🐎 Guest Post: Darley of Equitrekking, on Coach Mama’s Influence on Her Adventurous Spirit

photo credit: Stéfan via photopin cc

Uncle Lee warned me.

“Don’t say that, unless you want to go for a long ride,” he said. He’d just helped me, age 12, climb aboard Rex, the horse on my dad’s family ranch in rural New Mexico. Like the tenderfoot I was, I’d immediately uttered, “heeyah!”

I did it again, moments later.

Mo than I bargained for: The tale of my month of mustache

 

photo credit: Stéfan via photopin cc

I have visions of Magnum P.I. in my head when this mustache is complete.

Reality is probably closer to Cheech Marin, I realize. See, I’m growing out the Mo. The mustache. I do get nostalgic for the 70s, but this isn’t some generational regression to what once was cool.

It’s part of Movember, a movement among men to leave, as someone at work put it, a lip ferret on our face for the entire month of November.

Why? Fashion. And suaveness. October’s for pink; November’s for lip hair. athletes can sport pink cleats. Runners can paint their hair pink for 5Ks. Everyone can put on their pink ribbons and pink shirts and pink suspenders, to promote breast cancer awareness.

Sometimes, Fairness is Overrated

photo credit: taymtaym OKIMG_1015 via photopin (license)

I hope I’m many things as a coach.

Energetic. Understanding. Compassionate. Unfair. You heard me. Unfair. Because when I hear those words during practice, from the kids I love and teach and protect … “Coach, this isn’t fair!“

I know the learning’s begun.

In my practices, we play small-sided games. Three against three. Four against four. No scrimmages. No full-field soccer. We set up little goals on the corners of the field, or balance a soccer ball on a cone, or three balls on three cones.