U
What Made You Smile/Laugh Today?
- Thread starter HottieMama
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Keroin
aKwatic
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Coaching is cool, especially for me. I'm not a natural athlete, either. The things I do well in athletic endeavors are because I worked to *learn* how to do them; there was no instinctual reaction force that gave me the ability to do them. I've coached baseball and softball (both fast- and slow-pitch, men's teams, women's teams, girls' teams, and mixed adults), soccer, tennis and bowling. With baseball and softball, I had *some* natural ability, I guess, but never star quality in any particular skill. Soccer and tennis are perhaps the oddest possible thing for me to coach, with tennis being the absolute oddest. I'm slow of foot - very - and since I never even picked up a tennis racket until I was in my 30s, the kindest thing one can say about my swing is that it would look decent on a baseball/softball diamond
In both soccer and tennis, though, I could watch the players as they practiced or played, and see exactly what they needed to do differently to be successful... and then show them, in slow motion, what that was. I can hit a killer topspin backhand standing in one spot and having the ball gently fed to me exactly where I want it so that I can take a moderately paced swing to show a player how to do it. But put me in a match, and I'm SOL on just about anything I have to hit a backhand on, unless it's not got much pace and bounces at least waist-high. Then I can cut the hell out of it... in effect, a backhand drop shot that really pisses people off. I'm also hell for opponents at the net in doubles, since I'm 6'3" and have looooong arms and quick hands... I could poach a lot, and catch a lot of shots that were intended to be passing shots.
Soccer was much the same. If I had to run half the length of the field, dribbling and/or passing, and then take a shot, I'd be lucky if it didn't end up behind me. Feed me a shot where I want it, though, and I could curl it either direction (*and* up or down) with either foot.
My greatest skills as a soccer/tennis coach involved those types of things in a practice setting, and in watching both my players and the opponents during matches, and guiding my players to take advantage of their strengths against the weaknesses of the opposition. We beat a lot of players and teams with better technical skills simply because we had better strategies to cope with those skills and maximize our own.
My greatest pleasure as a coach, though, was not winning per se. It was seeing my players grow, both as athletes and as human beings. That's why I much preferred coaching adolescents over adults. I could make more of a difference in their lives. One thing I always told my players - and meant - was that I didn't care what they did as individuals, stats-wise. What I cared about was that they performed as part of the team, because it was a team sport, and the team won or lost, not the individual. If I couldn't teach them anything else (and some of my players were superb athletes that I could offer next to nothing in terms of physical skills), I wanted to teach them that if you play on a team, only what happens to the team is important. Personal accomplishments are nice, but if they don't contribute to the team's accomplishments... <shrug> who cares? When I saw a strong player get her head out of her egotistical ass and voluntarily start helping weaker players improve their skills, for the sake of the team... that's when I knew I had succeeded with that player.
Thanks for that SW! Coaching is a wild thing. I had a world class dirtbiker who tried teaching me some basic stuff and I just couldn't get it, then this mediocre rider took me aside one day and pointed out a few things I was doing wrong and how to fix them - my riding skills improved a hundred percent in one day.
Tennis is a tough sport. I love playing net! I'm only 5'7" but I'm aggressive and not afraid of the ball. I live for the poach. My serve sucks, though, and my backhand is only starting to improve. I'm afraid to see what two years off has done for my game. Gulp.
I'm curious, did you ever have a player that was just really, really bad at the sport, no matter how much coaching she received? If so, what did you do?
AngelicAssassin
Something Wicked
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Sir_Winston54
Assume the position!
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Some people, no matter how mad their skills are, just don't have the capability of transferring the knowledge of how to exploit those skills. Others, with lesser skills, can.
Yep, alla time. What I did depended on the circumstances.
With the adult (recreational softball) teams, there wasn't much one *could* do. They'd paid their money to be on the team, and the best I could do was take them aside and let them know that their playing time would be pretty much minimal - when games/matches were out of reach (one way or the other), or when we were short on players.
With the high school teams (tennis and soccer), we had an easy out: Roster limits. We almost invariably had more players trying out for the teams than we were allowed to carry on the rosters. ("Minor" sports {unlike football, basketball and baseball/softball} in high schools are only allowed to transport x number of players to matches, thus the rosters are limited. The worst players were gently informed they had not made the roster.
Youth recreational softball/baseball was more like the adult teams, but since they often had rules that every player present for a game had to play a certain amount, we were stuck with them. We did again let them know, however, that their playing time would be minimal - the amount required by the rules. If they chose to stay with the team - or show up for games - we played them as much as we had to, and seldom any more than that.
In any of those circumstances, however, we tried to be gentle and encouraging to the player as a person.
Y
Yasashii_Kaze
Guest
After 1 year and 5 months of hard work, I weighed in today and found out that I am finally no longer obese. With a BMI of under 30, I am considered overweight now. I have 30 pounds to go to a healthy BMI and 40-45 to achieve my tentative goal. I'll be talking to my doctor this week to determine the recommended weight for me, but I can take pride in what I've accomplished so far. 
ShyVixen
Subbly Bookworm
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After 1 year and 5 months of hard work, I weighed in today and found out that I am finally no longer obese. With a BMI of under 30, I am considered overweight now. I have 30 pounds to go to a healthy BMI and 40-45 to achieve my tentative goal. I'll be talking to my doctor this week to determine the recommended weight for me, but I can take pride in what I've accomplished so far.
Congratulations, Yasashii!
What made me smile - almost being done with something I've been working on.
myinnerslut
His chains. His lash.
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i made homemade lemonade!
made with splenda so that i can drink it without freaking out my blood sugar and insulin.
its yummy yummy yummy
made with splenda so that i can drink it without freaking out my blood sugar and insulin.
its yummy yummy yummy
Y
Yasashii_Kaze
Guest
I made iced tea today. I sweeten it with Splenda by the glass as I make it. I so miss sweet southern tea, but Splenda takes some of the ache away.
I haven't made lemonade yet this summer, but I should. How'd you make yours?
DiscusDave
Master Arachnophile
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I make it out by the curb so I can sell it.I made iced tea today. I sweeten it with Splenda by the glass as I make it. I so miss sweet southern tea, but Splenda takes some of the ache away.
I love lemonade stands, and still stop whenever I pass one while driving through a residential neighborhood. I also start and occasional one sometimes too. Gotta pay for college any way I can.
FurryFury
Addict of Sensation
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After 1 year and 5 months of hard work, I weighed in today and found out that I am finally no longer obese. With a BMI of under 30, I am considered overweight now. I have 30 pounds to go to a healthy BMI and 40-45 to achieve my tentative goal. I'll be talking to my doctor this week to determine the recommended weight for me, but I can take pride in what I've accomplished so far.
Woo hoo! That's awesome!
gypsy*seer
Barefoot sage
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Locking the keys in my truck twice in two days....after not having done that for about, oh....10 YEARS!
LMAO
LMAO
midwestyankee
Literotica Guru
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Helping the youngest rent his tux for prom.
myinnerslut
His chains. His lash.
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I made iced tea today. I sweeten it with Splenda by the glass as I make it. I so miss sweet southern tea, but Splenda takes some of the ache away.
ive been told mine is too bitter for some, but perfect for others. also, i dont know the size of the pitcher, its the only one i have so i never bothered to measure it.
juice 4.5 lemons
3/4 cup of splenda
1 lemon cut in paper thin slices
lots of ice
satindesire
Queen of Geeks
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1. The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He
acquired his size from too much pi.
2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out
to be an optical Aleutian .
3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.
4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was
a weapon of math disruption.
5. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his
work.
6. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
7. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
8. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum
Blownapart.
9. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
11. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking
into it.
12. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
13. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to
the other, 'You stay here, I'll go on a head.'
14. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then, it hit me.
15. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said, 'Keep off the Grass.'
16. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his
grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said, 'No change yet.'
17. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
18. It's not that the man did not know how to juggle, he just didn't have
the balls to do it.
19. The midget fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at
large.
20. The man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned
veteran.
21. A backward poet writes inverse.
22. In democracy, it's your vote that counts. In feudalism, it's your count that votes.
23 . When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.
24. Don't join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects.
acquired his size from too much pi.
2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out
to be an optical Aleutian .
3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.
4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was
a weapon of math disruption.
5. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his
work.
6. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
7. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
8. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum
Blownapart.
9. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
11. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking
into it.
12. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
13. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to
the other, 'You stay here, I'll go on a head.'
14. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then, it hit me.
15. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said, 'Keep off the Grass.'
16. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his
grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said, 'No change yet.'
17. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
18. It's not that the man did not know how to juggle, he just didn't have
the balls to do it.
19. The midget fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at
large.
20. The man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned
veteran.
21. A backward poet writes inverse.
22. In democracy, it's your vote that counts. In feudalism, it's your count that votes.
23 . When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.
24. Don't join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects.
gypsy*seer
Barefoot sage
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Sir_Winston54
Assume the position!
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- Jul 15, 2004
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Grooooooannnnn...
satindesire
Queen of Geeks
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EmpressFi
Mama Bear
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gypsy*seer
Barefoot sage
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Homburg
Daring greatly
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AngelicAssassin
Something Wicked
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wicked woman
from my travels
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A 2 1/2 hour phone call tonight with my friend that was supposed to spend this week with me but had to cancel our vacation. Always makes me smile to talk to her.
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