Well that was emo...

Apologies for the intense post last night. Just one of those nights, you know? Truth is, I have 100% faith in all of my girls on every team and every day I get to work with them is the happiest day of my life, even if it is a struggle. But like Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks) says in A League of Their Own, "There's no crying in baseball!"

Wait...that wasn't the quote I wanted. Here it is:
"It's supposed to be hard....The hard is what makes it great."

I'd remove that post from last night, but all of it was true. It was just poorly delivered. As coach I have to remember that I can't just let go like that; because people rely on me; because I'm supposed to be a good role model for my girls; because I have to be a brand ambassador for my teams at all times. Plus, I'm nearly 25...I should know better than to lose my head like that! :-D

A friend at work asked me today to name my "brand pillars" for a blog she is writing, and it got me thinking about all that I just mentioned above. I mean, what does it really mean to be a coach?

Since you're here, you might as well get my opinion on it:

• First and foremost, my job is to mentor the girls and help them become all that they can be on and off the field. And sometimes that means disciplining them, as I touched on last night.
• Second, I have to be a leader. I'm the one that knows best (hopefully, right?!), so I call the shots. I'm the "general" on the field, and I have to be able to effectively communicate with the "captains" and "soldiers" on the field so that the whole unit moves as one...in the direction of victory.
• Lastly, I've got to be a cheerleader. I've got to be the girls' number one fan and encourage them 100% along the way.

What do you think? Have I got my priorities straight or am I missing something here?