post by coachd5085 on Oct 4, 2017 11:51:21 GMT -6
I have to take objection to this, and I don't even have kids. rosey65 didn't say he now is slacking, he is saying he no longer puts in the same time, energy and emotion as he used to. Based on your thought process, you coaching football means that you are cheating whatever your mortgage/rent paying job is by coaching football. It is pure economics. Time is a scarce resource "you are cheating whatever your mortgage/rent paying job is by coaching football" - they are the same...... if we go 1-9 or 2-8 I'm looking for a new gig quick fast and in a hurry to put food on my table / keep the roof over my head. Do you teach classes? If so, then you are cheating your students.
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Post by gccwolverine on Oct 4, 2017 12:31:44 GMT -6
"you are cheating whatever your mortgage/rent paying job is by coaching football" - they are the same...... if we go 1-9 or 2-8 I'm looking for a new gig quick fast and in a hurry to put food on my table / keep the roof over my head. Do you teach classes? If so, then you are cheating your students. I did up until this year. And when I did I did it well and was invested in it just like I'm invested in football, you get hired to do a job you do the job to the best of your ability regardless of the demands of the time. I'm not the HC but This year I don't which admittedly makes my life easier. Fact remains that if we stunk it up on the field they'd have lets us all go and found a new government teacher last year, and they'll certainly find a new ISS person if we stink it up on the field this year. It's not like that everywhere, I get it. But I know what I signed up for.
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Post by dubber on Oct 4, 2017 12:54:49 GMT -6
Do you teach classes? If so, then you are cheating your students. I did up until this year. And when I did I did it well and was invested in it just like I'm invested in football, you get hired to do a job you do the job to the best of your ability regardless of the demands of the time. I'm not the HC but This year I don't which admittedly makes my life easier. Fact remains that if we stunk it up on the field they'd have lets us all go and found a new government teacher last year, and they'll certainly find a new ISS person if we stink it up on the field this year. It's not like that everywhere, I get it. But I know what I signed up for. Enjoy this time in your life......for it is as simple as it will ever be. Now, I agree with you on this point: If you have identified essential tasks that need done in your program, and you are not doing them, then it may be time to take a break (for you and the kids sake). I think sometimes the passion is gone for whatever reason, and people lean on the "family" excuse.
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Post by agap on Oct 4, 2017 13:12:08 GMT -6
At some point, you're cheating someone or something because there's not enough time in a day. I learned how to become more efficient in coaching, teaching, and whatever else I had to do, but I still probably wasn't spending enough time on everything which means I was cheating someone.
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Post by blb on Oct 4, 2017 15:20:55 GMT -6
Do you teach classes? If so, then you are cheating your students. I did up until this year. And when I did I did it well and was invested in it just like I'm invested in football, you get hired to do a job you do the job to the best of your ability regardless of the demands of the time. I'm not the HC but This year I don't which admittedly makes my life easier. Fact remains that if we stunk it up on the field they'd have lets us all go and found a new government teacher last year, and they'll certainly find a new ISS person if we stink it up on the field this year. It's not like that everywhere, I get it. But I know what I signed up for. What you say is admirable and has merit.
Once when I was teaching English (which I did for many years) I was whining about all the papers including essays I had to grade, our basketball coach (PE teacher), who is still one of my dear friends and I assisted for four years, said:
"Who held the gun to your head and made you go into English?"
Moral is: If you take a job where you can be fired from both coaching-teaching for on-field results, and get fired, that's on you.
If you believe coaching is more important than a family life, that's on you too.
We all make choices in life. I coached football for 41 years somewhat successfully.
My life would not be near as happy or complete without my wife, two daughters, and grandson.
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Post by coachd5085 on Oct 4, 2017 18:06:55 GMT -6
Do you teach classes? If so, then you are cheating your students. I did up until this year. And when I did I did it well and was invested in it just like I'm invested in football, you get hired to do a job you do the job to the best of your ability regardless of the demands of the time. I'm not the HC but This year I don't which admittedly makes my life easier. Fact remains that if we stunk it up on the field they'd have lets us all go and found a new government teacher last year, and they'll certainly find a new ISS person if we stink it up on the field this year. It's not like that everywhere, I get it. But I know what I signed up for. I am calling BS on part of this. At least to the extent that you would say that a man who re prioritized his time to account for family is cheating his players. I maintain that you absolutely "cheated" your students (based on your definition) because you were not spending all of the time on them that you could have if you were not coaching HS football. Notice, I am using YOUR definition and term that you attributed to another. I am betting most would have said you were a solid teacher and coach, but regardless of what you did in the classroom, you obviously could have done MORE had you not coached.
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Post by gccwolverine on Oct 4, 2017 18:39:27 GMT -6
I did up until this year. And when I did I did it well and was invested in it just like I'm invested in football, you get hired to do a job you do the job to the best of your ability regardless of the demands of the time. I'm not the HC but This year I don't which admittedly makes my life easier. Fact remains that if we stunk it up on the field they'd have lets us all go and found a new government teacher last year, and they'll certainly find a new ISS person if we stink it up on the field this year. It's not like that everywhere, I get it. But I know what I signed up for. I am calling BS on part of this. At least to the extent that you would say that a man who re prioritized his time to account for family is cheating his players. I maintain that you absolutely "cheated" your students (based on your definition) because you were not spending all of the time on them that you could have if you were not coaching HS football. Notice, I am using YOUR definition and term that you attributed to another. I am betting most would have said you were a solid teacher and coach, but regardless of what you did in the classroom, you obviously could have done MORE had you not coached. No.... I never said I was putting less in than I once was before. There is a clear distinction there.
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Post by coachd5085 on Oct 4, 2017 19:09:48 GMT -6
I am calling BS on part of this. At least to the extent that you would say that a man who re prioritized his time to account for family is cheating his players. I maintain that you absolutely "cheated" your students (based on your definition) because you were not spending all of the time on them that you could have if you were not coaching HS football. Notice, I am using YOUR definition and term that you attributed to another. I am betting most would have said you were a solid teacher and coach, but regardless of what you did in the classroom, you obviously could have done MORE had you not coached. No.... I never said I was putting less in than I once was before. There is a clear distinction there. Not really. The distinction would be that you were cheating them from the very beginning...again using YOUR definition and concept. Not mine or others.
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Post by gators41 on Oct 5, 2017 7:46:31 GMT -6
Long Time Lurker here who loves this site.
And if you are a member of this site you love football.
If you love football, how can you live without it?
If you can live without it for a couple of years....why in the world would you stay in education, make no money and work 70+ hour weeks?
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Post by fantom on Oct 5, 2017 9:41:52 GMT -6
As you gain experience you find that you can do the same job with less effort. Watching film doesn't take as much time, for example, simply because you see things more quickly. You have things saved from past years so you don't necessarily have to start from scratch.
We do all of the things that I hear about staffs working together on. We just don't do them s a staff in the office. Scout cards? I draw them up at home. Scripts and practice plans are done the same way.
You also realize that some of the things that you've always done don't need to be done at all. Scout cards are one example. You need them but do you really need a card of every play against every front/coverage? You don't have enough practice reps for each card so why draw up cards for every play? Grading individual players might be useful if you really have replacements for the players. We rarely do so why grade all of the OL if you can't replace them? Breaking down film is important but if you have access to HUDL Assist and prefer not to use it, you're probably wasting time.
You can make more time for family if you learn to work smarter.
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Post by groundchuck on Oct 5, 2017 9:46:44 GMT -6
As you gain experience you find that you can do the same job with less effort. Watching film doesn't take as much time, for example, simply because you see things more quickly. You have things saved from past years so you don't necessarily have to start from scratch. We do all of the things that I hear about staffs working together on. We just don't do them s a staff in the office. Scout cards? I draw them up at home. Scripts and practice plans are done the same way. You also realize that some of the things that you've always done don't need to be done at all. Scout cards are one example. You need them but do you really need a card of every play against every front/coverage? You don't have enough practice reps for each card so why draw up cards for every play? Grading individual players might be useful if you really have replacements for the players. We rarely do so why grade all of the OL if you can't replace them? Breaking down film is important but if you have access to HUDL Assist and prefer not to use it, you're probably wasting time. You can make more time for family if you learn to work smarter. Agree. I use Hudl assist because I hate tagging all those menial columns.
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Post by jlenwood on Oct 5, 2017 10:42:32 GMT -6
I retired last year. You know what I miss?, a little bit of everything. However, the main thing is the coaches I worked with and the time spent with those cats. On Friday nights I find myself wanting to just have a set of headphones on to hear the chatter between coaches.
You can always find another avenue to help/coach people. You can always find another avenue to channel your competitive desires, but man it is hard to replace that camaraderie you get with a great coaching staff.
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Post by coachcb on Oct 5, 2017 10:59:11 GMT -6
As you gain experience you find that you can do the same job with less effort. Watching film doesn't take as much time, for example, simply because you see things more quickly. You have things saved from past years so you don't necessarily have to start from scratch. We do all of the things that I hear about staffs working together on. We just don't do them s a staff in the office. Scout cards? I draw them up at home. Scripts and practice plans are done the same way. You also realize that some of the things that you've always done don't need to be done at all. Scout cards are one example. You need them but do you really need a card of every play against every front/coverage? You don't have enough practice reps for each card so why draw up cards for every play? Grading individual players might be useful if you really have replacements for the players. We rarely do so why grade all of the OL if you can't replace them? Breaking down film is important but if you have access to HUDL Assist and prefer not to use it, you're probably wasting time. You can make more time for family if you learn to work smarter. Yup, work smarter, not harder. The guys I know that struggle to balance their home life with football are those that obsess over film, 24/7. I coached under a guy who had the staff staying after practice for an extra hour or so to go over the opponent's film to "see if there was anything we missed". This was after spending all day Sunday breaking things down. He was also putting in an excessive amount of time watching film on his own as he'd come up to us before the pre-game practice on Thursday with "adjustments".
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Post by groundchuck on Oct 5, 2017 11:25:28 GMT -6
Typically when I was a head coach I would immerse myself in film over the weekend. As the week went on I would watch our practice films. Once the game landing stiff is done and we’ve figured out the nuts and bolts it’s more about us than them.
Where I coach now we don’t film practice. At first it drove me bonkers not having clips from practice. But we have so many coaches, and I just focus on my unit. So we make a lot of correction right there.
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Post by groundchuck on Oct 5, 2017 11:26:03 GMT -6
Typically when I was a head coach I would immerse myself in film over the weekend. As the week went on I would watch our practice films. Once the game landing stiff is done and we’ve figured out the nuts and bolts it’s more about us than them. Where I coach now we don’t film practice. At first it drove me bonkers not having clips from practice. But we have so many coaches, and I just focus on my unit. So we make a lot of correction right there.
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Post by chidesta on Oct 5, 2017 12:04:16 GMT -6
Typically when I was a head coach I would immerse myself in film over the weekend. As the week went on I would watch our practice films. Once the game landing stiff is done and we’ve figured out the nuts and bolts it’s more about us than them. Where I coach now we don’t film practice. At first it drove me bonkers not having clips from practice. But we have so many coaches, and I just focus on my unit. So we make a lot of correction right there. I have been through the same thing. When I started out coaching our HC was adamant that everything had to be filmed and we were supposed to go through all the practice film and then have things for kids to correct. Now what would happen is I and all the other coaches would watch the practice film and then we never seemed to have time before or after practice to watch it with the kids so it was just frustrating cause we never fixed anything. Anyway I eventually became and OC and now a HC at a smaller school and we just don't have the time nor the help to film practices, so because of constraints we don't film practice, but instead we correct it immediately. I think too often high school coaches want to run a college program and wait to fix mistakes when you watch the practice tape well the reality is YOU ARE IN HIGH SCHOOL COACHING HIGH SCHOOL KIDS, so you don't have the ability to put each position group into their individual rooms and watch every little bit of film and correct, instead you gotta correct on the field. Now I will say that I was reading an educational article that wasn't particularly football related, but it talked about behavior management and it stated that you have to correct behavior in the moment that it happens and not wait until the end of class and pull the kid aside because they have found that kids will change their behavior or modify it if they are challenged in the moment that they demonstrate that behavior. Anyway I think this has some application into football, if you coach in the moment and correct immediately then the problem is fixed immediately and you don't have to try and remember that thing the kid did on practice tape #2 and sometime during the practice.
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Post by **** on Oct 5, 2017 12:38:42 GMT -6
I think I would die if I stopped coaching football.
But I am still somewhat early in my career.
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Post by badtotheflexbone on Oct 6, 2017 0:15:30 GMT -6
I'm cheating my productive time by being unproductive and reading through this thread, Thoughts?
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Post by grouchy71 on Oct 6, 2017 5:36:22 GMT -6
I'm cheating my productive time by being unproductive and reading through this thread, Thoughts? "Productive." Yes. Hahaha.
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Post by coachd5085 on Oct 6, 2017 6:30:41 GMT -6
Long Time Lurker here who loves this site. And if you are a member of this site you love football. If you love football, how can you live without it? I don't know. Ask Gruden. Or Madden. Or Billick.
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Post by gators41 on Oct 6, 2017 8:08:17 GMT -6
Long Time Lurker here who loves this site. And if you are a member of this site you love football. If you love football, how can you live without it? I don't know. Ask Gruden. Or Madden. Or Billick. Solid Points. Not a perfect comparison either. All are millionaires, all won super bowls, and got to stay close to the game as a commentator. They were still relevant. If you or I stop coaching, we fade to black, Sopranos.
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Post by coachd5085 on Oct 6, 2017 10:06:30 GMT -6
I don't know. Ask Gruden. Or Madden. Or Billick. Solid Points. Not a perfect comparison either. All are millionaires, all won super bowls, and got to stay close to the game as a commentator. They were still relevant. If you or I stop coaching, we fade to black, Sopranos. Not true. I stopped a while back after having coached all levels from Jr. High to Div 1 Football. No real interest to get back in.
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Post by blb on Oct 6, 2017 15:01:20 GMT -6
I think I would die if I stopped coaching football. But I am still somewhat early in my career.
Felt that way too - up until I was mid-30s and had a family.
Still coached though until two years ago when I was 61.
Haven't died yet.
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