Written on 9-24-13.
Guess where I am? I am on a bus again. This time we are headed to Gallup to play Miyamura. We played there last year, too. If we do more than “just show up,” and do what we are capable of doing, all three teams should win in the fewest games possible. Looking forward to another match.
Hard to believe this is the final season for Danielle and Becca. This trip is one of the reasons I came back to coach volleyball. I get to see this match, a match I probably would not have traveled for were I not coaching. Nobody else from our families will be coming for this one. Amanda, Eric, and Belinda are all staying home tonight.
On to golf...
I played with Tink and Laura (last name) this past weekend on Sunday morning. We were visiting at a party at Debra (last name's) house Saturday night and Tink was excited to let me know that he and Laura were playing golf now. They have family that play more than they do, so they noticed...
that they were often left behind when everyone else left to go play, so they decided to try it out more than they ever had before. Now, they are kind of hooked. I was thrilled. C.J. is out of town, and Bruce chose not to come along when I texted to let him know, so it was super to have someone to go play with. Always better than playing alone.
We had fun. They admittedly and unabashedly take mulligans whenever they want. They welcome tips of any kind. I offered a few. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve received comes from Dr. Bob Rotella. It’s to remember every great shot in incredible detail and to forget all the bad ones. That tip alone has greatly improved my game from the moment I first read it. Laura had a beautiful drive on hole #3, so that’s where that tip came up.
I also told Laura to hold her right knee in position on her back swing. She had a sway that was pretty obvious, so I hoped that little tip would help, especially for giving her more power and distance. She would lose most of her wind-up power when her right knee moved like that.
At the end of the round, I told them both that they would benefit, and probably have even more fun, if they started using a "fuller" full swing. Their full swings were mostly arms and hands only, and they were either half swings or three-quarter swings at best. That type of swing change, however, would require more time and practice than what we had on our short round of eleven holes. I just wanted to give them something to think about.
I played okay, warming up finally on the last three holes to go par, par, par. It was not so good on the first eight, of course, but I choose to remember the last three holes only, according to my own advice.
The night before, Tink talked about the pros who hit their golf balls over 300 yards. I told him I could do that sometimes, and that I hoped to show him one of those drives the next day. I had a great drive on #7, but it was on #11 where I could prove how far my drive had gone. My ball was just off the front of the green, so I asked him to tell me the yardage for that hole from the white tees. He said it was 327 yards, so I told him that with the slight downhill, I had just driven it about 300 yards. I got a par, though, and not a birdie. A pro would have gotten a birdie.
Tink and Laura are Belinda’s and my role models for retirement. We are watching closely what they have been doing since they have both retired, and we have been listening to their stories and advice. We see each other doing similar things. Laura has done consulting for educational companies, become a reading coach for our district, and she is now working part-time at Bruce and Diane’s school, the Mosaic Academy.
Tink has done some long-term subbing and some consulting, too. Recently, he was hired as a certified teacher to work with some young actors on a movie set with Michael Douglas. He said it was new and exciting. It’s not about the money; it’s about the experiences and the people. I look forward to what Belinda and I will end up doing. I was struck by how mellow and relaxed they were as we played golf. They have an aura, a glow about them. They didn’t appear to have a care in the world. If that’s what retirement will be like, sign me up.
*Our teams did win all three matches in the fewest sets possible at Miyamura. Hooray!
Guess where I am? I am on a bus again. This time we are headed to Gallup to play Miyamura. We played there last year, too. If we do more than “just show up,” and do what we are capable of doing, all three teams should win in the fewest games possible. Looking forward to another match.
Hard to believe this is the final season for Danielle and Becca. This trip is one of the reasons I came back to coach volleyball. I get to see this match, a match I probably would not have traveled for were I not coaching. Nobody else from our families will be coming for this one. Amanda, Eric, and Belinda are all staying home tonight.
On to golf...
I played with Tink and Laura (last name) this past weekend on Sunday morning. We were visiting at a party at Debra (last name's) house Saturday night and Tink was excited to let me know that he and Laura were playing golf now. They have family that play more than they do, so they noticed...
that they were often left behind when everyone else left to go play, so they decided to try it out more than they ever had before. Now, they are kind of hooked. I was thrilled. C.J. is out of town, and Bruce chose not to come along when I texted to let him know, so it was super to have someone to go play with. Always better than playing alone.
We had fun. They admittedly and unabashedly take mulligans whenever they want. They welcome tips of any kind. I offered a few. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve received comes from Dr. Bob Rotella. It’s to remember every great shot in incredible detail and to forget all the bad ones. That tip alone has greatly improved my game from the moment I first read it. Laura had a beautiful drive on hole #3, so that’s where that tip came up.
I also told Laura to hold her right knee in position on her back swing. She had a sway that was pretty obvious, so I hoped that little tip would help, especially for giving her more power and distance. She would lose most of her wind-up power when her right knee moved like that.
At the end of the round, I told them both that they would benefit, and probably have even more fun, if they started using a "fuller" full swing. Their full swings were mostly arms and hands only, and they were either half swings or three-quarter swings at best. That type of swing change, however, would require more time and practice than what we had on our short round of eleven holes. I just wanted to give them something to think about.
I played okay, warming up finally on the last three holes to go par, par, par. It was not so good on the first eight, of course, but I choose to remember the last three holes only, according to my own advice.
The night before, Tink talked about the pros who hit their golf balls over 300 yards. I told him I could do that sometimes, and that I hoped to show him one of those drives the next day. I had a great drive on #7, but it was on #11 where I could prove how far my drive had gone. My ball was just off the front of the green, so I asked him to tell me the yardage for that hole from the white tees. He said it was 327 yards, so I told him that with the slight downhill, I had just driven it about 300 yards. I got a par, though, and not a birdie. A pro would have gotten a birdie.
Tink and Laura are Belinda’s and my role models for retirement. We are watching closely what they have been doing since they have both retired, and we have been listening to their stories and advice. We see each other doing similar things. Laura has done consulting for educational companies, become a reading coach for our district, and she is now working part-time at Bruce and Diane’s school, the Mosaic Academy.
Tink has done some long-term subbing and some consulting, too. Recently, he was hired as a certified teacher to work with some young actors on a movie set with Michael Douglas. He said it was new and exciting. It’s not about the money; it’s about the experiences and the people. I look forward to what Belinda and I will end up doing. I was struck by how mellow and relaxed they were as we played golf. They have an aura, a glow about them. They didn’t appear to have a care in the world. If that’s what retirement will be like, sign me up.
*Our teams did win all three matches in the fewest sets possible at Miyamura. Hooray!
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