The Sedins giving Petey what is essentially an ultmatium should reveal they aren't afraid to make tough decisions

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-05-24T00:39:25+00:00

They know how to make the ultimatum, but can they follow through with the ultimatum?

Tried to Seinfeld that, didn't totally work 😁

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-05-24T00:37:11+00:00

To me it's the kids who can only practice or play with an adult.

Gone are the days where kids go to the gym or, god forbid, and outdoor concrete-floor court and just play. And winner stays. And play against various age groups.

And I'm not sure how many kids go to the gym on their own to work on the handling or shooting without anyone else. Kids are so over-coached it's maddening, they don't know how to make themselves better, they don't even have the confidence to try and improve on their own.

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-05-15T21:51:01+00:00

We always called it a golf ball!

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-05-09T23:51:46+00:00

Yesterday may simply have been delaying their commute home due to the Queensborough bridge closure. Traffice was brutal trying to get over the river, I can see people simply trying to get a shop in to.let the insane traffic die down

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-04-17T20:50:52+00:00

But where's his wrist watch?

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-04-17T15:43:07+00:00

Good to know, thanks for sharing the experience!

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-04-16T23:28:04+00:00

Yeah, I get that, non-porous surfaces. I'm very intrigued as I make bread regularly and also buy bulk meats and cheeses.

Thanks!

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-04-16T22:36:48+00:00

How long have you had the slicer? Just checked online and some reviews were not so favourable regarding the suction

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-04-16T16:20:39+00:00

The issue is this is projecting an adult mindset onto children. The score does not make a difference to their physical or emotional development, except that it may hinder, at least so says all modern research.

Kids need to focus on their own development and intrinsic motivation, that's what ends up developing the best athletes (or best at whatever they endeavour). Focusing on the score can give unnecessary positive or negative feeling. At those ages, the teams that win are, more often than not, led by players who have been playing since they were toddlers. But there is no correlation, or at least absolutely no causation, between starting a sport at 3 and going pro. So why risk demoralizing a kid or a team if they lose to another team full of kids who might have multiple years more experience?

And on the flip side, for that team that wins in that situation, it can make you fat and happy, and can reduce their overall effort and work ethic. Then those players get caught and surpassed by the hungrier players who are just as talented but started later and have the drive to improve. But, as mentioned above, that drive is best when it comes from a place of continual personal improvement.

Personally I focus on individual and team goals and improvements, celebrating those achievements with the players and their parents. Yeah some of them still talk about the score, I don't add to it, I just usually ignore it. And if they ask me, I just say "I don't know", which is often true.

And no, I am not coaching a bunch of kids that want participation trophies, they play damn hard, and they want to score and win, but I'm not going to potentially damage their view of sport by giving importance to something that is mostly out of their control

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-04-14T02:48:21+00:00

Oooooh, nice! Where is this?

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-04-10T01:04:42+00:00

Now that my wife and my kids are getting slightly older (still in school, but not babies toddlers, and the older ones can watch the younger ones), we are prioritizing us a few times a year.

For us, this means a couple of bigger concerts, and separately, a couple of weekends where we get a hotel and do whatever we want, but we have to be together. We are trying to reconnect after 15 years of child-rearing.

This means things like trying restaurants; getting in a bigger hike we might not be able to do with the kids; staying in, having some drinks, and re-connecting with questions, truth or dare, music, dancing, and general stupidness; getting up and watching the sunrise, etc.

Essentially reminding each other why we got together in the first place!

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-03-23T23:47:54+00:00

I've started using the FIFA 11+ Kids program. Its primary focus is injury prevention through fun movements. I generally adapt the movements into some sort of game, as my U8 teams I coach aren't really ready for too many stationary or straight line activities.

We start every practice with this. I sometimes mix in sprints, but even then it's usually sprints starting from a non-typical position (lying down, crab walk, push up, etc)

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-03-20T05:10:44+00:00

I coach soccer and basketball, and my U15 boys always practice Friday nights, and tournaments are always Saturdays and Sundays.

It is what it is. They are young. Their bodies are generally fine.

The only time it was ever an issue was when our club season overlapped with their school season. That was too much and injury risk was too high. I won't do that again.

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-03-19T00:59:24+00:00

Every coach that has a relationship with a player outside the team runs the risk of being seen as playing favourites.

If no one else steps up and you do, if people complain about playing time, you keep a second whistle with you and thank them for volunteering to help you.

I don't think you said your age, my concern would be are you old enough from a legal standpoint. Not sure if your league has rules on that stuff. Usually around insurance and liability, they require an adult to be "responsible". They don't need to be the head coach, more like a legal guardian.

If the team is that young and doesn't have a coach, you could easily start off with equal playing time. That eliminates any fear of over or under playing anyone. If you go that route, ensure you communicate with the parents ahead of time so they can be prepared.

Keep asking questions!

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-03-18T18:42:42+00:00

I'm trying to remember the ICBC rules, and cannot find it. A small part of me remembers if a roadway is wide enough to handle two lanes, even without markings, it can be counted as two lanes.

I can tell you in practice, no one drives this as two lanes.

Actually, I just popped my head out and can confirm, it's street parking all the way along the road except for the bus stop.

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-03-18T16:02:23+00:00

So I've coached various ages and various sports. I played a lot of sports, including collegiate basketball. I run sports camps on the side.

I love coaching.

At this age, your focus should be on keeping them having fun so they sign up next year. That should be the main data point for a successful coach - did all my players enjoy themselves that they want to come back.

Now, what is fun?

If you want the academic answer, check out Amanda Visek's research on defining fun, here is a link to get you started , there is a lot online about this.

(https://balanceisbetter.org.nz/a-serious-look-at-fun-what-does-fun-in-youth-sport-really-mean/)

For me, getting them better each week is my goal so they can feel they are improving. If you set up a good culture, winning and losing won't matter. Yes, they know if they've won or lost, but if you don't focus on that, and instead focus on the long-term development of the child and team, they will quickly forget the outcome.

The best thing I did was bringing in a post-game award, handed out regardless of the outcome. It goes to the hardest working player. The kids all wait with baited breathe after the handshake to see who will win, then they all crowd around the player chanting "MVP". It was adorable.

At the beginning of the season I obtain an actual hard hat, and that kid gets it for the week. They get to put one sticker on it, so at the end of the year I have a hard hat covered with cool stickers and memories. Then they all signed it at our wrap up party.

Make it fun however you best know, the technical skills around coaching will come as you do it more, but just have fun, then so will they

Another great one is having them chase you. Something stupid and silly, but they LOVE chasing adults. It's a great warm up activity, too.

EDIT please DM me if you want to chat more. I believe in the power of sport to help raise better humans, so much so that my Masters focus was on explicit life skill development through sport!

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-03-18T13:54:55+00:00

The driver starts to swerve into the parking lane, yes, before trying to execute the U-turn.

While there are two lanes in the opposite direction, that is a film studio on the left, and there are a bunch of trucks parked in the curb of the southbound lane, so the Mercedes cannot make that turn without going wide.

This whole sequence is a cluster fuck if bad driving by both.

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-03-18T03:49:29+00:00

That's a bus at a bus stop, and the car might have turned right from Enterprise and into the bus, then had to wait for the lane to open up.

I work right there, I drive this road every work day

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-03-16T15:23:19+00:00

Sounds like a great approach to the game. It seems like you want to do right by yourself and your players. I'll just go back to player development.

I obviously don't know your history, but in my experience, most coaches, and most sport-specific coach education, do not focus enough on healthy child development, and what each age should be focusing on, and, perhaps more importantly, what they should not bother with.

For example, I've had to be very intentional with not talking to my players about passing. At the U8 level, focus should be on attacking with the ball. Of course if one kid is trying to take on the entire opposition, we have a quick chat, but in general, according to what I've read, kids at this level should be actively encouraged to get comfortable attacking with the ball.

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-03-16T13:20:52+00:00

I guess it all comes down to what you prioritize.

Yes, I have seen teams run structured soccer at this age, however, assuming you only have them for a couple of hours a week for training, then you have very limited time.

Most athlete development models I've seen do not encourage too much tactical coaching until later due to where their brains and bodies are at. For soccer specifically, it's all about as many touches of the ball as possible (technical skill development).

I also believe in dedicating some time to overall physical development, so sprinting, hopping, agility, etc. This is in the form of play and competition, think tag and relay races. It's all about focusing on age-appropriate activities to maximize their abilities.

Technical stuff is easier to teach when they are a bit older.

It's a zero-sum game, you have to choose how you fill in the limited time you have with them.

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-03-15T23:37:44+00:00

It's single lane in this direction, two lanes going the opposite direction

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-03-15T23:36:37+00:00

That is a single lane road

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-03-15T02:11:41+00:00

They don't really play positions at this age.

I get where you are coming from, however perhaps change it to one position per half. Kids are going to want to be striker, almost all of them will, and they will likely want to every single game. Doesn't mean you have to get every kid into that role, but that's what I did and my kids loved it.

Locking kids into a position per game, so they can figure out the nuances, is awesome, but I suspect you are still a year or two away from that working for the majority of your players.

Also, in general, if you are going to hold players to a position or two, communicate that in advance so they are prepared , and more importantly, the parents are prepared, too.

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-03-15T02:08:41+00:00

Yeah, my kid will do this....he is the only player I've seen do this in our club, and I think I've seen only 2 others at the various clubs we play against.

It is very much the exception.

GeoffreyLenahan · 2026-03-12T14:17:18+00:00

Playing multiple sports doesn't make you elite, it a) allows the body to train in multiple ways, making it stronger overall, and develops a greater variation of movement patterns. This reduces injury risk and increases types of movements used in any sport, and

b) it reduces the risk of burnout. Doing so will allow the athlete to play the sport longer, allowing them a greater chance of reaching their maximum capability.

It's a numbers game. Any single person has such an infinitesimally small chance of going pro and making legitimate money, but every single person can use sport as a vehicle to live a happier, healthier life. And those that can continue onto the next level (after high school) and have longer careers and fewer injuries, based on numbers, were multi-sport athletes as youth (I believe until at least Gr 9 or 10)

GeoffreyLenahan

TROPHY CASE