Did that camp kid get something positive from me?

I enjoy running beginner camps in the summer. I wrote a previous blog post about some things I do to make camp a positive experience for all those who come.

My main goals are for the kids to have fun, learn something about volleyball, and learn to encourage each other. Some of these kids may end up actually playing volleyball and some may not. Some kids are in the camp because their parents were looking for something for them to do and some really want to learn volleyball. No matter what the reasons and what their future, my goals are the same.

This year, I had one kid who really struggled to pass correctly - at all. I tried many different ways to communicate this and stay positive about the effort being put forth. Sometimes I think it becomes easier just to say the same things and not expect change. In this case, I don't challenge myself as a coach to make sure this kid understands and accomplishes the goal. So when Thursday rolled around, I tried some different feedback, and it worked. I celebrated like I hadn't celebrated all week.

Then Friday came and I asked myself a different question:

What is this kid going to feel like he/she got from me? Even if a kid may get a positive overall camp experience, when that kid looks back, and thinks about how I, as the main coach (I always have high school or college players help at camps), interacted with him/her will it be positive? Will I have made enough of an impact to say something positive about me as the coach or just about the camp experience?

Now, I NEVER want this to be about me. I want my coaching to be a reflection of Christ in me and living through me. So when I ask this last question, I guess I'm really asking, did I allow these kids to see Christ in me? This is always what I want, but something about interacting with this particular kid made me look at it differently. Do they notice any difference in how I coach compared to other coaches they may know? I can only pray that the answer is a resounding yes.

#coachforhisglory