Top 10 Most Fun Teams Coached

Hiked the Pine & Cedar Trail with Tomass today. All-time discussions ensued. I might be off by a year or so on some of them, the memory is starting to go (CRS). So here's my most fun sports teams I have coached:

1) 2007 LaVenture Middle School track team. What we lacked in quantity we made up for in quality. Just a wonderful collection of great kids who really cared for one another and always did their best. Seventeen of the 24 kids made it to the conference finals.

2) 1992 & 1993 Rainier Junior High Football team. I could have just as easily put them in the #1 spot. these were my guys! Got to coach them two years in a row and they played the most memorable game I have ever coached in any sport. Possibly the most fun class of kids I have ever worked with.

3) Goal Busters coed soccer team, I think it was 1984 in Federal Way. What a great group of fun little 1st-3rd graders. The banquet at Chucky Cheese was the best ever, too, with kids running up and dropping the balls into the targets. E-gads they're all in their thirties now!

4) 1988 Boys Shorewood elem. boys basketball. This was the most dominant sports team I have ever coached. A fun group of guys that goofed off during warm-ups but were all business during games. they won all of their games within the first ten minutes but were always respectful and merciful to their opponents. Practices were always a good time.

5) 2003 Wood River 8th grade boys basketball team. Not the most talented basketball wise, but by far the strongest defensive team I have ever coached. They were tough, great young men who loved to compete. Every practice was as hard-fought as any game, and they won 14 games.

6) 2005 Wood River girls basketball team. We only won 2 games all season, but I've never been around a more cohesive, positive, happy team. These young ladies will always be dear to my heart. I still smile just thinking of them.

7) 1991-93 Rainier Junior High boys basketball team. I feel sorry these guys had to be stuck with me for three years back when I had no clue what I was doing. Some of the faces changed during the three years, but the core group was a team I grew very fond of over time. It was a treat seeing them grow into young men by the time they were in ninth grade.

8) This year's 7th grade Blaine girls Basketball Team. Not the most vocal group, but what a sweet, kind group of girls. We have won almost all of our games, but that is the icing compared to how much I've enjoyed their happy energy in practice every day.

9) 1990 Lake View Elementary boys basketball. One of the undefeated teams. These guys all got along so well and truly always played as a team. We had so many of the little guys we had to split the team in half and each only played in half of the games. But play they did, none of the other schools came close to beating them.

10) 1993 Rainier Junior High 7th grade girls basketball team. My first all-girls coaching experience. I was lucky to get them. They were so much fun and played with such enthusiasm. Another scrappy team that won most of their games, I still remember the time they all fell asleep on the bus on the way back to school.

Honorable Mention:
2009 Blaine Track
2006 LaVenture Girls Basketball
1995, 2000, and 2001 Wood River Girls Basketball
1994 Rainier J.H. Football
1989 and 1991 Lake View El. Boys Basketball
1985 Boys Basketball Federal Way B & G Club

Last Practice

Our last practice of the season has come to a close. This has been one of the most fun basketball seasons ever in 27 years of coaching. I have looked forward to every practice this year and have always walked away with a a smile. It's been six years since I've been able to say that. One more game and it's a wrap. It's kids like this that still give me plenty of optimism for the future. What a wonderful group of quality young women. Hope track season is as much fun.

The Streak Is Alive

The girls did it again. One of my all-time favorite teams this year. They beat our dirty-playing, hacker arch-rivals 33-12 tonight to keep coach J's birthday record a perfect 4-0 over 27 seasons. Only the thick-headed AD's have scheduled games right after vacation like this over the years. I'm so proud of our little team. This is probably where I should type in one of those fu-fu smiling faces or something like that. Forget it, it's tequila with the brothers instead.

The Hunt

O.K. Last time I post on this thing that nobody reads. Last time until I get bored again. Need to start hitting the weights and riding the bike trainer again. Got really lazy ever since that stupid Swine Flu thing. Now it's time to get in shape for climbing and hunting. Speaking of hunting, this last season was a great one. It was a season to hunt with my nephews Greg and Brad, my dad, UncleMike, and my brother that is not a pretty boy. Also our trusted duo of Dave and Pippi. Absent this year were the Hurleys and the brother who is a pretty boy.

So here's to dead animal pictures. And here's to a full freezer.

The top picture is a sunset over the sawtooth mountains, my favorite place to hunt in the world. The next picture is Team AARP. Dad and Uncle Mike have over 100 years of elk packing experience between them, which I needed to help pack out the bull in picture #3.
The next two shots are of nephews Brad and Greg after getting their first mule deer in Sun Valley. The last two are of Tommy Boy with his big Sun valley rack, and grouse hunting near Winthrop.

Blow-out!

Back home early from the annual Forks Steel-a-thon with the little brudder. Managed to catch steelhead using fly rod, centerpin rod, and spinning rod. Tommy Boy managed to catch twice as many fish sticking to what he does well. We both had a blast. The hatchery fish are bigger this year. Could this mean some hawg native later? One can only hope and pray.

Back early because of 2 inches of rain. rivers were totally blown out by mid-morning yesterday. Such is winter steelheading. Can't believe we've been doing this trip for 15 years now.

Check out the grip-and-grin photos.