After a few sibbling banters about my small stature and his filthy shoes, and quick chat about his knowledge of finance and background in business - of which I know nothing and desperately need to pick his brain to help get Blossom Connect up & running, we got into the questions...
How long have you played sports and what were your favourites?
For as long as I can remember I've played sports. At school I played anything, cricket, footy, soccer, bat tennis (he says, don't put that one in and laughs, so I put it in, what is Bat Tennis anyway?). Even if there wasn't a game or a ball I would just make up games. I used to kick my brother's teddy bear up and down the hallway, and in high school we used to kick around a coke bottle, and then upgraded to a tennis ball. (I remember the teddy incidents....not pretty. Poor Bed Ted.). It just goes to show that getting involved in sports and playing games doesn't have to be expensive, just make up your own and use what you've got at your disposal.
But it wasn't until I was about 9 that I started to get into competitive team sports. I started out with cricket, and I just loved it. By the time I was about 12 I started to get better at soccer and eventually made the switch.
What do you love about playing sport?
Winning. Or more to the point, the celebration of winning. There is just nothing better than celebrating a success with a group of people who were there with you, sharing the emotion and being part of the same events. Celebration in individual sports is so different when you're on a team. But it's not always about winning, it's about celebrating the success you have and gaining confidence, even if it's just celebrating a goal or making a great pass. It's almost back to Maslow's basic human needs, food, shelter and a sense of belonging, being part of a tribe.
As a senior coach, what are the most important lessons you've learnt?
It's really horses for courses. Everyone is different, personality wise, ability wise, and you just can't treat all team members the same. You have to be flexible and work to their needs. It's also a case of winning more flies with honey than with glue. If you coach through fear and dictation you might get what you want, but nothing more. But if you coach with encouragement, support and belief in your team's ability they will have trust and faith in you and will have the opportunity to succeed and exceed. I also coach juniors and it's really about getting the balance right in terms of development. You will have early and late developers and you will have different abilities, but you can't limit the opportunity for the talented for the sake of playing time for those with less ability. Kids know when you're underestimating them or patronising them. Is it more damaging to let the less talented think they are great and lose the game, or to encourage them to find areas where they are better and can exceed?
What values do you think kids can learn from sport?
Responsibility and commitment. Just like when you go to work or school, you can't turn up late, you can't wag a day and expect to take the test the next day. If you don't put in the effort at training, you can't just expect to get a game. It's about the good of the team and just because it's not professional level, doesn't mean you shouldn't have professional standards. But as coaches, we get to know our players, and we know when there's a disadvantage or hardship going on, and we can work with those kids on an individual level to help get them to game day. In our senior teams we have 5 or 6 police officers, and they will be the first to tell you that the kids they pick up for crimes in Ballarat have no role models and aren't involved in team sports. When you work in a team you learn to tolerate others, even if you might not like them, and you learn how to make the best of a situation, and not over-react to situations.
Do you see any links between sport and academics?
Yes. Sport can be a substitute for academics. For some kids, school is just not for them, the classroom terrifies them and they don't want to be ridiculed for their lack of ability in class. But when they get out on the field, their mind goes into overdrive and they just open up and take it in their stride. Those are the kids who will learn just as much on the playing field as they ever will in the classroom, and it's beautiful to see. It gives them confidence, and they know they are great. For some kids it could be a great way to expend that extra energy and release the adrenalin that they run on, so then they can take that calm time to concentrate on their work.
How could sports help kids with their school work?
Sport is ALL about maths. It's about statistics and counting everything. If footy is your thing, you should be an ace at counting by sixes (one goal = six points) so if a team wins by 120 points, how many goals is that? Same if it's cricket looking at 4s and 6s. In soccer it's all about possessions. Play computer games like Football Manager or AFL Dream Team. Read about the team player stats and match results in the sports guides and magazines.
And for the teachers out there...I don't know a single boy in my class who enjoyed writing a book report. But if you'd asked us to watch a game of sport, then write a full report on it, we would've excelled I'm sure! It's about getting the kids genuinely interested in the content. A boring romance between Romeo & Juliet is not nearly as exciting as the passion felt in the AFL dramas going on. When it comes to sport, I don't need a script, I can just talk and be confident in my knowledge.
What are your top 3 tips for parents looking for a sports club for their child?
1. Do your research. Don't choose the closest club to you. Find one that meets your child's needs now and into the future. Are they talented and want to go onto higher levels? Or are they just happy to have a crack?
2. If your kids have a friend or 2 already in the club take that into consideration. Just like school, clubs have cliques. It's very hard to get into a new team and make new friends if you have nothing in common and don't know anyone. But beware of advice from people who are actually involved in the clubs. You will often get biased opinions that are perceptions, not reality.
3. Even if you think you can't afford it, go along and give it a go anyway. Talk to the club's administrators who will go out of their way 110% to try and help you get into the game. Payment plans, discounts or other arrangements are always possible in local clubs. Clubs know how important it is for kids to get involved in sports and they don't want to disadvantage or exclude anybody.
So the clock ticks over and it's time to head out into the rooms and give the team a bit of a rev up and get ready for the game. In my eyes cricket may be the most boring sport in the world, but in Michael's eyes it glistens. He was right, he could just talk and talk about sport, about soccer and helping young kids. You can see it in his manner that once he relaxes into it, he's got ideas firing left, right and centre. He even gets animated when he talks about the numbers involved. Maths. It's just not my thing. He really does live and breathe the game though. I once asked him what he would do in his spare time if he had all the money in the world. And he said "I would think up better ways to win games and then I'd get all the kids involved in it". I think someone knows their passion in life.
Do your kids play team sports? Or do you think they would like to? What are the challenges for you as a parent getting your kids into sports?
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Happy Learning!
