Melcher-Dallas Saints Football 2017

1. Melcher-Dallas Saints Football 2017 Season Handout

2. Melcher-Dallas Saints Football 2017 Table of Contents Section 1: Program Outline Section 2: Coaching Philosophy and Staff Section 3: Road Map to Success Section 4: Timeline Section 5: Transportation Section 6: Saints Powerlifting Club Section 7: Summer Camp

3. Welcome Message I would like to welcome you to the 2017 season of Saints Football. We will be starting our summer camp this year on July 31st with weight lifting and speed agility training in the morning and football camp at the field. We have added several football-related activities to our schedule and hope that all of you can participate. Our primary philosophy this year is to teach the fundamentals required to compete on Friday night. Our game plan won’t change, but our attitude and preparation will! My goals have always been to play solid football on both sides while fostering commitment and dedication to succeed. You will see a new approach to the summer camp, practices, and game preparation. Since this is our team, I want it to be something we are all empowered to contribute to. Please feel free to add articles at any time to our the website. I am also using the information handout as my primary means of communication for not only the players, but for the parents and community. Go Saints, Coach Mike Horstman Coach Pat Ferguson Contact Information Head Coach: Mike Horstman Cell #: 515-494-5494 Melcher-Dallas Elementary School 1003 Park Street Dallas, IA 50062 (641) 947-3151 Football Team Website: https://sites.google.com/a/melcher-dallas.k12.ia.us/melcher-dallas-saints-football/

4. Saints Football 2017 Section 1: Program Outline Discipline Do what needs to be Done, When it needs to be Done, As well as it can be Done, And do it that way all The time. Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work. Vince Lombardi, football coach for the NFL (1913-1970)

5. Melcher-Dallas High School Football Guidelines • Program Reflection: This program is a reflection of the people that are a part of it. There are certain aspects that I, as your coach, believe are essential to a successful program. You must be disciplined. Discipline is the key to the other aspects. You must work hard. Are you going to outwork your teammates? You must eliminate: mistakes, penalties, and turnovers. These will kill your effort. You must have a positive team-oriented attitude. And you must be able to take constructive criticism; this is called being coachable. Also you must be able to hustle at all times. I know a lot abut the words Attitude – Discipline – Conditioning. It is now time for you to learn it. ADC – step up and show it. I believe in doing things right the first time. When you are on the field, you are hustling everywhere you go. Don’t be a walker on the field. Play the game full speed, hard nosed, out to seek and destroy any and everybody, within the rules of the game. Take pride in everything you do – do it the best you possibly can. Get Better Every Day • Communications: A majority of the problems that occur within a team environment stem from poor communications. If you have a conflict, an injury or other concerns, please tell one of your coaches so that it will be handled appropriately. As a member of our team you are expected to follow the rules set forth by the coaches. Above all, you are expected to attend all practices, be on time, do what the coaches ask of you and give full effort 100% of the time. • Tardy and Missed practices: Any excused tardiness or miss practice must be pre-approved by the coaches. The coaches will determine whether or not a miss or tardy is excused. The coaches will let the players know prior to the miss if it will be considered excused and the requirements to make up for the loss of practice time. If a miss or tardy is not known until after the fact it will be considered unexcused unless it is unforeseen such as an illness during school. • Excused tardy: make up missed time. • Unexcused: make up missed time, loss of playing time • Missed practice excused: make up time, may lose playing time • Missed practice unexcused: miss next game, 2nd offense two games • Detentions: All tardies and missed practices because of a detention are considered unexcused and the penalty will double. If you receive a detention you are expected to practice after your detention has been served. • In-school suspension: If you have an in-school suspension you will not be allowed to participate and it will be considered an unexcused absence. You should still attend practice however. If you have a suspension on the day of the game you will not be allowed to participate in the game on that day. • Out of school suspension: Maintained by the school attendance rule. • Missing a game: If it is excused you will need to earn back playing time. If it is unexcused you will be dismissed from the team. • Conduct: • Profanity: No place for at any time! • Bullying: Respect your teammates at all times. Bullying is now a state mandated guideline. • Sportsmanship: At all times we will be respectful of our opponents, other coaches, adult volunteers and especially the officials. We will play hard from the snap of the ball to the whistle within the rules of the game. Trash talking and taunting are now allowed! • School work: Your academic progress is the most important thing. Complete effort is required in the classroom. • Practice conduct: You are expected to work hard in practice at all times. You are expected to work on the drills and techniques that the coaches show you. During practice there is not time for horse-play, being lazy, or having bad attitudes. If you are not working to help the team then you may be asked to leave the field. • Equipment: You will be issued expensive protective equipment. You are responsible for the treatment and care of that equipment. You will also need to turn in the equipment at the end of the year. If you lose something you will be responsible for the replacement costs. • School attendance: By board policy, you must be in attendance by 10:00am in order to practice or play in a game that day. • Physicals and insurance: All players must have an athletic physical on file in the office in order to practice or play. You also need school insurance or proof of insurance waiver on file in the office. Need physicals before August 1st.

6. Saints Football 2017 Section 2: Coaching Philosophy and Staff

7. Coaching Philosophy - Mike Horstman First of all my professional background: I have been a player and a coach for approx. 20 + years. I have coached Baseball, Softball, Basketball, Football, and track at various levels from Elementary school, Middle and Senior High School and adults in the United States Air Force. After years of being around many different student-athletes, I still believe it is important to conduct myself in a responsible and positive manner. My role as the coach is to maximize the beneficial effects of participation, while minimizing the negative effects. These athletic programs exist for the welfare of the students. It is also my job to provide a safe environment for the athletes during practices, games, travel, and other team functions. I’m also responsible for providing policies that are fair, consistent, and offer flexibility for individual differences. It is also my understanding that we serve as role models in the development of appropriate conduct for the athlete both within and beyond the sports setting. We also keep a proper perspective of winning and losing and sportsmanship, and be knowledgeable of the rules, strategies, and teaching methods of this sport. Coach Ferguson and I feel we would like to work closer with parents and the community to promote a better understanding of the role we play as coaches and some of the things we are trying to accomplish through practice and meetings. We believe the following is taught on the football field to each player: • the rules and strategies of the sport: Knowing the sport and seek out new information and relay that to athletes • Be a motivator: Get kids to believe in themselves and make it a fun and memorable experience • try to develop a realistic and positive self-image • Be a communicator: It will exude credibility, competence, respect and authority • Learn about team loyalty and unity and fair competition • Be a good listener • try to develop positive personal, social, and psychological skills (self-worth, self-discipline, teamwork, effective communication, goal setting, and self-control) • Discipline: code of conduct, structured, and prompt • develop physical fitness • Lead by example and provide commitment examples • learn the downside of drug and alcohol abuse and the upside of nutrition and health benefits Knowing your athletes: What are they good at and how do they function in practice and games Most importantly we teach them that hard work can equal success, keeping a positive attitude in all situations, and to let them know the coaches are working for the benefit of the student-athlete so they can enjoy their experience of playing the sport. Education M.A. – Educational Leadership, Touro University, California, Northwest Missouri State University & Drake University B.S. – Business/Management, University of Maryland Iowa Teaching Endorsements PK-12 Administrator -All Social Sciences -Coaching Endorsement Prior Employment United States Air Force/Iowa Air National Guard (1982 – 1994/1998 – 2006) Job Titles Held: Intelligence Analyst, Counter-Drug Analyst, Intelligence Superintendent, and survival Instructor Prior Teaching/Coaching Experience North Nodaway R-IV ,Hopkins, Missouri (Social Studies teacher, 8-man football coach, basketball and track coach) Ventura High School, Ventura, IA (Tech Director, AD, head 8-man football, track and basketball coach) Colfax-Mingo High School, Colfax, IA (Social Studies teacher, head football coach) South Hardin MS, Hubbard, IA (Tech director, social studies teacher, head football, basketball and track coach Melcher-Dallas (Elementary Principal, Head football and track coach)

8. A Coach’s Style and Attitude After years of coaching and reading the research, it has been suggested that drive and determination, not great natural talent leads to extraordinary success. It is my responsibility as a coach to refuel the athlete’s drive and determination in taking another step toward a productive standard of play. Coaching is not really about how many wins and losses you accumulate over your years. It is something special, a deeper cause and something central to your core of wanting to coach. Leadership is that something! Making things happen, putting your signature on your team’s personality. Motivating your assistants and players to follow your plan. I have spent many years in the military where I have followed some of the greatest leaders in my career. All of them seemed to be smart, tough, determined and a visionary. These are all traits that I have tried to instill as a Football coach. It does seem easier to transition from the military as a coach since a majority of my past has been associated with a team environment and working/relying on team members to get the job done in often stressful situations. What I have also found out that carries over from the military is that my supervisors and leaders actually cared for you as a person and genuinely took an interest in things you did. I believe this trait is especially important for my football team to be a cohesive group. This trait is the personal quality of a coach that is distinguished from an outstanding coach to merely an adequate one. This trait also enables a coach to use instinct, intuition, and timing to reach out to one player at a time, allowing the player to know how much the coach cares about him as an individual. That reflects a teaching equation that is essential in the player-coach relationship. The role of the head coach is to take the players to a point where they normally cannot go by themselves. A coach must perform this feat every day as he pours his energy into developing a strong team attitude. The strong leader embraces this adventure and commits to the total process. He attempts to create a fusion of hard work and play for his team without fear of failure. This is the leadership tight rope a coach walks. A coach will take a player aside on game day and tell him: “I’ve seen you practice an you are good, so let’s go out there and have some fun!” As the head coach, several additional axioms are useful in the overall direction of the program: -Don’t look back at the track record, look ahead. -Find a way to connect with each player -Encourage every player to develop his skill level. The game has always been about the skills you have. The true test of a leader lies in how much he can improve his players. -“BUILD” your team in the off-season. “COACH” your team during the season. -Carry a gung-ho attitude. We can change things here, we can achieve awesome goals, we can be the best! -To lead, you must have the trust of the players, and to do that you must find a way to connect with them, to find a common ground with every individual. It is a people driven issue. The following points identify leadership qualities for our players. I will review these periodically throughout the season just to get a sense of the internal leadership that exist on this team: -Inspire teammates to believe they are capable of higher deeds. -If you believe something is special, go out and work hard to prove it. -Never make a scene on the field that embarrasses a teammate. -Players observe other players. This is the real learning. Always be talking football. -Enthusiastic optimism is a force multiplier -A leader can never take charge if he rides in the rear. -Keep your teammate alert and his self-esteem paramount. Every season has its emotional highs and lows. -Don’t count the days, make the days count! -One man with courage makes a majority. -Believe in YOURSELF! A great lesson in teamwork and leadership is actually learned from geese. It’s a fact that geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.We need to make sure our honking is encouraging. In groups, where there is encouragement, the production is much greater. The power of encouragement (to stand by one’s core values and encourage the heart and spirit of others) is the quality of honking we all seek. When I interviewed for this position and called upon to lead this team, I do it with all the power I have. All the experience as a coach and serving in the Air Force. I also remember that every player deserves a coach who believes in him. This is the essence of leadership! This is Saints football! Win from Within!

9. Recognizing Effort Football coaches, and particularly youth coaches, quickly recognize a player on their team who has good or great physical ability. Sometimes, the game comes easily for these players. These players can naturally pass the ball, make the catch, throw the block, run with the ball, and execute a tackle. They do these activities without hesitation or extra effort. They can do the drills and exhibit the skills needed to perform during the game. And things seem to go smoothly when they are involved. Coaches can see the way these players perform and are often quick to single them out and give them praise. More often than not, they are the individuals who emerge as the stars and receive the most attention on and off the field. You may be fortunate enough to have five or six players on your team who fall into this category. Often your thoughts and plans for the team will center around these individuals. One of the keys to bringing your team together and creating a winning attitude for your squad will be how well you look for, recognize, and offer encouragement to the rest of your players who do not have this natural ability. These players must be praised for their effort and not necessarily their day-in and day-out performance in practice and games. As a coach you must consciously try to pinpoint these players and recognize their effort. It is very important for each of us, as coaches, to realize that it is much more difficult for a player who does not have natural talent to continually return to the practice field even when he knows that he is not the best. These players must receive encouragement and positive reinforcement whenever possible. When you observe your players putting forth their best effort, try to look for the following: Do they attend every practice session? Are they on time for each practice session and game? Are they attentive when the coaches are giving instruction? Do they give 100% in all drills? Do they show some improvement each day? Are they positive in their attitude? Do they keep coming back even when they do not have success? Your stars may lead the way for your team, but they make up a small percentage of your squad. Teams at any level are only as strong and as good as the weakest players on the team, so it is important that you continually make the effort to praise these individuals. These players are the backbone of your team. They are the individuals who allow you to successfully run drills and improve as a team. They provide you with the necessary manpower to scrimmage in practice. They are the players who can show the most positive development and improvement as the year progresses. Once you recognize and make the commitment to praising effort, you quickly make it part of every correction you make to the players on the team. You can start each positive correction with a statement like: That was a great try. . . Super effort. . . Way to compete. . . I am sure that you will find many more. The key for each of us is to verbally acknowledge the player's effort first and technique or mistake second. Make this approach a normal part of your coaching dialogue. One of the most important roles we have as a coach is to try to make every player enjoy his or her football experience and to create an atmosphere where he or she wants to continue to be part of the team. The most effective way to do this is to continually praise the effort that each player brings to the game. Please try to make this an important component of your coaching style and continually try to find something positive to say about each of your player's EFFORT during practice and games.

10. Saints Football 2017 Section 3: Road Map to Success

11. Saints Football 2017 10 Keys to Success • Commitment - Give 100 % during Practice and Games. 2. Dedication - Be on time to practices, meetings and games. • Communicate to the coach, other players and parents. • Stay focused and keep a positive attitude. 5. Prepare and play one week at a time! We have 9 seasons! • Know your assignment on the field. • Gain Confidence - Set goals for yourself and for our team. • Be positive, keep your integrity intact and maintain self-control in the classroom and on the field. • Take pride in yourself and your team. • Keep the attitude that your the best team on the field, you worked the hardest for the victory, and you want it more then your opponent!!! Saints Football Goals for 2017 - “Win from Within” Core Values and Goals Season Goals Personal Goals

12. 7 Principles of Leadership 1. Be a People Person * You have to like people to be a leader 2. Be a Great Example 3. Atmosphere * Be positive/remain optimistic * Get them all involved * Recognize, appreciate, praise * Treat everyone like an All – Pro * Great chemistry starts with the lower guys * Celebrate the small victories * Handle adversity (never waste a crisis – learn from it) * Remain passionate about what, how, and why we do things the way we do 4. Define, Delegate, then Lead * The main thing will always remain the main thing * Find a vision – get a picture of it * Don’t let people in your organization come to work/practice scared – afraid to make mistakes * Delegation empowers people • Don’t fight battles you cannot win • 5. Energy * Bring energy to your position * Be demanding – push them beyond their comfort zones * Don’t blink 6. Build Relationships * Give more than you expect in return * It isn’t an even exchange, and don’t expect it to be * Invest your time in people that make a difference 7. Be Sincere * Establish credibility – easier to lose than to gain * Be believable * If you have integrity nothing else matters, if you don’t have integrity nothing else matters * Be humble – don’t have a big ego – take the blame – give away the credit “Great Leaders are a Never – Ending Source of Encouragement” Taken from Dick Vermeil – University of Missouri Football Coach’s Clinic – Friday February 23, 2007 Hold The Rope! Every year a professional football team wins the championship. Every year a college football team wins the NCAA title. Every year the best high school team in Division A on down wins the state crown. All these teams have one thing in common. No matter how tough it became throughout their season, they did one thing -- they held the rope! What is "holding the rope?" Imagine that you are hanging from the edge of a cliff with a drop of twenty thousand feet. The only thing between you and an fall to your death is a rope, with the person of your choice on the other end. Who do you know that has the guts to pull you to safety? Who will hold the rope? Who do you know that is going to let that rope burn their hand and not let go? How many people that you know are going to withstand the burning pain and watch the blood drip from their hands for you? If you can name two people, that's not good enough, because those two people might not be around. The next time your team is together, look around and ask yourself, "Who could I trust to hold the rope? Who is going to let their hands bleed for me?" When you can look at every member on your team and say to yourself that they all would hold the rope, you are destined to win a lot of ball games. You see, the team that holds the rope when the going gets tough are winners. When you are down by four points with thirty seconds to go, don't give up. Yell at your teammates to "hold the rope -- let it burn but don't let go!" Every year there are winners and losers in all sports. Every year the winners hold the rope. You don't have to have the best team on the field to win the game. If you play with poise and do what your coaches ask of you, and most of all -- hold the rope -- you will be successful. No matter what sport you play, in order to win, you have to have a commitment to your team. If you are supposed to run three times per week, do it. If you have to lift weights three times per week, don't miss. Once you start letting up at practice or start missing your workouts, you've killed the team because you didn't hold the rope! Don't let your team down! You've got to hold the rope!

13. Building Teamwork John Wooden, the legendary UCLA basketball coach, often said that "there are three things vital to success in athletics: conditioning, fundamentals, and working together as a team." Of these three elements, "working together as a team" often proves to be the most elusive goal. Teamwork is essentially an interaction of five key elements, as follows: EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS Clear, positive communications from coach to coach, coach to athlete and athlete to athlete are essential in establishing the concept of "teamwork" and in fostering all the other basic elements of teamwork. Effective communication enables all the team members and the staff to clearly understand the team goals and work toward the achievement of the stated objectives. As a coaching staff, we focus on two communication principles: 1) clearly and repeatedly communicating both our expectations of players as individual athletes, students, and team members, and the reasons for our expectations, and 2) remembering that effective communications is a two-way street: that is, the coaching staff must listen to the athletes, too. WINNING ATTITUDES All coaches know that the players with good attitudes are usually the ones who will contribute the most to the team. However, it's not enough to inspire good attitudes in individual players: a "team attitude" is necessary in building the kind of teamwork upon which winning is predicated. We define a good team attitude by how well the athletes accept their roles and their responsibilities to the team. The star role is relatively easy to accept, but it is equally important for the team specialists and back-ups to understand and accept their roles and responsibilities. Coaches should encourage this kind of attitude by setting an example: accepting all the responsibilities of their coaching position, not just the ones that they like. TEAM EGO Once players understand and accept their roles on the team, it is possible to take the concept of "team attitude" one step farther to "team ego." This simply means that players must overcome their own egos for the good of the entire team. MOTIVATION The subordination of individual attitudes and egos cannot happen in a vacuum. The players must be given a reason to be motivated to achieve a favorable outcome for the team. Coaches can set up a continuing system of motivation by setting long-term goals and by encouraging players to achieve them by meeting a series of short-term goals. This type of environment also stresses personal and academic goals. By measuring progress in small steps, we can give each athlete an ongoing sense of achievement and keep his or her motivation high. Athletes can also motivate one another. We usually split players into drill groups and score them as a team rather than as individuals, making the players feel they have a vested interest in each other. DISCIPLINE The establishment and maintenance of positive communications, team attitudes and egos, and motivation depends heavily on the final element of teamwork ­ discipline. Discipline is the glue that holds everything else together. Coaches should remember that discipline, if used fairly and consistently, is a positive force in building teamwork. Rules are a part of discipline, although we have found that too many rules have a negative impact on teamwork. It is also important to make sure that the rules you do have are consistent with team goals, are realistic and are enforceable. A key focus is developing self-discipline, which is defined as "what one does when no one is watching." We help athletes develop self-discipline through: 1) setting goals as described above, 2) clearly communicating the coach's expectations for the players and maintaining those standards, and 3) demanding the best effort from each athlete, whether in practice, in the classroom, or in a game.

14. Character and Commitment Program • The character and commitment program is a six week process in which each week we will have a theme • And a coach visit with the players about the topic. The topics of the week include: • Belief - Unity - Discipline - Resolve - Perseverance - Courage • Each coach will explain their topic at the beginning of each practice for that week and how it applies to • Football, teamwork and life! Player Theme of the Week Program We will have a theme of the week bulletin board this year located in the locker room. The theme of the week Will be rotated weekly and maintained by a group of players, with each one assigned a topic. The theme of The week will last through the entire season. The information provided below is the assigned them of the Week topics. Each weekly topic will be posted no later than Monday morning. Week: Topic Group of players Camp Hydration Offensive Line Camp Sportsmanship Coaching staff One Adversity RB/WR/FB Two Leadership Team Captains Three Commitment Defensive Line Four Attitude Linebackers Five Integrity Freshmen Six Respect Seniors Seven Accountability Juniors/Sophomores Setting Goals to Motivate Your Team As coaches, we are all looking for an edge, some special technique that enables us to get the most out of our athletes. One of the most universally applied techniques is the establishment of goals to guide and direct a team’s efforts. Setting goals can be a strong motivator and can have a great positive impact on a team. But what happens when our team doesn’t reach the outcome goals we set? How do we sell the team on the importance of setting goals in the future, after all, it hasn’t work thus far. One of the keys to setting effective goals and attaining desired results is balancing the use of outcome, performance, and process based goals. Outcome Goals focus on end results. They are easily measured and can be viewed simply as a success or failure. Performance Goals focus on the elements of execution necessary to achieve the outcome goal. For example a defensive goal would be to shut-out an opponent.” In order to achieve that out come, we might consider several performance factors such as making solid tackles (limiting yards after contact), reducing third down efficiency, pre venting big plays, etc. By accomplishing each of the performance goals, we increase our chances of achieving the outcome. Finally, Process Goals define the attitude and mental focus of the team; or how the team goes about pursuing its goals. Using the same example, we might describe our team’s play as “aggressive, relentless, and over whelming.” The intent of the process goal is to get players to focus on their mental approach to the game—how they need to be thinking when they are executing their responsibilities. Typically, coaches only set outcome goals. And why not, they are easily measurable. Let’s face it, whenever we embark on an endeavor, we are striving to be the best, so “Winning the Championship” is most everyone’s objective. The problem with only setting outcome based goals is that it creates a “chasing the rabbit” mentality and can lead to burnout. Another issue is that it lead to a loss of faith in the process when goals are not attained. If you’re three games into your season and your team loses faith, you have big problems. Think about it, can a team have a successful year based on anything other than winning the championship? Can a team completely control the season outcome? . Former Army Head Coach Bobby Ross told the Army football team after a close loss to Texas A&M that the sign of a good football team is one that improves from week to week. Improvement cannot always be measured by the final score. By setting goals that are performance and process oriented, the focus of the goals are on improving performance, not attaining an out come, in so doing, the athlete focuses on the essence of what is really important. Effective goal-setting is a continuous and methodical process. Keep in mind that goals may need to be adjusted as your season progresses due to circumstances beyond your control. Saints Goal checklist: Define your dream Know where you are right now Make an Assessment Make a plan of action Set and pursue short term goals Monitor your progress

15. Section 4: Schedules and Season Timeline • July 27/Thursday: Parent/Player meeting @ 6:30pm (HS Library) • Jul 31 – Aug 4: Summer Football camp @ 8:00am (Gym/Weight Room/Field) • August 7/Monday: First Day of practice • -- 8:00am (meet in gym then field) – Must have a physical on file • August 10/Thursday: First day of full padded practice • 8:00am (Field) • August 18/Friday: Scrimmage @ 6:00pm (Football Field – Parents/Community) • August 23/Wednesday: First Day of School – Practice @ 3:45pm • August 25/Friday: Game 1 @ English Valley’s (7:00pm) • September 1/Friday: Game 2 vs. Murray (7:00pm) • September 8/Friday: Game 3 vs. Tri-County – Thornburg (7:00pm) • September 15/Friday: Game 4 @ Colo-Nesco (7:00pm) • September 22/Friday: Game 5 @ Meskwaki Settlement School (7:00pm) • September 29/Friday: Game 6 vs. Twin Cedars Bussey (7:00pm) - Homecoming • October 6/Friday: Game 7 @ Seymour (7:00pm) • October 13/Friday: Game 8 vs. HLV (7:00pm) • October 20/Friday: Game 9 @ Moravia (7:00pm)

16. Practice Schedule (Format Example)

17. Transportation issues during the football season deal primarily with away games. If You are riding home with a parent, please have your parent/guardian sign you out After the game. I will have a clipboard near the bus driver for signature – one of the Coaches must sign and verify you have the ride. Please do not ask the bus driver For his/her signature as the coaching staff maintain this responsibility. For further information concerning transportation during the season, please see The school administration, school policy, or the athletic director. Thanks, Coach Horstman Melcher-Dallas High School Football Away Game Sign-Out Sheet Date:______________

18. Section 6: Saints Powerlifting Club Our weight lifting club exists to allow students additional workouts and competition opportunities for their sport.  It provides students with the opportunity to learn weightlifting, fitness and health skills and improve their overall health.  Our goal is also to provide a fundraising opportunity to assist those students who attend weightlifting sessions and to buy more items needed and replacement in our weight room. Membership qualifications: Middle school or high school student Levels of Membership: -  Maroon Saint (500 lbs. club) -  Iron Saint (750 lbs. club) -  Ultimate Saint (1,000 lbs. club) How to Qualify for each club: -  Powerlifters will be required to bench, squat and power-clean for a total weight to qualify for membership in the maroon, iron or ultimate saint categories.  What incentives are given for each membership level: -  T-shirt per level -  Record boards -  Picture on this website Melcher-Dallas Saints Powerlifting Club Website: https://sites.google.com/a/melcher-dallas.k12.ia.us/saints-weight-lifting/

19. Coaching from the Heart Great coaches are distinguished for any number of strengths.  Some are successful as master strategists.  Some are successful as master motivators.  Some are great “players” coaches, and some are great disciplinarians.  All coaches who achieve success harness varying degrees of each of these skills, but what is it that their players remember? Rarely do players remember or laud their coaches for their expertise in X’s and O’s.  Instead, they tend to focus on integrity, honesty, and love.  I know it isn’t masculine to speak about love in the context of sports, but I contend that love is the key ingredient in sport, as it is in life.  As humans, we pursue love and are created to do so.  There is no greater motivator for good or evil than love.  We grasp for it, cling to it, live and die for it.  In sport it is a love for the game, love for the competition, love for the team, and, yes, love amongst teammates. What is commonly remembered about coaches is how much they loved their players.  Did they genuinely care about each one of them as people and as players?  Was there more to them than just the game being played?  When we speak of great coaches there will commonly be a recitation of the small things, the attention to personal matters, the guidance for life, and the discipline demanded through a heart of love. As a coach, do you approach your team from your heart?  Do you impart your love and passion to those in your charge?  I don’t believe this concept involves becoming a professional counselor or giving out hugs like candy from a parade.  Instead it involves a sincere desire to push your players to be better every day and imparting the skills, attitudes, emotional support (motivation), and physical support to do so. Genuine care for every member of a team bonds coach and player and provides a firm foundation on which to build a program.  If your players doubt your care or concern for them, then their ability to achieve is tied solely to their personal drive.  When a player is coached from the heart, they are motivated to give their all for the coach, the team, and their teammates.  In addition, it sets the stage for the lessons taught to be enduring in their lives and reverberate in society at large.  Love your team and you will make a difference in their lives.

20. Discipline: Good for the Body & the Soul Discipline is a varied and difficult topic.  It is controversial in its application.  It is lauded when found and resisted when applied.  It can apply to athletics, moral codes, healthy living, our work, our finances, and the overall conduct of our lives.  A disciplined person is generally viewed as successful.  Discipline in my life has always been a goal and has been one that I have rarely achieved.  I don’t exercise every day, or eat a disciplined diet, or fold my clothes properly, or manage my finances in a disciplined manner.  However, there are areas of my life overall that are more disciplined than others. My model for discipline and its benefits are athletic.  Coach Thomas disciplined his players and provided a code of conduct on and off the field that was a great benefit when it was needed on the field of play.  He instilled respect for authority and reinforced the need to perform your tasks in a disciplined manner in order to achieve a higher degree of success.  Physical exhaustion was the method of enforcement with a sprinkle of grace and a boatload of instruction.  The discipline instilled –the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior—was a great benefit to our ultimate goals and a great lesson for application in the rest of our lives. Discipline is unpopular in modern society.  We want to do what we want do when we want to do it.  Self determination is the operative imperative for our lives and discipline is disregarded because it involves someone else’s code and accepting instruction and consequences for violating the code.  The process of discipline is uncomfortable and we have therefore crafted a view of life that is more comfortable, easier, and eschews discipline.  Being a coach is far more difficult today than it was twenty years ago.  Being a parent is far more difficult than it was twenty years ago.  Being an employer is far more difficult than it was twenty years ago.  The paradigm for instilling discipline has changed in all areas of life and it is anathema to those that would have it imposed upon them. However, discipline leads to success.  A disciplined team will be a match for a more talented team that lacks discipline.  Disciplined financial management will avoid common pitfalls and result in financial success.  Disciplined personal conduct will build trust in important relationships.  Disciplined children will find favor and be prepared for life.  A disciplined approach to work will achieve results and stability in the workplace.  So, how do we get more discipline and administer discipline in our lives which are bombarded by a lack of the same? This blog is too short and I am not smart enough to answer that question fully.  Instead, self determination may lead us down the path to an answer.  Where can we be more disciplined in our personal lives?  At work, with our children, how we treat our spouse, financially?  Find a code or a model for an area of life that needs an injection of discipline and submit to its tenets.  Follow the instruction and enlist a mentor or accountability partner to assist in administering discipline in a certain area of life.  Celebrate success and correct the things that pull you from the path.  Perhaps if we are able to achieve greater discipline in our lives in targeted battleground areas, then the results in this New Year will be tangible and triumphant.  After all, an example of discipline has a much better platform from which to instill discipline in those within their charge. Discipline Do what needs to be Done, When it needs to be Done, As well as it can be Done, And do it that way all The time.