Posted by: Gordon
There is something sacred about the post-game handshake. It is a time when players and coaches put their competitive natures aside and congratulate one another on the game they all participated in. I always enjoy walking off the field as an official watching both teams cross and give one another a handshake. It is a special moment that epitomizes the ideal of respect for your opponent.
Then there is this:
That video ...
Continue Reading →Posted by: Gordon
My favorite book of all time is Dune, by Frank Herbert. This makes me a definite science fiction nerd, and I am not ashamed to admit that one bit. I don’t remember when I first read Dune but the story captivated me and I had to keep rereading it. I have probably read the entire Dune series, roughly 15 books, about for or five times, and every time I learn something new about the Dune universe. ...
Continue Reading →Posted by: Gordon
One officiating concept that I try to live by is to not be bigger than the game. That concept means that I do my best to not take over the show that the players and coaches are putting on because there isn’t a fan in the stands that paid a ticket to come watch me officiate.
When I was a less-experienced official I was definitely bigger than the game mainly because I didn’t know any better. I was like Leslie Nielson ...
Continue Reading →Posted by: Gordon
A few months ago I had a small group of young players and I asked the question “what is respect?” The reason I was prompted to ask that question was because the players were disrespecting one another by hitting each other with their sticks while waiting in line during drills. I did not find that behavior particularly becoming of young lacrosse players. So I had everyone sit down in a semi circle around me and we discussed respect. Since that ...
Continue Reading →Posted by: Gordon
I’m not sure if it was my idea or my parent’s idea for me to join the Esther Jackson Elementary Chess Club, but I am glad I was introduced to chess at a very early age. I started learning chess in the fourth grade and I’ve been playing ever since. I don’t remember my chess teacher’s name, but as far as I was concerned he was a chess master. I never beat him, but he always taught me something new ...
Continue Reading →Posted by: Gordon
Too many parents are wrapped up in analyzing their child’s game performance immediately following the final whistle. Before their little tyke even snaps the seatbelt into place they pepper their child with questions:
This is truly counterproductive and, I believe, damaging to your child’s participation in youth sports. Is it fair to question a ...
Continue Reading →Posted by: Gordon
It’s that time of year again. School is back in session, the summer is coming to a close, and Fall Ball is right around the corner. For a lot of people, new and experienced to lacrosse, there are a good amount of questions about what to expect from a Fall Ball season, and how to get the most out of it. This season will mark my twelfth fall lacrosse season. I have seen the best and worst aspects of the ...
Continue Reading →Posted by: Gordon
Good versus Evil. Right versus Wrong. Morality versus Immorality. Shoulder Angel versus Shoulder Devil.
All of these capture the inner struggle we all have to do the right thing. This struggle is characterized as our conscience, and we all have one. Yet, for young players their conscience, like themselves, is immature. This is not to say that young players do not have a conscience. Just that is is currently undergoing construction.
Parents and immediate family members lay the deep foundation of conscience. ...
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