#001 Diary of a Mad Coach

After 16 years on the sideline as a high school and college coach, I often gave the perception that I was not happy.  I looked like I was one mad/angry coach more often than I ever felt that way. What can I say, I'm a competitor through and through.  Although the expression on my face can often be intense, I mostly feel like I am in my own personal heaven on the sidelines.  I'm too old and broken to be the player I once was, so coaching was a great transition for me to continue to feel the thrill of competition and the joy of working with a group of young men or women to accomplish a shared goal.  It may seem cliché, but the idea of being a part of something bigger than myself has always been something I craved and continue to crave.

I resigned my position as the Head Women's Basketball Coach at the University of La Verne this past spring after my wife had our second child.  With two small children with two parents who are required to travel for work, it was a sacrifice I was happy to make.  There is nothing better for me than the opportunity of being able to have breakfast with my kids and be able to put them to bed at night.  As I always have told those who ask, I was put on this earth to be a daddy, so I take great pride in being great at it.

With this being the first year in more than 16 years not being on a basketball court during basketball season coaching a group of young people, I know that I will greatly miss the relationships and experience of building a team this upcoming year.

Nevertheless, I am choosing to make this season away from the game a chance to make myself a better person and coach while continuing to find ways to teach, mentor, and inspire those who need and want it.

The "Diary of a Mad Coach" will be many things, but I hope it will be a journey of self-reflection while sharing my knowledge and experience as a teacher and coach with those who choose to be a part of my journey.

My hope is that the readers of this blog will share with me as much as I hope to share with them.  I will talk athletic development as well as life development with a dash of pop culture, philosophy, psychology, and daily inspiration thrown in along the way.

If you received an e-mail with a link to my blog, you are someone I care about and who has demonstrated in the past that you care about me, or at the very least, enjoy my writings and what I have to say...even if you sometimes (or all the time) disagree. 

I want this to be an inclusive experience and my own virtual classroom where I can be the teacher and student each and every day.  I look forward to constructive comments and criticism, as well as great stories and anecdotes from your past and mine.

Please feel free to pass this on to anyone you think would get something out of it.  I know I will get a lot out of connecting or re-connecting with all of you.

Matt Rogers