~:[CH12 - Day 219]:~ The Dedicated Core

 ~:[CH12 - Day 219]:~ The Dedicated Core

Coaching is always a challenge. Sometimes you have talent, sometimes you have dedication, and sometimes you get both. It's frustrating to have talent and little dedication and you feel bad when you have dedicated athletes who get outrun because they may not be as talented. Of course, over time, that dedication leads to development and while the short-term gains may not have shown evidence of progress, in the long-term the dedication towards a cause begins to show and eventually you can surpass those who are more talented. I have appreciated a solid core of dedicated athletes the past few years who have slowly made progress and have helped regain some traction to where we used to be. We've definitely had success the past few years, but I am starting to see a larger group making their way up the ladder and for that I am appreciative. A much larger group finished the nearly nine mile run in our first afternoon workout. I was impressed by progress and am hoping that this uptrend can continue, as the success of a team can purely on talent, but the success of a program over time requires that athletes demonstrate good habits that allow for them and their teammates to be successful year after year. Sure, it's great to climb the ladder quickly, but does it truly matter when you stumble quickly thereafter? As a coach, I hope that we can continue to maintain a strong program that lasts over time, rather than simply getting to the top for a short period of time. I am hoping that this dedicated core continues its ways and helps those around them find the same motivation and inspiration in order for them to contribute to the foundation that we are building.