Definite mixed feelings. Excitement, nervousness, not sure if I was ready for the commitment, not sure if I was ready to work with teenage girls, etc. There was a lot to think about but I felt good to at least go in there and see if I would even be the right fit for the school. So- the following day I went in for the interview.
I got along really great with the principle, advisor, and previous coach. I felt really at home talking to them about my coaching philosophies and what my plans would be to improve the program. Overall, it was a great experience and I remember leaving feeling good about the whole thing.
I got the call the next day and was offered the job. I was so excited but also in shock! Lucky for me, the previous assistant coach wanted to stay on so I knew my first step was to contact her and come up with a plan.
Kelsea and I made an immediate connection (this sounds like a dating story but it's not haha) and I was so excited to begin working with her. She was a Taylorsville Chiron Alumni like me so we had very similar philosophies on coaching drill.
Try-outs were just a couple weeks away and there had been absolutely ZERO advertising. The girls who were on the team prior had a bad experience and the majority of them decided they didn't want to come back, in fact, most wanted to try out for cheer! I was devastated at the thought that I'd be starting from the bottom with nothing but it was also exciting and made me feel challenged.
Kelsea and I started calling around to the Jr. High dance teams and cheer squads to try to get as much interest as possible. We called local studios and updated the info on our website. It was a nightmare and so stressful because we were worried no one would show up for the tryout.
I decided to go and talk to he current team and try to 'win over' the returners to try to get them to come back. I remember walking into the gym and I could tell there was some serious attitude about the whole idea of getting a new coach again. I would be the third coach in three years. It felt like I was pulling teeth trying to get them to open up to me. It was miserable. Once they finally started asking ME questions we really got a good dialogue going and I could see them begin to see the light haha
By the time I left the school I felt good about our conversation and just prayed that some would change their mind and tryout for drill.
A couple weeks later when tryouts came all but one member decided to try out again. It was a miracle haha Seriously, nothing short of a miracle. We had 9 returners! That was a good base for us to begin our team. By the end of all our tryouts, we now have 20 dancers! It's a small team for Utah but Kels and I really wanted to focus on building the program. Not just taking girls to take girls.
I am so excited for this opportunity and to finally be back in the drill world. Call me crazy but I missed it, a lot. I love my new job and I'm excited to see what's to come!
No comments:
Post a Comment