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What's the Pirate's Log?

It's a place for opinion. Opinions are like noses. Everybody's got one. Some are long and pointy. Some full of hot air. Some are full of other stuff we'd prefer not to talk about in polite company. I'll tell you my opinion, but feel free to submit yours. If its sufficiently long, pointy or even full of hot air, I'll publish it here. If its full of other stuff, I won't. Be sure and include your name. No anonymous log entries.

-- Tom Sinclair

 

Log Entry 3/30/6     Life’s Lessons Learned on and around the Pitch (by Tom Sinclair)

Lesson #1            Life is not fair.

Soccer example: Assistant Referee (the one with the flag) fails to lift the flag to signal an otherwise obvious offside on the team that is not my team. The other team scores. We lose. Life is not fair.

Lesson #2            Bad things happen to good people

Soccer example: Two players jump high into the air to try to control a ball. One player comes down funny and crumples to the turf. Destroyed ACL is the rumor. Fifty-fifty ball. An accident. Bad things happen to good people.

Lesson #3            Character is built through adversity.

Soccer example: A soccer player is injured in mid season. Not a season-ending injury, but bad enough to miss games. His or her team is in a run for the playoffs. The player fights through the injury, playing in pain and maybe risking a reoccurrence of the injury. A brace, cast or other orthopedic device makes the player a target of less-than-scrupulous opponents. The player works hard to contribute even at only 80% effectiveness. Depth of character is built through adversity.

Lesson #4            Open book tests do not promote effective learning

Soccer example: Alabama high school soccer referees need not ever have played or coached the game. Apparently its up to each local soccer referees association to set the level of required training other than a state-mandated class and open book exam. Open book exam? How about a max time in a timed sprint or distance run? How about an apprentice program where referees “work their way up the ladder” by calling middle school and JV games under the watchful eye of an experienced official. Maybe even get some feedback that doesn't start out, “You moron, don’t you know the rules…” Open book tests do not promote effective learning.

Lesson #5            Teenagers are sneaky. Adults are oblivious.

Soccer example: Two players run down the field, shoulder to shoulder. One player tries to pull away but seems attached to the other player. The over-40 AR never sees the fist full of jersey. The AR seems to miss the elbow to the chest and the trip. He does see the retaliation. Yellow! Teenagers are sneaky. Adults are oblivious.

 

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