Hello,
I’m Mo and this is my brand new blog space. I have created this to enable me to keep you updated with my plans, ideas and feedback on all things related to Viking Juniors.
A bit about me: I have been playing Korfball for 11 years (although I don’t really like to admit it as 1) it makes me feel old and 2) you would expect me to be quite good at it by now! I have been coaching juniors for over a year (at after school clubs) but have been coaching the Viking Juniors since Vikings were set up in September 2006. Why I volunteered for the Junior Coach position I will never know. I’m not famous for my love of children, infact I normally go out of my way to avoid them. If I hear a baby cry in a restaurant I roll my eyes and if I see a kid throw a tantrum mid aisle in Tesco’s I will ‘tut’ loudly. However I know why I have continued to coach….It’s very rewarding.
There are moments in training when I feel like banging my head against the wall and quietly weeping, then there are the moments when I feel like jumping up and down with pure joy….
When a player scores a goal or wins their first game of ‘killer’, when a division starts doing 4-0 in a game without me shouting at the sidelines at them to do so, when a free pass is set up in less than 4 seconds, when I see players high five each other on court for some good team work…..just a few of the things that have made me smile during my short time coaching. Of course there are the downsides as well…
The long coach rides up to Norwich. Now you may be thinking ‘Well Norwich is not far away from Ely’ and you would be right however let me assure you that it feels like a 6 hour journey when there’s a constant chant for ‘Burger King’ and you have to avoid the sweaty sock thats been found at the bottom of Colins* kit bag and is now being thrown about. When you have to stomach the cocktail of smells of packed lunches swooping around the mini bus at nine in the morning. Then of course there’s the worry that one of them may strain a muscle in their finger (have you seen the speed of a teenager text? There is just a blur of digits above the keypad of their mobiles.) But the biggest downer of all, for me, is the early morning starts. I don’t mind getting up for work but on the weekends? That must have been written in the small print! I don’t think I would have signed up had I known that I would have to set my alalrm Saturday night for it to go off at 7 a.m. the next morning (thats right you didn’t mis-read it A.M)
My Sundays are precious. After years of practice I have mastered the perfect routine for my Sundays. (Wake-up to the smell of a roast dinner, watch T4, eat lunch, sleep a bit more, watch a film, plan junior training for Monday, sleep. Perfect.) My point is that this Korfball coaching lark has to be pretty darn rewarding for me to give up my Sunday.
When my alarm goes off I mutter, curse and stagger my way into the bathroom, but when I see my team all in their matching kit start playing good Korfball and then score, it is all worth it. Sounds cheesey but it’s true.
