The interesting thing about rowing is that you can't really get out of it. This sport is very people oriented, and your team really does turn in to your family.
One of the things I've noticed when coaching the kids is that I no longer really look at the team as my family. Back when I was still a rower myself, I saw everyone as my brothers and sisters or weird uncles and aunts but now that I'm in charge of a team I see them as more of a team and less as family. Don't get me wrong, the kids I coach are absolutely amazing each in their own way and I wish I could take credit for the people they are and the people they will become, but I am just their coach...and I have to act as such.
I try my best to be the person they need me to be, but sometimes its hard. Each athlete needs something else...I more specialized coach, a friend to talk to, a tutor, an opinion, a kick in the butt, or a smack in the back of the head (metaphorically speaking, of course). I'm just one person in charge of 21, and I can't be the person that each kid needs every day. I think I started to look at the kids as a team and less of a family as the job started to progress.
When I rowed it was easy for me to relate and just be good friends or family oriented. I didn't really have to worry about what I was saying or who I was friends with and who I didn't like. It was just...my social life, and that's it. Now its my job and people look up to me. I can't be friends with the kids, I can't prioritize one athlete over the other, I can't hug them or hang out with them after practice. There is a definite line between coach and friend, and I cannot cross it. All of the kids are awesome and its like "heck yeah! let's get lunch and talk about that Biology test you just totally Aced." or "No one wants to see that movie with you? Here, hold on, let me get ready and I'll meet you there." They are all just so great, and smart, and funny and theyre so young... they have their whole lives ahead of them.
I guess I'm just glad I can be apart of their lives, even if its a short time. Even if I can't be their friend, at least I can be there coach and help them out with the few things that I am able to do.
Monday, March 30, 2015
Leadership is my Internship
As you know, hopefully, that part of my internship is coaching. I coach kids between the ages of 13 and 18 years old, from all different high schools in the state of Arizona. We practice every day between 4 and 6pm on Tempe Town Lake. I've been coaching now for almost three years, and started out as the assistant coach and then worked my way up to head coach. Part of my job is be a leader to these kids. To give them the confidence that they are capable of racing and participating at their fullest potential. I have to plan, organize, register, call, pay, and most importantly communicate with everyone and everything regarding the team. Whether it be with the parents or the hotel we're staying at for a race, I am the one in charge or ensuring that I am their leader and that I am doing everything in my power to give them the best experience possible.
Being a leader to these kids is important. If not me, then who? The assistant coaches I work with are great and they all have their own knowledge and skills that they bring to the table, but they are all either full time students (with majors that do not work with recreation), full time employees, or just flat out don't have the time to contribute anything once practice is over. All of the planning happens after practice- and that is why I am the leader/head coach of the team. I'm in charge of everything, and I can't do all of it between 4 and 6pm on a week day.
The leadership position to a group of high schoolers is important. You would not believe how much they take out of every word you say, or how you behave and handle situations. They pick up on your personality, your traits, your characteristics and they start to either portray those in their own way or just pick them up as their own. The way I handle things, say things, work with people always has to be the best way possible in case one of the kids is watching. If they see me do something wrong or unjust then they might lose faith in me or start to pick up on that and do it themselves- which is something I don't want.
In another aspect of my internship, leadership also plays a roll because I am often working individually with myself to get things done. When I think leadership, I think responsibility. When I am given a task and have to complete it with or without the help of other, I am responsible for getting it done. Usually when I do work with groups I am the source of leadership, and even when I have to work by myself, I am still (in my head haha) pushing myself to get it done because other people are counting on me.
Being a leader to these kids is important. If not me, then who? The assistant coaches I work with are great and they all have their own knowledge and skills that they bring to the table, but they are all either full time students (with majors that do not work with recreation), full time employees, or just flat out don't have the time to contribute anything once practice is over. All of the planning happens after practice- and that is why I am the leader/head coach of the team. I'm in charge of everything, and I can't do all of it between 4 and 6pm on a week day.
The leadership position to a group of high schoolers is important. You would not believe how much they take out of every word you say, or how you behave and handle situations. They pick up on your personality, your traits, your characteristics and they start to either portray those in their own way or just pick them up as their own. The way I handle things, say things, work with people always has to be the best way possible in case one of the kids is watching. If they see me do something wrong or unjust then they might lose faith in me or start to pick up on that and do it themselves- which is something I don't want.
In another aspect of my internship, leadership also plays a roll because I am often working individually with myself to get things done. When I think leadership, I think responsibility. When I am given a task and have to complete it with or without the help of other, I am responsible for getting it done. Usually when I do work with groups I am the source of leadership, and even when I have to work by myself, I am still (in my head haha) pushing myself to get it done because other people are counting on me.
Friday, March 13, 2015
Regatta Central
This past week we had the first large event that I actively participated in on Tempe Town Lake.
It was hard work, but in the end we managed to do it. I wrote a post about this a very weeks ago, but Desert Sprints- the name of the event- was executed last Saturday. We spent a week putting it up and a day taking it down. Alicia, Ryan, and an entire team of members worked for months to ensure everything from bathrooms and security to parking spots for all the teams were taken care of. The week leading up to the race, I spent nearly a total of 30 hours helping Alicia and Ryan putting in the race course and bringing out supplies from storage for the race.
The amount of people that volunteered for the event was amazing. Both setting up the course, and to help with the racing the day of. There was a group of 7 to 10 people including my self and my bosses that helped put in the race course, and then the day of racing we had to have almost 140 volunteers to make sure everything went smoothly that day.
Volunteers were needed for parking, registration, gear sales, clean up, safety both on and off the water, at the finish line, at the start line, and individuals needed to be in Stake Boats- which are stationary floating boats where people sit and hold on to the racing shells at the beginning of races so the boats don't float off before the start of the race. Alicia worked closely with one specific woman within the City of Tempe that helps wrangle volunteers together for events like this. I would not want to have her job. Getting 140 volunteers or more for events larger than ours would be so difficult and tedious because you never know who's going to show up and who isn't.
The setting up was long, but just tedious. The day of was a little chaotic, because there were so many people. And the day after was just plain over kill. It is difficult to take something down in a day that took four days to put up.
But Alicia got it done. I wasn't much help the last day because I got a sinus infection after working all day on Saturday but Alicia...man that lady can move when she wants to get something done. She is definitely someone I model myself after. I don't know how she does it.
It was hard work, but in the end we managed to do it. I wrote a post about this a very weeks ago, but Desert Sprints- the name of the event- was executed last Saturday. We spent a week putting it up and a day taking it down. Alicia, Ryan, and an entire team of members worked for months to ensure everything from bathrooms and security to parking spots for all the teams were taken care of. The week leading up to the race, I spent nearly a total of 30 hours helping Alicia and Ryan putting in the race course and bringing out supplies from storage for the race.
The amount of people that volunteered for the event was amazing. Both setting up the course, and to help with the racing the day of. There was a group of 7 to 10 people including my self and my bosses that helped put in the race course, and then the day of racing we had to have almost 140 volunteers to make sure everything went smoothly that day.
Volunteers were needed for parking, registration, gear sales, clean up, safety both on and off the water, at the finish line, at the start line, and individuals needed to be in Stake Boats- which are stationary floating boats where people sit and hold on to the racing shells at the beginning of races so the boats don't float off before the start of the race. Alicia worked closely with one specific woman within the City of Tempe that helps wrangle volunteers together for events like this. I would not want to have her job. Getting 140 volunteers or more for events larger than ours would be so difficult and tedious because you never know who's going to show up and who isn't.
The setting up was long, but just tedious. The day of was a little chaotic, because there were so many people. And the day after was just plain over kill. It is difficult to take something down in a day that took four days to put up.
But Alicia got it done. I wasn't much help the last day because I got a sinus infection after working all day on Saturday but Alicia...man that lady can move when she wants to get something done. She is definitely someone I model myself after. I don't know how she does it.
Alicia - My Boss
I chose to interview my boss, Alicia Jerger, for the post about interviewing a supervisor.
Alicia was born and raised here in Tempe and actively participated in programs and recreational sports that the City of Tempe offered while she was growing up. She played Basketball growing up and, since she was such a large/tall girl, she was quite good and tried to be recruited on to a collegiate basketball team when she graduated high school.
While traveling at an out of state game, the women's rowing coach for San Diego State University saw her playing and started to actively recruit Alicia to become a rower for SDSU. Because of the coaches interest in her, and the promises of being a great rower, Alicia decided to accept the offer and join the Women's Rowing team for SDSU. At SDSU she received her bachelors in Women's Studies because she wanted to become a lawyer, and her minor in Outdoor Recreation.
While at SDSU she worked in the marina where she helped coach junior rowing teams, maintain the facilities and drive large motor boats in and out of the bay for safety reasons. She worked there for 3 years while receiving her bachelors and minor. After having a very fulfilling athletic career at SDSU she moved back to Arizona and was planning on starting her law degree here at ASU. But, during her transition she knew she had to have a job during college, so she applied to the City of Tempe's recreation department on Tempe Town Lake. She knew it would be a good job for her because she had experience, and knew the area well. At the time- it was only temporary.
Under the supervision of Okie O'Connor, Alicia became the Boating Coordinator assistant. Her job was to participate with participants in the programs, help people out with directions, online issues, and registration. She maintained the boathouse of all equipment, got gas, took the trash out, was Head Coach of the junior rowing team, handled money that was due from people participating with events, programs, and classes. She made sure this money was handled properly and given to the city. She also helped set up large events, take them down, and organize other events that were going to take place on Tempe Town Lake.
Alicia worked as Boating Coordinator Assistant for 5 years, until she moved to a higher position in the Special Events department in the City of Tempe. In Special events she helped coordinate with companies such as Iron Man, various marathons, concerts, and awareness organizations (Breast Cancer, disabilities, wounded soldier).
She worked for Special Events for three years, during that three years she received her masters in Parks and Recreation Management with a certificate in Special Events Management. Leaving behind her plans of becoming a lawyer.
In April of 2013, Okie O'Connor passed away leaving the position of Boating Coordinator on Tempe Town Lake opened and without a replacement. The job was not left open for long because Alicia took it upon herself to step up and take over until a permanent replacement was found. That permanent replacement ended up to be her. Since then, Alicia has been Boating Coordinator of Tempe Town Lake and her new responsibilities now require her to do large things like budgeting for the programs being put on through her facilities, working with teams like Dragon Boats, rowing, and SUPs to help organize races for them on the lake, she maintains the programs and creates the schedule of classes, new classes that are offered, and decides if a class needs to go. She also hires new staff or decides when to let someone go. She directly interacts with the City of Tempe to ensure that all requirements are met and to see if they can add more on or take some things away.
When I asked her what would be in my best interest if I wanted to pursue the same career she has, she said that receiving a masters is basically necessary. And the equivalent of a high school Diploma in the government. She also said that since I started working in parks and recreation so young, I will have a good resume behind me when I start applying for jobs after college.
When asked about if there were any new trends in the field of parks and recreation, she said that there were. The trends starting to set in are more geared towards social groups that people have kind of ruled out for a long time. Usually popular programs are geared towards kids, teens, and able bodied adults. Now, programs are starting to work with the elderly, and the disabled. Therapy Recreation is no longer meant for private recreation businesses but rather- for everyone.
Alicia was born and raised here in Tempe and actively participated in programs and recreational sports that the City of Tempe offered while she was growing up. She played Basketball growing up and, since she was such a large/tall girl, she was quite good and tried to be recruited on to a collegiate basketball team when she graduated high school.
While traveling at an out of state game, the women's rowing coach for San Diego State University saw her playing and started to actively recruit Alicia to become a rower for SDSU. Because of the coaches interest in her, and the promises of being a great rower, Alicia decided to accept the offer and join the Women's Rowing team for SDSU. At SDSU she received her bachelors in Women's Studies because she wanted to become a lawyer, and her minor in Outdoor Recreation.
While at SDSU she worked in the marina where she helped coach junior rowing teams, maintain the facilities and drive large motor boats in and out of the bay for safety reasons. She worked there for 3 years while receiving her bachelors and minor. After having a very fulfilling athletic career at SDSU she moved back to Arizona and was planning on starting her law degree here at ASU. But, during her transition she knew she had to have a job during college, so she applied to the City of Tempe's recreation department on Tempe Town Lake. She knew it would be a good job for her because she had experience, and knew the area well. At the time- it was only temporary.
Under the supervision of Okie O'Connor, Alicia became the Boating Coordinator assistant. Her job was to participate with participants in the programs, help people out with directions, online issues, and registration. She maintained the boathouse of all equipment, got gas, took the trash out, was Head Coach of the junior rowing team, handled money that was due from people participating with events, programs, and classes. She made sure this money was handled properly and given to the city. She also helped set up large events, take them down, and organize other events that were going to take place on Tempe Town Lake.
Alicia worked as Boating Coordinator Assistant for 5 years, until she moved to a higher position in the Special Events department in the City of Tempe. In Special events she helped coordinate with companies such as Iron Man, various marathons, concerts, and awareness organizations (Breast Cancer, disabilities, wounded soldier).
She worked for Special Events for three years, during that three years she received her masters in Parks and Recreation Management with a certificate in Special Events Management. Leaving behind her plans of becoming a lawyer.
In April of 2013, Okie O'Connor passed away leaving the position of Boating Coordinator on Tempe Town Lake opened and without a replacement. The job was not left open for long because Alicia took it upon herself to step up and take over until a permanent replacement was found. That permanent replacement ended up to be her. Since then, Alicia has been Boating Coordinator of Tempe Town Lake and her new responsibilities now require her to do large things like budgeting for the programs being put on through her facilities, working with teams like Dragon Boats, rowing, and SUPs to help organize races for them on the lake, she maintains the programs and creates the schedule of classes, new classes that are offered, and decides if a class needs to go. She also hires new staff or decides when to let someone go. She directly interacts with the City of Tempe to ensure that all requirements are met and to see if they can add more on or take some things away.
When I asked her what would be in my best interest if I wanted to pursue the same career she has, she said that receiving a masters is basically necessary. And the equivalent of a high school Diploma in the government. She also said that since I started working in parks and recreation so young, I will have a good resume behind me when I start applying for jobs after college.
When asked about if there were any new trends in the field of parks and recreation, she said that there were. The trends starting to set in are more geared towards social groups that people have kind of ruled out for a long time. Usually popular programs are geared towards kids, teens, and able bodied adults. Now, programs are starting to work with the elderly, and the disabled. Therapy Recreation is no longer meant for private recreation businesses but rather- for everyone.
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