Personal Accounts of Veterinarians Serving on Opposing Sides of the China-Burma-India Conflict During WW II

Three years ago, I interviewed my longtime friend, Dr. Kenneth Gumaer '43, who had served during World War II in the China-Burma-India theater. His responsibility was to supervise the safe transport of over 250 mules from New Orleans to Calcutta, India. Despite being torpedoed by a German U-boat and enduring rough seas that caused massive hematomas on the mules, Dr. Gumaer proudly reported that they lost just one animal during the 87-day passage. 

From the disembarking point, the mules were transported by train to Deogarh, India for training and final preparations for combat. Then Gumaer led them through almost impenetrable jungle and over treacherous mountain passes behind the Japanese lines in Burma until they finally captured the strategic airport at Myitkyina. It was a major Allied victory in the C-B-I campaign and a significant turning point in the war.

Dr. Kenneth Gumaer with a Pack Mule
in the China-India-Burma Campaign in WWII (1944)

While talking to Dr. Gumaer and other veterinarians with combat animal responsibilities, like Dr. Delano L. Proctor ‘42, I was struck by how they were driven not by the military exploits, but by the care of the mules and horses under their charge.

Approximately, five months ago, I was informed of a 93-year-old veterinary military officer who had served in the Japanese Imperial Army during the Burma campaign. Dr. Takehiko Takahashi was assigned to manage the health and well-being of 300 horses being transported by ship from occupied China to the Burma war zone. Faced with various equine illnesses (including severe outbreaks of Strangles), he remembers his excitement when a small bag containing anti-Strangles serum was delivered to his ship after they had disembarked from China. Dr. Takahashi was also challenged with the intemperate South China Sea, serious ventilation problems and the lack of water, food and exercise for the horses held in close confinement deep in the hold of his ship.

 
Next week, I shall have the opportunity to meet and interview Dr. Takahashi in Tokyo, to capture his story in a manner that is similar to the first-person accounts of Drs. Gumaer and Proctor. I shall also be lecturing at three Japanese veterinary colleges. The arrangements and support for the trip have been provided by faculty at the colleges and by a Japanese veterinarian, Dr. Hidemi Yasuda, and his sons: Junya Yasuda – a student at Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, and Koji, a final-year veterinary student at Cornell.

I invite you to follow this blog as the trip progresses.

Photographs Featured in "Outdoor Idaho"

The most recent episode of Idaho Public Television's "Outdoor Idaho" program featured a number of photos from the Library's Frank Church manuscript collection. Entitled "Wilderness in the 21st Century," the program examines the history and future of wilderness areas in Idaho. If you missed the program, you can view it online at http://video.idahoptv.org/video/1622555196. Half a dozen Frank Church photos appear at the 9:40 mark. Bethine Church and Boise State University professor John Freemuth also appear in the program offering their views on wilderness.

Alan Virta, Head of Special Collections

Are you a successful coach?

This is sourced from http://www.footy4kids.co.uk/

Some very intersting survey results in this article.


There are many articles that suggest a team's win:loss ratio is not the correct way to measure success in youth soccer and we should measure the development of the children who play the game instead.
A coach who takes the opposing view – that I am a good coach if my team wins matches – is, in effect, saying that he is the most important person on the team and that the needs and wishes of the children who play for HIS TEAM are secondary to their own.

That may be an uncomfortable thought for the thousands of "win at all cost" coaches that prowl and growl along the touch lines every Saturday morning but there's no getting away from it: if you put winning matches at the top of your list of objectives, you are doing the children who play in your team a great disservice.
I can hear emails winging their way to me already. Emails along the lines of: "Steve... if we don't put winning at the centre of everything we do, our best players will leave the team to go to clubs that are more successful and eventually we'll have nothing!"

But if players go to other clubs, they are still playing soccer. So what are you worried about? That your team is weakened? But it's not your team. It belongs to the children who play in it and if they are still getting what they want out of soccer then your win:loss ratio is (or should be) irrelevant.

So let's consider for a moment just why our children want to play "the beautiful game".

A recent study in the USA asked 3,900 children why they played sports outside of school. [1]

Boys
1. To have fun
2. To do something I'm good at
3. To improve my skills
4. For the excitement of competition
5. To stay in shape
6. For the challenge of competition
7. To get exercise
8. To learn new skills
9. To play as part of a team
10. To go to a higher level of competition 

Girls
1. To have fun

2. To stay in shape

3. To get exercise

4. To improve my skills 

5. To do something I am good at

6. To learn new skills

7. For the excitement of competition

8. To play as part of a team

9. To make new friends

10. For the challenge of competition.

Note that winning matches doesn't get a mention.


Other studies have found similar results so it's reasonable to assume that your players play soccer for the same or very similar reasons.[2]
These findings suggest a "Top 5" way of measuring the development of our players and give us a true indication of our success (or otherwise) as a coach.
1. Fun
Do our players have fun? Do they arrive and leave training sessions with a smile on their faces and do they look forward to playing in matches?
2. Skills
Do we teach our players new skills and are they encouraged to try them out in matches without worrying about making a mistake?
3. Friendship
Are our players friendly with each other? Do they support team mates who make errors and do they respect players on other teams?
4. Fitness
Are our players fit enough to show off their skills? Do we encourage healthy eating habits?
5. Effort
Do we praise effort rather than performance and say "well done" to players who give 100%?

If you can put a tick against all of these (or even most of them) I suggest you can consider yourself to be a successful youth soccer coach, regardless of match results.
Cue more emails: "OK, so my players are happy. But what about my parents? They won't like it if the team keeps losing."
Sure, some parents want coaches to produce a winning team and will take their son or daughter elsewhere if the results aren't great. But just as many don't care if the team wins or loses. All they care about is how their kids play and, if you ask them, the majority of parents don't want the team to win if it means some children don't get on the pitch. [3]
So talk to your parents. Explain how you measure the team's success. You may be surprised to find that they aren't so preoccupied with winning as you thought they were.

Summary

We all want to be successful but in youth soccer, as in other walks of life, it's important to measure yourself against the correct criteria. Don't assume that if you are winning matches you're doing a good job. You might be, but if your players aren't friends, don't laugh much or look scared on match days you need to make some changes.

References


US Youth Soccer Coaching Education Department, Youth Soccer in America: how do we measure success?
[1] Cox, R., (2002). Sport Psychology: Concepts and Applications 5th Ed. (p.108). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
[2] Dr. Colleen Hacker, Understanding Why Children Participate in Soccer, q.v. http://www.footy4kids.co.uk/why_children_play_soccer.html
[3] John DeBenedictis, Executive Director (National Soccer Coaches Association of Canada), Are Coaches Being Glorified?

Sheeps

Today was a good day.  It started with our first lecture in Veterinary Public Health. I can honestly say that this part of the field does not do much for me, as crucial as it is, but the lecturer was really good.  He was an Italian with a strong accent.  I got such a kick out of how he basically added a vowel to the end of each word.  Second lecture was a kicker - embryology again with a focus on cranial nerves.  I'm enjoying this part of the course; it's challenging and interesting.  It's so amazing to learn which type of cells each of our body parts are formed.

This afternoon, we got to play with sheep for our 3 hour practical out at Easter Bush farm.  How much fun was that??  The vet school's 'shepherd', was a fantastic teacher.   Sheep are flock animals, so once you get one going in a direction, they allllll follow.  They do not like to be isoloated at all.  We were taught how to catch them - get them bunched into a group in the corner of the pen preferably, pick out the one you want and get right up next to him.  He should be in a position where he doesn't have any room to run either with fencing or other sheep surrounding him.  Then, get your hand under his chin and lift up. Voila...you have control of a sheep.  You use your whole body to get him against the corral so he can't easily escape.  We were shown how to age a sheep up to about 2years, 9 months by looking at his teeth, how to sex him/her, how to condition score him (feeling lower back, and vertebral protubrances) to determine how his overall body condition is on a scale of 0-5.  Zero is basically dead and 5 is a fatty, fat, fat. We learned how to 'flip' them.  That's not really the correct term, but it's well known.  It means to put them on their butt and have their back leaning up against your body.  They really cannot move once you get them there and it's easy to look at their mouth, sex them and generally check out their underside.  We also learned how to judge their weight....this is harder than it sounds. Different breeds not only have different fleece (making them look bigger or smaller), but also are shorter, stockier, leggier, etc, making it all more difficult.  Plus, we have to do it in kilograms, which my mind does not easily think in yet. We also practiced 'worming' them orally with water.  It was a very productive practical and I feel like just a few hours with these animals, I gained so much confidence in handling them.  They can get quite skiddish if you don't do some techniques properly and can jump straight in the air out of nowhere. Lots of fun and informative. 

I'm now enjoying the most favorite part of my day...spending quality time with my boys and having a cocktail.  They must have been awake most of the day looking for me out the window because they are both now passed out on my desk while I type.  Really good thing I bought a desk with a large surface area.  They have no clue they are dogs sometimes. 

Time for a little bite to eat then a bit of studying.  I just cannot believe tomorrow is already Friday again!  The weeks are just flying by.

Over-N-Out

Feelin' mo betta

It appears as though I've kicked some nasty stomach flu before it got to me.  Swollen, hard, lymph node is smaller and not sore any more.  Sore throat is absent.  Looks like my immune system may actually be working these days.  Whew! 

So, I must first complain. With that being said, I do promise to do a post on what I love about the UK and what I cannot fathom/stand about the UK.  As a sneak peek, I really despise the delivery system here for mail and shipped goods.  Here's the major problem, a lot of people live in tenements that have a keyed door to the outside and once you are in, has all of the separate flat doors which are also keyed. The Royal mail slots are on our private flat doors, so once the mailman is in, he can just mail through the slot. There is a buzzer/speaker system on the outside of most buildings corresponding to each individual flat (and even a 'service' one that will buzz all flats at once) so that you can unlock the outer door from inside your flat.  The problem, of course, is that deliveries and postal service are usually in the middle of the day and many times...guess what...no one is home. So, the mail or delivery goes back on the truck and you are none the wiser for the most part until you finally get it and see the delivery history.  It infuriates me to get an important piece of mail a week late stamped 4 times with 'no entry', or a package with multiple delivery attempts that I paid extra for the shipping.  The horribly frustrating part about deliveries is that they tell you they will deliver sometime between 7am and 7pm.  Great, so you really think everyone is a stay-at-home mom or a bustout hanging lying on the couch playing video games all day? 

The company that tried to deliver my much needed textbooks on Monday (while I was at university) was kind enough to leave a note outside to either re-schedule a delivery or arrange to pick up.  I would have been fine picking it up (since I don't have any days off), but the hub was about 30 minutes away, out near the airport.  So, I took my chances and scheduled it for the day I only had two lectures and got here 20 minutes before it was delivered.  Terrible system.  Terrible.

Now on to brighter things. Embryology I am finding rather interesting so far.  Things are moving very quickly, but at least we have great lecturers and the material is mostly new for me.  Tomorrow, we get our first lecture in Veterinary Public Health and do a sheep handling practical....read: flipping sheep!  I'm looking forward to the farm stuff, as usual.

So, my next post I think I will actually explain what my program is, what it entails, what I will be when I graduate (note, I did not say when I grew up) and what all the letters behind my name will mean. 

I've been really productive today and need to finish on a high note, so I'm going to look over what I'm doing tomorrow. 

Ciao. 

Over-N-Out

School Sport Australia Under 12 Football Championship

This report is provided by NPL roving reporter, Simon Kravis. It's a bit late but don't blame Simon, I got it some time ago and seem to have lost the original somewhere on the Blogsite. Simon came to the rescue with another copy. So better later than never - it is a very comprehensive report and contains some terrific information.


School Sport Australia Under 12 Football Championship

Nelson Bay, NSW 29 Aug -3 Sep 2010

The legendary Eric Cantona once said that what he liked about English football was the passion that surrounded it and the way that it was played from end to end at a hundred miles per hour. All of these qualities were very much in evidence at this year’s School Sport Australia Under 12 Football championship, held at the Toomaree Sports Complex near Nelson Bay, just north of Newcastle in NSW between Mon 29 August and Friday 2 September. Boys and girls teams from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory took part. Boys and girls matches between the same regions followed each other in the initial stage of the competition, and a round-robin between the top and bottom three teams followed.

The qualities that so enthused Eric Cantona were most evident in the Boys competition and resulted in some enthralling games. There was no stroking the ball between defenders waiting for the other team to over-commit or make an error, no leisurely strolls of substitutes onto the field to wind down the clock, and minimal simulation or any other vices found at the higher levels of the game. Movements forward were always at top speed. Mistakes were common but as soon as they occurred the players would try to rectify them, seldom pausing for regret or frustration.

The benchmark for Under 12 boys football in Australia was set by the team from Singok Primary School in Korea in the 2008 Kanga Cup, where they would probably have won the Under 13 competition with their exceptional individual and team skills. They would have prevailed against any of the teams in the SSA competition this year, but would have had to have worked much harder – playing standards seem to be improving across the board.

Refereeing was of a high standard, with rough play quickly penalized and seldom occurring. As well as a canteen, there were coffee and fresh fruit stalls, both of which seemed to do excellent business, and smoking was banned around the pitches. Accommodation was organised individually for the ACT team but was easily available at Nelson Bay or other towns in the Port Stephens area close to the venue.

The tournament unfolded for the ACT teams as follows.

Monday 29 August

The ACT teams faced a tough start to the competition, facing NSW and Queensland, who have almost monopolised top place for both boys and girls competitions for the past 20 years. The ACT boys had the better of the play against NSW in the morning. NSW started nervously opening but ACT were 1-0 down at half time after a defensive error left an open goal for NSW’s Nick Sullivan. ACT pressed strongly in the second half but were unable to find an equalizer. In the afternoon, the ACT again had the better of the play against Queensland with many more chances, but were unable to finish against a strong Queensland defence. Tomas Ross almost snatched the game for Queensland in the last minute with a shot that was inches over the bar but final scoreline was 0-0. Skill levels from both teams were outstanding, and the excitement of the game was not indicated by the scoreline. George Timotheu dominated the midfield for the ACT, and attackers Mark Tokich and Vuk Vucic showed great close ball skills.

The ACT girls fared less well, conceding 3 goals to NSW in the first 8 minutes of their morning game through defensive errors that were pounced on by a powerful NSW attack. The ACT rallied in the second half, with Georgia Fogarty testing the NSW defence with her speed, but NSW scored again in the second half from a well-taken corner to win 4-0. Queensland dominated the ACT throughout the afternoon game, scoring twice in the first half and once in the second from a diagonal cross tapped in at the far post to win 3-0. Julia de Angelis defended strongly for the ACT in both the NSW and Queensland games and kept the scoreline down.

Tuesday 30 August

This was a much better day for the ACT. The boy’s morning game against South Australia followed the pattern of the previous day, with ACT dominating the play but unable to land the ball in the net, finishing with another 0-0 draw. For South Australia, Liam Miller was always threatening but was contained by diligent defence from Daniel Hearle, whose consistency and concentration underpinned the ACT team’s performance.

The Northern Territory turned in a spirited performance in the afternoon against the ACT. NT striker Sean Kidd showed excellent skills and the NT team as a whole never stopped running, but they conceded a goal in the first half to Sam Whitear. There were a number of chances for ACT in the second half, but the score remained at 1-0 to the ACT at the close.

The girls team managed to put Monday’s defeats behind them, and exploited the space frequently given to them by South Australia, answering an early South Australia goal with a penalty slotted home by Ruth Kravis after a handball, and further goal from Maddie Shevlin to take a 2-1 lead at half-time. South Australia responded in the second half and leveled the score from another handball penalty, but Georgia Fogarty sent the ball into the net via a South Australian player from a goalmouth melee in the last minutes, giving the match to ACT 3-2.

The ACT girls dominated throughout against the Northern Territory, with Maddie Shevlin scoring twice and Mykala van Deyk and Eddie Nelson once to give the game to the ACT 4-0. For the NT, midfielder Poppy Waterford showed great tenacity and striker Jasmine Puratetameri had a couple of chances but did not manage to put them away.

Thursday 2 September

After a day’s layoff where all 200 players, coaches and manager went on a whale and dolphin watching excursion, the competition resumed with Victoria on the ACT teams’ mind. The boys faced off first and Victoria were ahead after 4 minutes from a powerful strike by Reno Piscopo after a defence clearance went astray. The ACT rallied and created a number of chances in the first half but failed to finish them. Victoria started strongly in the second half and Emmanuel Brima had only the ACT goalkeeper to beat after an impressive run, but shot just wide. After another near miss from the ACT’s Mark Tokich, Victoria scored again from an indirect free kick with Reno Piscopo driving under the wall and sealed the match at 3-0 with a goal from Brima from a position that many people thought was offside, but not the referee. This result put the ACT boys into 5th place for playoffs against South Australia and Northern Territory.

The ACT girls started with a lot of confidence after their wins on Tuesday and had the better of the play for the first half, with Julia de Angelis dominating the midfield and the attackers having many opportunities. The reward came after 9 minutes when Samantha Roff scuffled the ball into the net, and again after 15 minutes when Maddie Shevlin picked up a loose ball in front of goal and slotted it home. Victoria had a better second half, with midfielder Snezana Petreski showing an excellent first touch, and Emma Robers pulled a goal back in the last 5 minutes. Victoria piled on the pressure after this, but ACT held firm to win the match 2-1.

This win put the ACT Girls into 3rd place, with victory in sight if they could beat New South Wales and Queensland in the playoffs, so the game against the New South Wales in the afternoon was crucial. Buoyed by their 4-0 victory on Monday, NSW started strongly, and a set piece from a diagonal free kick across goal by Brooke Miller nearly paid off after a few minutes. However, the ACT defence was much more confident in this game and Julia de Angelis succeeded in closing down key players Stevie Donougher and Jaqueline Anyon-Smith who had been so successful previously. The ACT contested all loose balls amd Mykala van Deyk had a great opportunity in the second half, but defender Samara Wehmeyer was very difficult to get past. NSW dominated the first part of the second half, but neither team had a consistent advantage after that and the match finished as a 0-0 draw, which pleased the ACT much more than it disappointed NSW. So much had the ACT improved that the two teams were almost unrecognizable, except when NSW played set pieces, which were very often threatening.

Friday 3 September

After a night of complicated calculation of possible results from the final day of play, the ACT girls met Queensland again in the morning with high hopes, but Queensland kept a tight grip on the match from kick-off, scoring after 4 minutes when a long ball found Gemma Hauck, who was able to outrun the defence. ACT never settled in the first half and were unable to move the ball up to their attackers. In the first 10 minutes second half, ACT played better and had one good chance, but Queensland regained control after that and were rewarded by a goal from Courtnee Vine to give them the game 2-0.

The rematch between the ACT boys and the Northern Territory was again very spirited, with little sign that both teams had played 6 matches over the past 5 days, or were not playing for the top spot. The ACT went ahead after 6 minutes when Riley Gibbs-Paterson was left free in front of goal, and moved further ahead after 11 minutes, when a strike from Sam Whitear went into and out of the goal, but was judged to have crossed the line. The Northern Territory team never gave up in the second half. The ACTs Mark Tokich frequently tested the centre defence but excellent goalkeeping from Andrew Hind kept him from adding to the scoreline and the game went to the ACT 2-0.

The ACT boys rematch against South Australia was very close, with good play from both sets of forwards. Vuk Vukic had a fine strike tipped over the bar by SA keeper Joseph Demaria, and the ACT’s Mark Tokich worked tirelessly. ACT keeper Lawrence Atkin had a great match, keeping out a powerful strike from Tommy Stokes and dealing confidently with numerous high balls, but the match closed as a 0-0 draw to give South Australia 4th place and ACT 5th in the boys competition

The Girls contest between NSW and Queensland for top spot was evenly matched, with play moving quickly between the ends of the field. Rochelle Borromeo, the smallest and probably the youngest player in the tournament, showed great presence of mind to put away a loose ball in front of the Queensland goal through a forest of legs after 12 minutes to put NSW into the lead. NSW almost went further ahead 6 minutes later when Queensland goalkeeper Megan Byriel was penalized in the aftermath of a collision with a NSW player, but Shania Pourrashidi lofted her penalty over the bar. In the second half, NSW had good chances through Samara Wehmeyer and Stevie Donougher but the score remained at 1-0, giving the Girls gold medal to NSW, the silver to Queensland and the bronze to the ACT.

In the boys playoffs, Queensland defeated Victoria 2-1 to give Queensland the gold medal, New South Wales the silver and Victoria the bronze.

Geography

An inspection of the trophies indicates that the Under 12 football tournament has been a two-horse race for top spot between New South Wales and Queensland since the Boys competition started in 1985 and the Girls in 1990, with South Australia and Victoria only edging them out on a handful of occasions. The strength of NSW is understandable given its population of 6.6 million, the long history of football in the state and the relative concentration of its population in metropolitan areas. At the Under 13 National football championships it fielded 4 teams. The success of Queensland, with a much smaller population of 3.6 million, spread over a larger number of centres indicates that other factors are contributing to its success in this area. The rigour of the selection process used in Queensland to form its state teams is probably an important factor. This year, there were 900 triallists for the Girls team, and aspiring players had to pass through three levels of selection to gain a place in the state team. The geographical spread of players (only 3 came from metropolitan Brisbane) means the selection process is less likely to be biased as triallists will generally be unfamiliar to selectors.

Victoria, with a population of 4.8 million, with 3.5 million concentrated in Melbourne would be expected to perform much better, but participation rates in football are lower than in other areas, possibly due to the dominance of AFL. This effect seems to spill over to girls, despite the lack of direct competition from AFL. This code competition probably affects South Australia as well. With a population of 1.5 million highly concentrated in Adelaide, it should be well placed to succeed in football, but isolation probably reduces the amount of high-level competition available to junior players.

The isolation of Tasmania and Western Australia and the high travel costs mean that they are not regular participants in the PSSA football competitions, but WA has a well developed junior football program with a focus on development rather than results, and their teams have provided more than the expected number of members of National junior squad members, as well as Australia’s most outstanding female player, Lisa de Vanna.

Both the Northern Territory and the ACT are regular participants and both perform much the better than would be expected from their populations. The ACT has a small population of 320,000 but has a very high participation rate in football: it is the most popular recreation activity for adults after walking and there are over 12,000 registered junior players, with a high proportion of girls. With all the population contained in a small region, teams have the opportunity to train together for long periods of time and the presence of the Australian Institute of Sport in the ACT improves the quality of coaching. A wealthy population is able to meet the substantial costs of participation in elite sport, and its central location with respect to Australia’s population distribution means that travel costs are minimized.

By contrast, the Northern Territory faces considerable obstacles. The population of 200,000 is spread over thousands of kilometers with 120,000 in Darwin, which is closer to Singapore than Sydney and 30,000 in Alice Springs. The selected teams in 2010 met for the first time at the airport and for their first game had had to get up at 4am. A substantial Defence presence in the Northern Territory brings a regular influx of new families and skills, but participation by the substantial Aboriginal population, in which football is growing in popularity, is limited by the high travel costs. In spite of these factors, the performance of Northern Territory teams improved considerably in 2010 and all the participants would have gained in confidence through participation.

Teams from Tasmania and the Territories are allowed to field players 6 months older than in the larger states, but the enormous variation in physical development of boys and girls at this age means that this does not often confer much advantage. An increased level of financial support would be more effective in allowing the smaller States and Territories to field more competitive teams.

Coaches, Coaching and Taking Responsibility For Results

My colleague in Football Eamonn Flanagan (Nearpost National radio program) drew my attention to a very "hot" interview between Craig Foster and Ange Postecoglou. I hold Foster in high regard in Football and have a similiar view of Postecoglou. I don't know either person, except through the lens of Football.

For me, this video was hard to watch. They were dealing with a important matter to hand - the development of our best players and our participation in youth world cups. Foster was right to draw a line on the performance of the Australian Youth teams Postecoglou coached. Postecoglou was right to feel aggreived, as so much impacts on the selection, preparation and campaigning of an Australian team to a World Cup, that the proposistions put by Foster were overwhelming, appeared deeply offensive and unfair. But that's not Foster's go. As I watched again, it looked to me like a hundred other Football arguements I have seen at Clubs, and at games on the sideline or in the dresing sheds or the drive home, at Junior and Senior levels over  many years. There are several happening right now in several of our Premier League Clubs and just as hard. This one was on national television.

Foster continues to do wonderful work in Football and Postecoglou is coaching and resurrecting an A League team others had given up for dead and doing it well. Both are good for Football.

Then I found another Craig Foster piece concerning the hapless John Kosimna, as he imploded as Coach at Sydney FC. Not a pretty sight and again, nothing like the full story for a fantastic Football player and Coach that Kosimna was and may still be. As with the other, I admire Kosmina, but what must be happening to him in this interview is written all over Foster's face.

Nothing wrong with being held to account for results. Coaches know the buck stops with them, but they have a right to expect others in their Club / orgainsation to be corageous enough to take thier share of the blame. After all, "success has a thousand fathers".

Bring this down to our Capital Football Premier League - I can think of three Clubs at this time who have, or, are in the throws of Coaching dramas, which if not resolved will cripple their competitive endeavours in season 2011. They just don't make national television, but they do embroil their local members and its just as important as the level of football for the two interviews and for a little while it is high local drama. Though let me tell you this - if we did have vision and audio of some of the local "debates" it would make a cracking "reality series". Football is nothing if not passionate in nature at every level of the game. Sadly, turn the passion up and down goes the good judgement.

Coaching a Football team, at any level, at any age, is a hard task. It's often a thankless one, for most it is without any sort of remuneration and all too often, can reap a bitter harvest of gratuitous unpleasant criticism that can make the coach feel it's all a waste of time.

We loose a lot of Coaches, just as we loose a lot of referees. Coaches are seldom abused on the sideline during the game, but a few too many of them indulge in the same unacceptable practice toward match officials and  their own players. In these latter circumstances, Clubs, players and parents are happy to see the back of the Coach.

Coaching at the junior / youth level in Football carries with it considerable responsibilities. Parents of players usually volunteer at these early ages, just so that the young players can form a team and play. No Coach, no team, no play. Junior Clubs float on the generousity of spirit of volunteers, but they can't accept a team of young players without a Coach.

Coaching Senior Football is obviously different because of the age of the players involved, the all embracing demand to produce "wins". but I wager, that if you asked any local Football Coach if they could identify with the problems of coaching at the senior level - lets say the Premier League in the ACT region, they would quickly connect with the situation.

When the Coaching responsibilities step up to the levels of the persons int he interviews (see below), we are dealing with people's chosen profession and the "business" of a Football Club, not to mention Club and National supporter expectations. The stakes are high.

By and large, Coaches of Football teams just do the job as best they can, with the players they have and with precious little support or resources. Most would dip into their own pocket each season to cover off on mising equipment and other costs.

Investing in good coaching habits and practice is returned many times over at every level of football in the region.

Punishing a Coach by laying the blame for a poor season is often not fair and disposing of a Coach during a season, often says more about the inadequacies and poor judegment of those that appointed the Coach than it does of the Coach. Clubs can be so stupid, providing unhelpful intereference, rather than help and support to a Coach under pressure to win. Parents too often collude on the sideline and simply defame a coach, but with not idea themselves how to put it right or be prepared to undertake the task. It can get very  nasty. Why would a Coach come back for that next season? Often they do not. Just like Referees.

Coach education and training has been the single biggest change in Football in the ACT in the last few years. Its a product of the new National Football Curriculum and without it, the curriculum will fail to take hold. We need a lot more of it, much more than Capital Football has been able to deliver or prepared to resource. We now know to an absolute certainty that it can make a decisive difference for the good of the game. It is the most critical point of association between Capital Football and Clubs. Simple as that!

So please watch these two vidoes from the past and reflect on coaching. Nothing wrong with a genuine conflict of ideas, but no point in tearing good people apart.


Majura FC Is On The Rise!


Majura FC has been doing a lot of thinking and planning about how to improve Football opportunities for young players and make it all a bit more "family friendly".

Then they took some direct action!

The objective - to extend the season beyond the short playing season, keep our children engaged in the sport and give them a real opportunity to develop. Well they've done it. It's going "gangbusters".

Right now, they have Coerver Coaching (easily the best individual technical coaching solution around the world) running technical development for the young players and they are getting 85 of their kids down to ANU on Thursday 5.30 - 6.30pm. How good is that? And all done by themselves.

Here is an brief outline of the program Majura FC Board has agreed to put in place for next year:

Nine months football for those who want - plus kids can always head to Coerver and HPP.

1. Coerver 6 week pre-season program at reduced/sponsored rate - starts March 1
2. Goalkeeping clinic with Paul Jones - reduced sponsored rate
3. Pre-season Mother and daughter intro clinic $25 a head
4. In-season one night per week Coerver clinic reduced/sponsored rate - on top of normal training
5. All Coaching Courses free - a first for Majura
6. Summer Sixes next season including paid administrator - and Development program. 6's will run Tuesday, Dev Thurs. and a discount thru sponsor and if you sign up for both. All Coaches and Assistants will be paid, must be licenced and take direction from our TD.
Top effort Majura FC. You need a football club on the inner Northside, take your child to Majura FC next season, matter of fact ring up Majura FC now. Why would you do anything else?

Two Great Nights.....

I had the best night ever last night.  I got to see an old high school friend and her mom here in Edinburgh!  We both played soccer our entire lives in VA and graduated the same year from West Springfield.  She has been living in London the past 2.5 years with her husband and two daughters.  Her husband is a federal agent for Homeland Security and got a post over here. Her kids were kind of at the end of their rope after a long day of traveling and sightseeing, so her husband stayed home with them while she and mom met me out.  I was bummed I didn't get to meet her husband and kids, but I was told it was for the best!

We met at the Filling Station (where I had been the night before) because it was convenient and I knew where to go.  We had an absolutely fabulous time catching up.  She gave me some sage advice about coping with an international move.  She was told (by her old employer who is a global kind of guy) that she'd be crazy to try and continue working once she got here and that it'd take 6-12 months to adjust to the culture shock. She said she was surprised, but her old boss was 100% right and she was thankful she listened. This made me feel soooo much better about things because I was a bit homesick and sad last week for no apparent reason.  I thought I should have been 'over it' by now, but this is just not the case.  I was reassured that it simply takes time and was given lots and lots of suggestions on how to best cope.

It seems like I'm completely going to switch subjects here, but it's so relevant. Today, we had a TWO HOUR presentation (that i thought would be a waste, but wasn't at all) on vet students' mental health and well-being.  Did you know, veterinarians have one of the highest suicide rates across the board?  Yes, it's frighteningly true.  Our lecturer is a veterinarian and did her PhD in this area of study.  There are many reasons for this fact, but basically vet and med students come from kind of the same mold - competitive, type A personalities.  No, dear brother, I am not just a carefree, wind-in-my-hair, Harley-Davidson-driving free spirit...I'm pretty sure you know this after last year :).

As vets, we will have the ability to legally cease the life of animals that are considered family to people.  And they will look to us for comfort and to be strong for them.  There will be a ton of loss, grief, long hours, compromised family lives and an enormous amount of responsibility thrust on our shoulders.  Our 'type' is to hold it all in and not admit weakness, or a mental ill-health.  The studies are numerous and the numbers staggering.

The take home message from my visit last night and my lecture today were very similar.

1.  Stay in close contact with your friends and family (I'll catch up on phone calls soon, I promise!)
2. Get involved in activities outside of the vet school bubble.
3. Exercise....or do something to clear your head.
4. Be wary of alcohol and/or drug dependency.
5. Know that being a veterinarian should not define you...continue with other interests and be well-rounded.  You WILL have bad days/months/years as a vet and must be able to associate yourself with something other than just being a vet.
6.  Get plenty of rest and get away for a weekend, if needed. 
7.  Be very careful of being too competitive with classmates - you will all become a vet and need each other's support to get there.  We are here and are now teammates.
8. Recognize when you are having difficulties and get help, if needed.

I have a classmate who lost TWO close friends this week from college in unrelated events.  She is from the US and is devastated.  It is crucial that we can be her 'family' for her now. We will all need to rely on one another to get through all that will be thrown our way over the next five years.  I think for us international students, it is all finally sinking in that we are indeed living in a foreign country and this is not vacation any more.

So, I am happy and relieved.  I had a long day today and actually took the night off from studying.  I went to the first bible study group on the Book of Isaiah led by Fr. Tim. It just so happened the postgraduate society at he church (STAGGS) was also meeting tonite in the common rooom. I joined them afterwards in the middle of quiz night.  Most of them are PhD students, so the questions I found a bit difficult (even the 'nature' ones).  But, there was a very inexpensive cash bar, so all was not lost. Not bad when you can have bible study in the basement, go up one flight and hang out in a lounge having a few cocktails, eats and laughs.  Another good night. 

I'm still feeling a bit under the weather and will go to bed NOW in order to get a good night's sleep. Looks to be a really good week.  We are getting into unchartered territory now with our lectures. Today was embryology and in about 2 weeks we start Anatomy!!!! Thank goodness.  I believe we will do an entire dissection of the dog over a few months.  YAY!

Ok, good night and Over-N-Out

CEO Capital Football Talks About Canberra United

CEO Capital Football and CEO Canberra United are one in the same person - Heather Reid.

Women's Football is improving rapidly in the ACT region and that is just the way it should be. The pathway for talented female players goes all the way from the local junior club to the Matildas if you are good enough. Just one important difference - its only possible because the ACT players and W league clubs pay the players nothing! Can you see a male player at comparable level accepting that situation? No way!

So for all those "chaps" loitering on the sidelines and having a little whinge about the fact that the "girls game" is getting "all the priority" (as one unenlightened selfish father with a son playing good football said to me last week), just remind yourself - whatever is being done for women's football is long overdue and it isn't enough.

So much more can be done for boys /men, no doubt of it, but don't pull the roof down over women's football. Don't make women's football in the ACT region the target of your unhappiness. Women's football development is fragile. Our Women's Premier League is in its infancy. Its worth noting that the W League teams are just about all underwritten by the member federations and as expensive as that is, its nothing like the costs associated with running the men's equivalent.

We are not going to get an A League team people, so get over it. The FFA doesn't want Canberra and frankly, the likelihood that we can sustain the yearly operating costs for an A League and A League Youth team from public contributions, gate receipts or a benefactor with long arms and short pockets (and does that really work??) is not strong enough yet to make the business case viable.

So we (that is - the ACT Clubs and Capital Football) must find another way to develop and assist the boys/ men break into higher levels of football - John Mitchells' plan (see earlier podcast on this blog) is a very good idea. Best I have heard in ages. Campaign talented boys/mens teams in the NSW competitions. The Boomerangs FS club proved it can be done with their very successful participation in the NSW Futsal Supa League and very modest support, but lots of drive from a few smart football people.

Instead of some otherwise well intentioned football people seeing women's football as a threat - perhaps these critics may care to entertain the possibility that the women's solution is "the way ahead"!

The W League season is close to starting and our Canberra United has been in preparation under Coach Junna, since the end of the last game of the past season. Coach Junna is also the Head Coach ACTAS Womens Football and, together with club coaches, has maximised every playing opportunity for the talented female players and Canberra United / Matildas etc aspirants. Its made a huge difference to the women's game in the ACT and the development opportunities for young female players. Nothing happens without forward thinking, flexibility, hard work, modest amounts of resources at the right time, good communication, parents picking up all the pieces in the background every day and tip top football expertise. Canberra United has had two terrific seasons and another very good season is anticipated.

In this interview, Heather Reid talks about the Canberra United playing roster, who's in and who has departed and why. We branch off into a short discussion about the Capital Football Women's Premier League and the grand finals just past, the ACTAS programs, the Futsal factor, what happened to the Central Coast Mariners Women's W League team, the funding arrangements for W League teams and the terrific possibilities for our young female players in the USA. Terrific interview as always with  Heather.

Canberra United appear to have a stronger playing roster this season. They have five games at home, four will be televised and you would be nuts not to go and watch the games. I promise you, it will be top class football. The W League season can't start soon enough!

The final section of this interview is an extract from a lengthy interview the NPL did with Ed Hollis - Head Coach of Woden Valley Womens FC. WVWFC have lifted the bar considerably in Womens Premier League football in the ACT. You will enjoy the full interview and this extract nails the Woden Valley colours to the mast right from the off! It can be done and we have lots of smart people in football in the ACT that can get it done.

Download Podcast here:

What Is VO2 Max?

Sourced from http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/anatomyandphysiology/a/VO2_max.htm

What Is VO2 Max?
VO2 Max Measures Aerobic Fitness and Maximal Oxygen Uptake
By Elizabeth Quinn

VO2 max, or maximal oxygen uptake, is one factor that can determine an athlete's capacity to perform sustained exercise and is linked to aerobic endurance. VO2 max refers to the maximum amount of oxygen that an individual can utilize during intense or maximal exercise. It is measured as "milliliters of oxygen used in one minute per kilogram of body weight."
This measurement is generally considered the best indicator of an athlete's cardiovascular fitness and aerobic endurance. Theoretically, the more oxygen you can use during high level exercise, the more ATP (energy) you can produce. This is often the case with elite endurance athletes who typically have very high VO2 max values.

How Is VO2 Max Measured?

Measuring an accurate VO2 max requires an all-out effort (usually on a treadmill or bicycle) performed under a strict protocol in a sports performance lab. These protocols involve specific increases in the speed and intensity of the exercise and collection and measurement of the volume and oxygen concentration of inhaled and exhaled air. This determines how much oxygen the athlete is using.

An athlete's oxygen consumption rises in a linear relationship with exercise intensity -- up to a point. There is a specific point at which oxygen consumption plateaus even if the exercise intensity increases. This plateau marks the V02 Max. It's a painful point in VO2 max testing where the athlete moves from aerobic metabolism to anaerobic metabolism (See the article: Energy Pathways for Exercise). From here, it's not long before muscle fatigue forces the athlete to stop exercising. The test usually takes between 10 and 15 minutes and requires an athlete to be completely rested and motivated to endure the pain long enough to find the true VO2 max.

Vo2 max also can be estimated. There are a variety of protocols used to estimate VO2 max, one is called the Bruce Treadmill Test, but none are as accurate as direct testing.

Can You Change Your VO2 Max?

Research shows that although VO2 max has a genetic component it can also be increased through training. The two methods for increasing VO2 max include increases in both training volume and intensity. Research also indicates that the less fit an individual is, the more they can increase their VO2 max through training. In fact, novice exercisers have been able to increase VO2 max by 20 percent through proper training. Fit athletes have a harder time increasing their VO2 max, most likely because they are already so near their genetic potential.
Aside from genetic factors, three other components have a large influence on VO2 max:
•Age - Although it varies greatly by individual and training programs, in general VO2 max is the highest at age 20 and decreases nearly 30 percent by age 65.
•Gender - Many elite female athletes have higher VO2 max values than most men. But because of differences in body size and composition, blood volume and hemoglobin content, a woman's VO2 max is in general about 20 percent lower than a man's VO2 max.
•Altitude - Because there is less oxygen at higher altitude an athlete will generally have 5 percent decrease in VO2 max results with a 5,000 feet gain in altitude.

V02 Max Highs and Lows

VO2 max results vary greatly. The average for a sedentary individual is close to 35 ml/kg/min. Elite endurance athletes often average 70 ml/kg/min. One of the highest recorded VO2 max results (90 ml/kg/min) was that of a cross country skier. Cyclist Lance Armstrong's VO2 max was reported at 85 ml/kg/min.

Does a High V02 Max Mean Better Athletic Performance?

Most elite athletes will have VO2 max values well over 60ml/kg/min, this number alone is not a guarantee of elite performance. A high VO2 max may indicate an athlete's potential for excellent aerobic endurance, but many other factors can determine the winner of a particular race.

Traveling with Beau

I needed a break after serving as dean of the veterinary college at Cornell University, so I climbed into a Jeep with my dog, Beau and headed north and west. Two weeks later, we arrived in Alaska.

Entering Alaska from the Yukon

Our wheels never touched the interstate as we traveled the secondary roads across Ontario and the northern states. We crossed Lake Michigan by ferry and visited numerous small towns and interesting sites that "just happened" along the way. We crossed North Dakota, then traversed the Canadian prairies before reaching the Alaska Highway in northen British Columbia.

We slept in motels many nights, but also in fields and beside streams when we arrived at towns too late to obtain dog-friendly accommodations. Beau basked in the late summer twilights of the Yukon, and met canine and human friends along the journey.

Four wonderful staff at Signpost Village near Watson Lake, Yukon

Travelling through the Canadian Rockies and the Yukon's Kluane range, we saw caribou, bear, mountain goats, moose and bison. The natural beauty of the Canadian Arctic was spectacular and brought to mind the  Robert Service poems that popularized this country during the gold rush.


Stone sheep in the Canadian Rockies
As Beau turns 14-years-old this week, we have many fond memories of times together. But none as wonderful as our 10,049 mile trip in fall 2007.

Beau cavorting by Kluane Lake, Yukon



Happy Birthday to My Beau

Cornell veterinary college community and visitors to the campus sometimes recognize pictures of Beau, my red English Cocker Spaniel who will be 14-years-old on Election Day, November 2, 2010. He is my joyful and loyal companion.

Beau Loving the Snow, March 2007

Beau and his littermate, Belle, arrived in Ithaca the month I was named dean of the college in 1997. These sweet, bouncy pups were inseparable and the delight of my wife and our three children. In the past 14 years, Beau has visited the college on countless occasions for annual medical appointments, student dog washes, office and class visits, and sad hospital stays when Belle was dying of liver disease caused by immune mediated hemolytic anemia. The children have grown, moved away, and graduated from programs in law, medicine and business.

While I was dean, Beau and Belle entertained students, alumni, staff and guests in our home, often creating a buoyant tone for the evening. When my term as dean ended, my wife requested a photographic portrait, and my exceptionally-talented friend, George Kalinsky, arranged to photograph me in Central Park in New York City. We loved the proofs that included Beau, and selected one of those for the official portrait that hangs in the college atrium.

I have to laugh. After my trip to Alaska with Beau and sabbatical leave in 2008, I returned to teaching. My tutor groups sometime see my computer screen saver which has a picture of Beau. They often recognized him first, and later identify me as the man in the portrait.




CELEBRATING BEAU'S BIRTHDAY






 .

the Real Mary King's Close Tour

We went on this tour last night, which was a lot of fun. It's the old underground of Edinburgh.  People used to live in a lot more confined spaces than they do today and were stacked upon each other.  Edinburgh is very hilly and the tour is mostly underground the city today, but was not such back in the day.  Here is a link to the tour.  http://www.realmarykingsclose.com/

We met at the pub first for some pints and chow.  It was called the Filling Station.  We are in there waving, but it's hard to see: 


We had to have a group photo prior to the tour.  These are all vet students (i think)....


The Plague hit Edinburgh hard and the doctors used to wear these masks because they thought it might be transmitted by smell, so they put sweet smelling herbs inside the masks.  It's also where they coined the term 'Quack' for a doctor (that may or may not be true :-))


Unfortunately, no cameras were allowed down in the dungeons, but they did take a group picture of us.  One of the students bought it, but when it was printed out, it didn't look so good.  They told her to come back with just our group and they'd take another one.  We were back at the pub and only 5 of us were left, so we got this spooky pic.  This would have been the street at that time. It was very narrow and really steep.  It was also where everyone threw their waste out into twice a day and it flowed down to the water.


This is a diorama of the close.  They ended up building the city council building on top of a good portion of it, which is portrayed in the last picture.




It was a full moon last night, which made everything that much spookier.  The moon over St. Giles church was really cool.  Too bad the picture didn't come out better, but still pretty neat.

A few more pints after the tour and it was time to call it a night.  And a fun night it was.

I can't believe it's the beginning of another week. I had a good day today. Went to Mass, played soccer with the BB, gave BB a bath, took a nap, studied some and now.........I'm going to go get ready to go see a high school friend!!!  She is in town with her family and I can't wait to see her.  Waiting for them to call and give me the 4-1-1, but it will be a pub somewhere near where I was last night. 

In other news, I cannot believe it, but I have a sore throat starting again.  I just cannot seem to stay healthy.  It's not just me though, everyone is getting sick and either not getting better or feeling good for a little bit then it starts all over.  I also am getting a bit of a fever blister, so not too happy about it right now.  At least I still feel good enough to go out.  Tomorrow may be a different story.

I have a fairly tough week coming up with lots of practicals and some pretty tough lectures.  I will need to make sure I get enough rest.

Till next time...

Over-N-Out 











So where is the Nearpost Local "listener" located?

The Nearpost Local is being picked up all over the world. It's a world game for sure and what happens in our region is not a lot different to a lot of other places in the world.

Here are some of the countreis that listen to the podcasts or read the NPL Blog:

Australia
United States
United Kingdom
Germany
France
Canada
Italy
Mexico
Spain
Netherlands
Various countries in the Asian region

Kentucky's Consummate Veterinarian

By Donald F. Smith, Cornell University
Posted December 20, 2010.


This historical blog is in recognition of the 150th anniversary 
of the American Veterinary Medical Association (1863-2013).


As a young man growing up in Kentucky in the 1930s, Delano L. Proctor wanted to be an army officer and a pilot. The Navy rejected him because he was color blind, however, so he followed his father into the veterinary profession. He became a legendary Lexington equine veterinarian, serving some of the best stables in the world’s equine capital.

D.L., as he was affectionately known to his colleagues, joined the service following his graduation from Cornell in 1942. The Army wisely took advantage of his expertise with horses and assigned him to Fort Reno, Oklahoma, the country’s largest remount station, with 5,000 mules and 10,000 horses. He traveled from there to Calcutta, then to India’s embarkation point for the rugged China-Burma-India campaign. His responsibilities were to break, condition, and assure the health of horses and mules used behind enemy lines in the severe jungle and mountain terrain.
Dr. Proctor with a massive bull elephant that he and two colleagues killed.
The state's wildlife warden had ordered it destroyed after a week-long rampage
that had left 35 residents of their village crushed and killed by the rogue beast.

Following his discharge at the rank of Captain in 1946, D.L. returned to Lexington and took over his father’s equine practice. For over 40 years, Dr. Proctor was veterinarian for some of the finest equine stables in Kentucky. The quality of his surgical knowledge and abilities was affirmed when he was admitted, by examination, as one of the early diplomates of the prestigious American College of Veterinary Surgeons. He also served as the 107th president of the AVMA in 1985-86.

Dr. Proctor had a deep respect for his alma mater, “Cornell did great things for me and, above all, there’s the prestige that you get from being associated with it.” While serving as dean, I had the privilege of sharing several lively and insightful conversations with him. Despite debilitating arthritis in his later years, he hired a private airplane so that he could join his remaining classmates for their 65th reunion in 2007.  A modest man who spoke sparingly of his own war experiences, he preferred to acclaim the horses and mules that helped turn the tide in the rugged Burma conflict.

In December 2007, I drove through the snow-covered roads of West Virginia to interview Dr. Proctor for the Enduring Legacy project. He spoke of the greatness of the veterinary profession, and his fondness for Cornell. In his later years, D.L. had become an impressive student of veterinary history, writing insightful (but sadly, unpublished) essays on comparative medicine and early veterinary scholars. When I asked him why he had become so interested in history, he said simply, “Well, it just seems to me like you ought to know where you’re coming from.

D.L. knew better than most where he came from, and also where the profession is going. When he departed this life in 2009, he left a legacy as the complete, the consummate equine veterinarian.

A Biography and interview (audio and transcript) of Dr. Proctor is available on the Enduring Veterinary Legacy series.

I am Not tired

My sleeping schedule has been out of whack lately, thanks to me.  I stay up late because I am without question a night owl and get my best work done at night....then, I get up early....then, I go to lectures/practicals/study all day......then, I come home and take a nap......then, I stay up too late.  Thus, the cycle continues.  I feel like I'm missing out if I go to bed before midnight!  This has got to stop though.  I end up getting enough sleep, but need to wake up a bit more refreshed.  The fact that I only have two lectures tomorrow makes it easier to stay up late.  However, I am meeting with two other classmates directly afterwards to go over some difficult material and then meeting a group for coffee at 2pm.  I got accepted to Edinburgh about a year and a half ago and deferred a year.  I met a few US students online that would have been in my class had I matriculated in 2009.  I stayed in contact with them and am finally meeting one (and 4 of her classmates) tomorrow.  I haven't met her yet because her class has already been transferred out to the new teaching facility at Easter Bush (where I will be next Fall).  So, all in all, it will be a long day anyways.  Good new is, espresso tends to really kick me into another gear.  So, maybe I won't nap tomorrow and will go to bed at a reasonable hour.

I've been kind of homesick lately...just missing the usual - friends, family, warm, sunny days, stop signs, big blue Toyota Sequioa's, mountain biking in my backyard and US TV!!!  I am not even going to start on the TV here, because it upsets me too much.  All I have to say, is that if I had DirecTv here, I would not be nearly as homesick.  Seriously. 

Enough of my complaining....  So, the best news is that I just talked to some of my old colleagues and business partners.  They were all together and having an incredible dinner together. I really miss those times.  It made me sad on one note, but much more fulfilled on another.  It is so good to hear familiar voices, remember great times and share a laugh with those you care about.  So, to all of my family and friends...know that I'm missing you, thinking of you and any little bit of interaction goes a long way.  Sooooo, don't be shy and leave a comment or two on my blog so I know you are here :-) 

Exciting news of the day: dissection of the rabbit was absolutely amazing.  I'll post pictures soon.  I only took a few before dissection and then hands got too funky to use my camera, but another student managed to get some good shots and I'll pirate some of her pics (with her permission, of course).

Good Night All. Sweet Dreams. Now I'm tired.

Over-N-Out

Some Advice For Dealing With Parental Complaints

Sourced from  http://www.footy4kids.co.uk/


I coach a young Futsal team, all the boys are from the same school and the abilities vary enormously.
They are all good lads. We have only trained so far and our first game is this week. The boys are keen and train hard. Everything Ok so far - or so I thought!


Just when you think its going well, a parent gives you a ring and does a heartfelt downlaod on how unhappy her boy is at the moment and the other boy(s) criticising him because he isn't  a good player, and of course - its all awful, they are not putting up with it and what am I (coach) going to do about it. Hmmmm!

I try to explain that the situation she has just recounted to me did not happen as she described it, I was there, neither her or her husband attended and in Futsal you are close enough to hear just about everything at training. She reminds me that her son is "not a very good player" and "makes lots of mistakes". I try to explain to her that while her boy is not very strong technically, in this case the weakest in the group, he trains well, is very well behaved and is getting better. I also remind her that bridging large technical deficiencies will take a lot of time and practice, much more than he will get from me in one season, so its best to reconcile herself to that now and appreciate the forward progress when it happens and keep him playing. I go on to say that while the siutation was nothing like the one she described, the thing that mattered is why and how her son feels as he does at the moment and what we can do about it. She agrees, but not happy, still feeling that her son is on the     receiving end of what I suggest to her can only be described (were it true) as Bullying. Just didnl;t happen, but I know for certain that we are a long way from home on this one.
I remind her that the game is not played in silence, that the boys all make plenty of mistakes in training and will make plenty every game, and that they do express their exasperation with themselves and about each other when they are playing or training. Players have expectations of each other. In my view it is withing reasonable bounds. No good though, she is back on how awful things were at training for her son.
I try in vain to tell her that what was said to her son by other players at training was not significant nor unusual nor more so than the others. I feel I have failed to make my point. This is not what this parent wants to hear - but what do they want? I ask her or her husband to come to training as observe it for themsleves - other parents do when time permits! No response.
I take another tack. I say that if she can accept that the level of commentary directed at her son by any other player (and in total) was neither unreasonable nor excessive, then what we are dealing with is her son's concern that he feels he is not as competent as other players. Its how he sees it at the moment.  If he feels this way, we must deal with it, but deriding the other boy(s) and suggesting that my coaching allowed or enabled it to happen, is both incorrect and in this case unhelpful.  
The parent responds by saying that he son had a dreadful football season and in her view, "for all the same reasons". Hmmm! There is some baggage here. Ok I say to myself, lets get this to a place where I can assist the boy, because the thought that he will feel misreable during the Futsal season is not acceptable.
I also remind her that the more experienced players are "competitive". I coach to "develop", and leave the "winning" to them when they play. I make the point that these young players are all very hard trainers and play the way they train. I close by saying that this is a team environment and her boy has joined a group of lads who, while they are certain not to the best team, will be competitive and their experience in the game so far has taught them what is needed to "win". I say to her that this is healthy, there is nothing wrong with a good work ethic and we must ensure her son becomes part of that environment and not allow himself to be cast as a "victim" because he feels he is not as comnpetent as other players.
As I listened to this concerned parent, I remind myself that the father of this lad was a serial pest on the sideline in football this season past. I had a coaching support role from the school in football and dealt with the team and coach the boy had this season. I recall (to myself only), how I had to reprimand the father for "inappropraite coaching" on the sideline (several times) and on one occassion for abusing a young refs assistant because he felt the offisde call was wrong. I can only imagine the talk on the drive home. I wonder to myself if this father (or indeed the mother) has ever asked himself how his son feels about his conduct. I know the answer is no, my experience is they never do. I can think all this but can't say it to this concerned parent (mother) on the phone.
The discussion ended amicably, but I feel certain that it will surface again.
Obviously the boy is distressed because he feels he is not as good a player as some of the others. I can do some things to make him feel more at ease. I know I can speak to two of the experienced players (very responsible boys) and enlist them to assist him feel good about his contribution as the season unfolds. Peer group support works well if done well. I can make some adjustments without appearing over concerned to the other boys. I reckon the boy is strong enough to go past this problem, he never misses training, works hard in training and never complains at training and that all counts for a lot. It will take time and I don't want him to stop playing. As to the parents, well, that's a work in progress. Sometimes its like that!
So I rang a couple of coaches I know and did a bit of reading. It doesn't matter how many times over thte years you encounter this kind of situation involving parents, its always difficult and worrying. You can never be complacent. But it can take the gloss off coaching and that's just not fair to all the other young players. Here is something I found that is useful.



Some Advice For Dealing With Parental Complaints
Almost every parent occasionally disagrees with your decisions as a coach (whether or not you hear about it). Usually, the parent is simply putting the interests of the child first - and seeing things from the child's point of view. Most parents don't complain, and are more likely to leave the team if they are unhappy with how things are handled. So, it is good to have parents who will bother to give you feedback (even if it can be painful to hear). Most of the time, this feedback is well-intentioned - and the parent simply wants an explanation for what has happened or wants to offer some suggestions about alternate ways to do things. Most of the time, this advice is well-intentioned (and the parent had no desire whatsoever to take over the team - or to try to order you around).
 

Most parents have 2 objectives when they sign the child up: for the child to succeed and for the child to be happy. If you praise the child in front of the parent, you can rest assured that the child will give you a big grin - and you earn points in both columns. Do this as often as you can - and you will keep gripes to a minimum. Any time that you start resenting the time that it takes to give this positive feedback, tell yourself that you could easily be spending double this time - and a lot less happily - talking to just one upset parent! In short, a good coach makes the parents believe that they have wonderful, successful and happy offspring - which causes the parents to believe that the coach must be an absolutely brilliant judge of children.

But, of course, you cannot please all of the people all of the time - and you may end up with a complainer or advice-giver despite your best efforts. If this happens, listen briefly to find out what the problem is, then schedule a time to talk about it. NEVER discuss any serious problem right before a practice (or right before a game). You have work to do, and don't need the distractions (and certainly don't need to be upset yourself if any harsh things are said). Furthermore, if the parent is really upset, you don't want any confrontation to occur in front of your players or other parents. So, set the discussion for the end of practice - or schedule a time to call the parent later (if this is something where the child does not need to hear the conversation).

NEVER discuss any problems or complaints right after a game. If a parent comes to you with a complaint right after a game, make up any excuse that you can and get out of there. Usually, these complaints come after a hard game and a hard loss, when everyone is upset. Give everyone time to cool off - so that things are not said which are regretted later.

When you do talk to the parent, listen carefully to the parent's problem. Be calm. Try to get them to see things from your point of view. If at all possible, lavish some praise on the child during the meeting (remember parental objectives). Try to verify their reports that the child is unhappy (for instance, some parents want their child to be the goal-scoring star, while the child truly is happiest as a keeper or sweeper). Volunteer to have a meeting with them and the child to talk about the situation. If the child truly is upset (for instance, he wants to be a forward, while you have rotated him to the back because he sorely needs to develop some defensive skills), talk about why you think that this is best. Usually you will be able to resolve complaints by open communication, and a calm approach to the problem.

However, some parents simply will not be satisfied, no matter what you do. This happens quite commonly with parents who were athletes, and ended up with non-athletic children, where it is easier to cast blame than to face reality about the child's lack of talent. If it is clear that you are not getting anywhere, suggest that you set up a joint meeting with Club officials to talk about the problem. In the meantime, call the Club to give them a "heads-up" that they might hear from this parent, if it appears that the parent is truly irate.

If worse comes to worse, take heart that "parents-from-hell" tend to stick around for only a short time. Usually, you will find that they have been very unhappy with every coach whom their child has ever had - so they go back in the pool every season. In fact, don't be surprised if, when you call the Club, you hear a large sigh come out of the phone - along with a comment of "Oh, no. Not them again."

Classic Aussie Futsal Final - Mens Nationals 2009

Sourced from http://futsal4all.com/futsal-videos/

Get in the Futsal grove and watch the Final. Terrific match. No shortage of Australian reps in this one.


2009 FFA Futsal Nationals : Open Mens Grand Final from Futsal4All on Vimeo.