Have fun out there, but play hard The most common piece of advice a coach gives an athlete before gametime is “go out there and have fun.” This is the best advice of all. Fun is the way it should
Have fun out there, but play hard
The most common piece of advice a coach gives an athlete before gametime is “go out there and have fun.”
This is the best advice of all. Fun is the way it should be.
But what often slips by the athlete is the advice that comes right before the “fun” line: It’s the hard work and intensity spiel.
Have fun out there, but play hard.
It’s the latter part which Waimea missed and Kaua’i understood in last night’s KIF volleyball match-up, which the Red Raiders took, 15-13, 15-7.
Both teams had fun out there.
Early in the first, Red Raider Jason Sahara (5 kills) smacked a kill right down the Menehune’s throats and roared to his fans.
That got a good laugh.
But not as much as when Waimea’s James Marques (10 kills, 2 blocks, 1 ace) answered with a monster kill on the ensuing point.
His reaction spawned crowd laughter and a bit of “oohs” here and there.
But no one on that court had as much fun, and intensity, as Kaua’i’s Lionel Tomacder (8 kills, 1 ace), who after every kill turned to his team, threw his arms in front of his head in a semi-Bruce Lee pose and let out and ecstatic growl.
This pose had his whole team off the bench.
Tomacder represented what Kaua’i came to do last night.
Play hard and have a ball.
But for Waimea, who had just come off a first round victory in KIF play, this fun translated into flat.
They were too relaxed, and played lackluster ball in both games.
Waimea had a 3-0 lead in the first which was eventually matched and overcome by Kaua’i, who took the game 15-13.
Coach Bobby Kamakele had first game time-outs and a half time break to convince his kids to play hard.
But it never happened.
Kaua’i jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never looked back.
Lesson learned. You can have fun, but you must remain focused if you want to win.
