David Belisle, the
Other than the part at the end where Belisle brings his guys in for a group hug -- and your heart breaks as the mike picks up the players' crying -- this is my favorite line, because it captures how often I feel as a coach at the end of the season, when I'm getting choked up saying goodbye to a group of kids I've gotten to know and enjoy: "The only reason why, OK, I'll probably end up shedding a tear" -- with his New England accent, it charmingly comes out as tee-ah -- "is because this is the last time I'll be coaching you guys." I think everyone watching shed a few tee-ahs from that one.
It was a wonderful speech, and no doubt the stakes and emotion were high, given the high visibility of the Little League World Series, as well as the arduous competitive route to get there. Belisle has spent a lot of time with this 11- to 13-year-olds (one of whom is his son, John), which combined with his visible knack for getting to know these players helped him develop the good sense of what to say at the end. As if Belisle needed additional help to put baseball in perspective, this opportunity for him, his son and his team is happening as his wife fights cancer.
Looking at all that, you might think -- how, as a parent or coach, could I deliver such a rousing, meaningful speech at the end of, say, a rec-league basketball season that has no playoffs whatsoever? I'll give you a few tips -- without a promise this will completely develop your elocution abilities -- that will allow you to have a season-ending speech that will carry a positive impact:
1. Don't put pressure on yourself to say something grand and eloquent, or grandiloquent. Everybody isn't a wordsmith, or a speechmaker. Trust you'll say the right thing, and worry less about what exactly you'll say.
2. Know your team and your players. You're not going to get their whole life stories, wants and dreams in a 10-game season. But through practices and games, you'll get to know the kids, and they'll sense that you're caring enough to get to know them. Just the fact you're taking interest in their lives means a lot. If you're a parent who is not a coach, that means after practices and games, ask questions that show an interest in your child's activities -- not whether they won or lost, or whether they're taking that next step toward a scholarship.
3. Realize that the best way to have fun -- for everyone -- is to build a team, and teach everyone to work together. This is true for parents, too. If you're living in the moment of getting kids to play together and improve over the course of the season, that's what can make a season magical, even if your team is losing every game. For many kids, the greatest thing about the youth sports experience is making new friends.
4. At the end, it's enough to say you're proud of your players, that it's been your pleasure to be a part of their lives, and that you're sorry it's over. As a coach or parent, you don't have to infuse it with greater meaning. The kids will decide, someday, how much this experience affects them.
If you follow these steps, you might not get Billie Jean King to tweet how much she'd like to play for you. But you will -- as a coach or parent -- say the right, meaningful things when the season is over. No matter how awkward or silly you think you sound.
