Character Lessons from a Difficult Season

"You can tell a lot about a person’s character, not by the mistakes he has made, but by how he has handled those mistakes. The person who takes responsibility for his errors and does what he can to fix the problems he’s created is someone you should respect. The person who has never made a mistake in his own mind, who attempts to deflect blame, is someone you should approach cautiously." - Lou Holtz

 This was a difficult season to say the least.  In fact, its probably the most difficult season I have been associated with.  As I was preparing our final team meeting I came across some end of year notes with the following questions:  Did your players individual skill level improve? What life lessons did players learn throughout the season?  

Our final record does not indicate much success, but I am very proud of the progress each player made throughout the season.  Each player's skill level improved but their response to adversity also improved.  We had players accepting responsibility for mistakes and not letting mistakes effect the next play by the end of the season.  Their willingness to come work hard in practice every day, buy into the process over the scoreboard and ability to keep grinding when adversity kept coming will serve them well as they graduate high school and move on into the "real world."  Its easy to be engaged and positive when things are going well.  These players have demonstrated they can be counted on when times are tough too.  Any employer would be thrilled to have an employee with those traits.