Congratulations on landing your first summer coaching job. Life as a coach is different from as a sailor, more responsibility and more freedom. Making the most of your summer is all about managing your responsibilities so you can capitalize on your freedoms. Between sailors and members there are plenty of responsibilities and pitfalls to be avoided. Here are some tips and tricks to a smooth summer.
Names, Ages, Numbers
Always, always know at least one of the three things above about your class, preferably all three. This is your first year, chances are you are a Beginning Opti coach and get to spend the next 10 weeks with a group of screaming 7-9 year olds.
It will be the best summer job you have ever had.
Learn everyone’s name. Most of us are not inclined to picking up names readily. Everyone, meaning literally everyone not just junior sailors, but other staff, members, afterguard, coast guard, the guy at the gas pump, learn as many names as you can. People like it when you call them by their name and are much more inclined to help you when you are inevitably in need.
Sailors respond to names. It is hard to tell the kid in the orange life jacket to do something if you aren’t directly addressing him or her. They all know your name; you need to know theirs as well. Name games are typically one of the least favorite things about the beginning of a summer, but after associating someone’s name with a piece of fruit over and over for ten minutes it is hard to forget. If you are still hard pressed to remember, a failsafe is a piece of duct tape on the back of the lifejacket with a name written in permanent marker.
Know the age group. What entertains an 8 year old will bore an 11 year old and have a 15-year-old turn his or her iPod to deafening. Pay attention to them and they in turn will pay attention to you. If you see a group starting to fade in an activity, switch activities before it has the chance to completely break down. Most kids already think you are pretty cool; you are older than a sibling but younger than their parents. By knowing your audience, what movies they like, the TV shows they watch, the YouTube videos they obsess over, you are much more likely to gain much needed respect and attention.
Numbers. This one is self-explanatory but is important nonetheless. Always know how many are in your class and if you currently can see that many heads. Just basic safety measures and by the end of the summer, making that headcount will be second nature. Numbers also matter for programming. Which drills you can do, duration of each one, timeline of the class, are all directly affected by how many kids you have on that given day. If you have a roster of 18 and only 10 show up, your chalk talk, rigging demonstration and tacking drill just got shortened and that is now space you need to fill some other way.
Yacht Club Life: Adjusting
Most people coaching junior sailing have some experience in the program. There are always exceptions to this rule, if a sailor learned after junior sailing age for instance, or if it is your first time at a new yacht club. Regardless of whether you were born on the balcony of the yacht club or this is your first summer in junior sailing ever, there are some adjustments to be made. You are now an employee, not a member (even if you are one of those too) and everyone knows who you are and what you are doing or have done. Make good decisions.
Game Plan: Have One
Planning your day/week/session in detail will help you when you show up two minutes before the morning meeting on six hours of sleep and no coffee in sight. It happens. Planning will also keep your director happy, give your kids a clear path for learning and allow you to involve fun events. Your lesson plan doesn’t have to be a three page detailed document, but jotting down six hours of drills for a four hour time slot will allow you to change gears quickly.
Programming for your summer will help your weeks flow and provide focus for your lesson plans. Think about where you would like your class to be at the end of the summer and plan backwards from there. Spending the time to do this at the beginning of the summer will save hours of headache at the end when you are at a loss for what to do with your class.
Big Picture: Enjoy Yourself
The most important of any summer spent on the water is to remember to have fun. What made your years in junior sailing fun? At the same time, how can we construct lesson plans that are constructive and fun? This all pertains to the first point of knowing the group you’re coaching. Everyone gets burned out by the end of the season, its inevitable. Recognizing that coming on and adjusting accordingly so that you stay fresh is the key to finishing a summer strong.
Get to know your coworkers. Growing the trust and comfort level will help you survive the summer. Go to the movies, get dinner, race together, do something as a team, whatever it takes. Some of them will become life long friends; some will only be summer acquaintances, but spending large amounts of time with them is unavoidable.
You have the best summer job possible. Don’t forget that.
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